Paolo's house is located beautifully between Acireale and Santa Tecla and is a very short stroll to the water via some steps and access directly to the med via a new platform (perfect for morning yoga, sunbathing and watching the world go by!)
The living area and main bedroom are modern, nicely appointed with a comfortable sofa and it's a nice place to sit in the evenings when it gets dark outside. The beds were comfortable too and the rooms quite large.
The pool is a very welcome delight, with a deck for sun bathing privately and an outdoor eating area where we spent most of our time! You can cook and eat outside, although you do have to go through either bedroom to get to the kitchen. That set up was slightly inconvenient with 2 couples, but we managed it easily enough with each couple only using their own bedroom to access the kitchen. For one couple it wouldn't have been an issue.
There is a supermarket close by which has everything you need. Sadly, you cannot drink the water, so for eco-friendly people like us, it meant begrudgingly having to buy bottled water as even boiled water isn't drinkable - which is a real shame.
If you are to explore the are you would definitely need a car as the roads are not set up for walking. It is easy to drive there and easily accessible for parking and discovering. We did day trips to Syracuse, Mt. Etna, Messina and Catania - as well as lounging the entire day in the sun!
Paolo is very kind and a warm and lovely person. He responded immediately to any questions we had and resolved a problem we had with the electricity going out really quickly. He met us from the airport, being very patient and kind when I got lost! We cannot fault the contact with Paolo - he even helped book a birthday dinner restaurant for us.
The large platform to the sea is a lovely place for yoga or watching the sun and the sea. You can swim directly from the platform via the stairs. The med can be a bit rough there but it was a very cool experience. Not something you would do with children I imagine as a little too dangerous.
All in all a lovely holiday. It was very quiet there with no barking dogs or children noises, the neighbours are very quiet also as it is a gated complex. A great place to be for some R&R.