Where to start? Louise's place and Louise herself were a breath of fresh air!
We booked this home super last minute - and I mean last minute - 1 day before to be exact. This was obviously a slight surprise for Louise, especially because we were the first guests of the season! However, Louise had pretty much everything spick and span for when we arrived. She arranged a local taxi driver, Roberto, to pick us up at the airport. She then met us in person when we arrived, she was waiting outside the villa, ready to greet us (her two gorgeous dogs were ready to greet us too, which was an added bonus!).
Louise gave us loads of tips on where to eat, shop and visit, and where to avoid! Louise is from England herself, so was obviously easy to communicate with, but she's been living in Palermo for 30 years so she has all the knowledge and know how of a true Italian.
Milk, eggs, butter and 6 big bottles of filtered water were waiting for us in the fridge when we got into the villa which was a nice touch - along with a handwritten note listing all of the local restaurants! Louise drove us to the local supermarket and even gave us a little tour of Mondello on our first day and helped us decide which Italian cheeses and meats to buy!
As for the home itself... it was better than we expected. A stunning, modern villa with a huge outdoor terrace with a view of the sea. Incredibly clean and tidy, with a nice homey feeling. Two big bedrooms, a waterfall style shower and floor to ceiling windows surrounding the kitchen and living area.
A few tiny things needed fixing/weren't working (broken blinds, cupboard doors, outdoor music system) but that was only because we were there so early with such little notice, so we weren't too surprised or disappointed.
The outdoor kitchen was our favourite feature. Fully equipped, tastefully decorated and massive - also overlooking the pool. We spent our evenings here cooking on the BBQ and dipping our feet in the pool.
The location was great. A 5-10 minute walk to everything you need - restaurants, supermarkets and the beach. Also only a 20 min drive from the airport in Palermo.
I can't remember the name of it.. but I recommend trying the restaurant that was a blue sign and lots of baskets/boat/beachy things hanging outside of it. Gorgeous food and reasonably priced!
Overall, our stay with Louise was a dream. She keeps the perfect level of communication. She's super friendly, helpful and will be there whenever you need her, but also respects your privacy and lets you get on with your holiday - a rare find with Airbnb hosts! They're usually either super unhelpful and impersonal, or over intrusive. Louise, however, was perfect!
We'll 100% be coming back in the future, maybe even this Summer when the weather's hotter and we can bring a couple friends to show the place off to too!
Thanks for everything Louise - and say hi to Yoda, Luke and Tabby for us!