Luciano is such an attentive and thoughtful host. He met us upon arrival to show us around and had provided milk, water, juice, sugar, tea, pasta, toast, olive oil, herbs etc. Kitchen roll, foil, bin bags and toilet roll were also provided which is not usual and very generous. We also had lovely welcome packs of drinks and snacks for the children and cocktails and snacks for us! When you need to go shopping the supermarket is literally up the road and sells everything you need.
The villa is wonderful. The accommodation is spacious and clean/tidy. We had plenty of space as a family of 6. With 2 double bedrooms with en-suites upstairs and a downstairs double and en-suite which we used. There is air conditioning in all the bedrooms and the living area. Towels are provided for the pool/beach as well as bath towels. The kitchen is well stocked and had everything that we needed.
The gardens and pool area are truly beautiful with the most spectacular views of the sea and Mount Etna. The pool is an excellent size and not very deep so again great for children. The gardens are huge and well manicured with beautiful flowers and plants. It is the most peaceful place.
One thing we had not expected is that whilst you have privacy and sole use of the pool, Luciano’s parents villa adjoins the gardens and has direct access to the pool. We were initially concerned about this as there was nothing about this in the listing however we felt that we had privacy at all times. It is just worth knowing in advance (see pic).
Having a car is essential as there is nothing around the villa and even though the supermarket and cafe are 1km away it is not a pleasant walk. You can walk to the “beach” but it is very rocky and not particularly beautiful. The area itself feels very safe though.
Luciano sent us lots of information about where to see and eat. He was so responsive and helped us with any questions we had. We tried Al Castello (beautiful fish restaurant in Brucoli, which also has a really cool bar below it), Pizzeria Miramare in Brucoli (amazing pizza but poor and quite rude service), Trattoria I Rizzari in Brucoli (wonderful setting on the sea and great seafood), A’ Palumma in Augusta (very large family oriented restaurant with excellent pizza). Breakfast at Il Baretto is excellent and only 3mins from the villa by car.
Taormina was our favourite place (1hour 20min drive from villa). So much to see and the Teatro Antico di Taormina is a must. Breathtaking views and a bargain at 10 Euro entry (children are free).
One day we went to Luciano’s brothers beach club (Lido Le Dune https://goo.gl/maps/fiYTMJDSYGS4sTiF9) which has the most beautiful water and sand. Very shallow with no waves so great for the children. The food was very nice. It was not a beach club as we expected though as they do not provide towels (so don’t forget to take with you) or serve drinks at your loungers.
Luciano certainly went above and beyond our expectations when on Sunday I asked his advice about my daughters ear infection and he said he would arrive in 1-2 hours and that his father was a doctor. He managed to find a chemist open on a Sunday and get us a prescription from his father who saw our daughter! We never expected this level of care and hospitality. A truly wonderful family ❤️
Thank you Luciano 👌🏻🙏🏻