We had a lovely stay in Filippo's apartment. It's perfectly located for lazing on the beach, either on the public areas opposite or in one of the many lidos a short walk south. You have a great view of the sea from the balcony, which is great for relaxing with a glass of wine after a day in the sun. You've also got a great view of Taormina, which I highly recommend visiting.
Communication with Filippo was great throughout the trip. He got in touch via Whatsapp shortly before the trip with a welcome pack and other useful information. He was also very responsive when we messaged him about a broken washing machine holding our clothes hostage, quickly arranging for a technician to visit the following day.
One disappointment was dealing with parking was quite stressful. Despite the listing says "Free on-street parking" parking on the lungomare is prohibited after 19:30 every day when the street becomes pedestrian only. If you leave your car parked there overnight you'll end up with a 27 euro fine - which Filippo did warn us about. When you are allowed to park there during the day it's very difficult to find an empty spot due to the popularity of the sea front.
Filippo told us about a nearby car park when we struggling to find a spot during check in. It had spaces available reliably and is a 10 minute walk from the apartment. It seems a bit of a local secret as I didn't spot and signs pointing to it, and it doesn't show up on a google maps search for car parks.
If you've got a car I'd highly recommend familiarising yourself with sicilian parking rules and street markings! Also get lots of coins for parking meters as none of the ones I found took bank notes or had a working card terminal! I think the parking prohibition next to the apartment isn't year round so it's worth checking before you leave your car futher away.