Cinzia and her son welcomed us like we’ve known each other for a long time. We had trouble finding Villa Alecla so they came to guide us from a nearby hotel. (Just in case: it's best to take the Autostrada Messina-Catania and get off at exit Roccalumera, go South through the village of Santa Teresa di Riva).
Villa Alecla is in a small village and 5 minute walking distance from the local beach. It is a pebble beach with waves where locals come and was not crowded at all (On a Sunday at the end of July). We went Sunday morning and evening, taking the beach towels, bucket and parasol from the Villa.
The Villa has everything we needed and Cinzia welcomed us with her delicious lasagna with appetizers. Perfect as we had arrived later than we had hoped and were too tired to go shopping and cook.
The Villa is very pleasant because of air conditioning but also screens to keep the mosquitos out. It is full of details and love, with hand embroidery by Cinzia on the towels, linens, etc. Homemade products by Cinzia include honey, olive oil, limoncello, jams, etc. If we didn't have a strict bagagge limit, we could've taken more home with us.
The outdoor space is also very luxurious. We had our breakfast on the covered patio outside, too bad we didn't have enough time to use the barbeque. There is also an outdoor shower with both hot and cold water, perfect when coming back from the beach. There is also a garden with citrus trees and herbs to use for cooking.
We had a late Sunday lunch at the restaurant Il Padrion (the Godfather) in Forza d'Agrò, a 15 minute drive up a steep hill. The views were great and we enjoyed the atmosphere with all the local Sicilians with their extended families. Their speciality is seafood and even the appetizer course for four (we were 2 adults, 2 teenagers and 1 child) were too much. We also ordered the main course for one. After that was lemon sorbet and desserts. We didn't need dinner that day.
This is a place to come to if you want to experience living among the locals. We only stayed for two nights, but would love to stay for longer next time and explore the area more.