The apartment itself is nicer than the photos. It’s cosy, lots of natural light, large bedroom, nice bathroom and adequate living room. The kitchen is sufficient for light cooking, has full size fridge/freezer and stove/oven, but no microwave. Aircon and heater in both bedroom and living room. Wifi is not so fast, but ok for checking email. Overall good value and a nice apartment.
The host is always available (he lives upstairs), and responds quickly to your questions. They also supplied some fresh fruit upon my arrival.
A few minutes walk and you can catch the Free Shuttle that does a loop around the town's most interesting sites, or a 15 minute walk to the train station. Very handy location.
However, I had one issue staying here. This may not apply to you, but since I am on a 6 month working holiday I sometimes need a quiet working environment to do e-commerce business on my laptop, which in turn supports my travels.
The “local atmosphere” some reviewers have mentioned is certainly here, although it may not appeal to everyone. Starting from 0700 and on/off until 2200, you can expect to hear: car alarms, barking dogs, loud music, house construction, motorcycle horns and people yelling loudly to each from one balcony to another. Yes, I understand this is typical Sicilan culture. However it doesnt mean I want to be living next door to it for several nights.
If you are only going to sleep here, and be gone most of the day touring around Palermo, then you might not mind the “local atmosphere”, you may even enjoy it. Personally I found it very loud sometimes and made working difficult.