We had a lovely time at La Casa Blu and particularly enjoyed the peace and quiet there. We enjoyed being able to walk to the various restaurants we visited in Mirabella Imbaccari and therefore could both enjoy a drink with our meal.
Stephano’s care and attention was evident from his excellent contact via the air bnb page & WhatApp before we arrived and then throughout our stay. He provided a large bottle of water, milk, tea and coffee and various crisp breads with jams on our arrival, which was very welcoming. Stephano wasn’t in when we arrived but he left clear instructions, with photos showing us how to collect the keys and let ourselves into the apartment. The downstairs apartment where we stayed was a studio flat with a large shower room (which also housed the washing machine) attached. It also had a large covered outdoor area with a dining room table, chairs and loungers attached which was lovely for eating evening meals when we cooked in the apartment. The kitchen is well equipped with two gas rings, a microwave and a full sized fridge, however the fridge only has an ice cube apartment in it - not a freezer to store food. There was adequate China and cutlery. Toilet rolls, cleaning supplies, shampoo, shower gel, soaps and washing up liquid are all provided.
The queen size bed was very comfortable and there were plenty of extra quilts and bedding (if we’d needed them). There was a television, but we didn’t use it at all. The apartment had fly screens on the windows and net curtains over the doors to stop mosquitoes getting in easily. The apartment doesn’t have air conditioning, but was relatively cool anyway - Stephano got us a standing fan to use during our stay. Wifi was available and we were able to use it even when by the pool. The grounds are delightful - a large olive orchard, lawned areas complete with goalpost and swings for children all within security gates. The pool and patio area were kept beautifully cleaned and maintained by Stephano every day. There was plenty of parking space for cars.
Stephano is a fantastic host who goes out of his way to help you enjoy his house and country. He booked restaurants for us, sorted out any minor problems we had straight away and generally helped us have a fantastic holiday. Stephano and his wife live in another part of the house but keep a very discrete presence unless needed.
We were easily able to sightsee in Sicily using our hire car - visiting the Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, La Scala dei Turchi (white chalk stepped cliffs into the sea), Villa Romana del Casale (only 25 mins away by car), Syracusa, Etna (which we climbed up with a Vulcanologist guide), but we most enjoyed the less touristy, more local places we visited such as Mirabella Imbaccari itself, Calagirone, Enna, Piazza Armerina, Morgantina (a Greek settlement complete with amphitheatre) and the seaside town of Gela.
We would highly recommend both La Casa Blu and the area of Sicily it is in.