Well where to begin! I will start by saying that I had an excellent stay at Stella's home in Carini. We conversed mainly in Italian and even though I only speak a small amount of Italian I really enjoyed chatting to Stella and learning as much Italian as I could. So for me that was an added bonus! I should say that I was staying here alone for a week without a car so my review is based on that.
Stella's hospitality was fantastic and she was kind enough to take me straight to the supermarket on my arrival (without my asking) which was very generous. On my arrival I found a orange and lemon cake in the fridge freshly made and a scicilian snack delicacy which meant I did not have to cook or go out that evening. Considering I arrived at 1pm this was very thoughtful of Stella. As the house uses chlorinated water there was plenty of bottled water for cooking.
The house was about 100 yards from a rocky beach which has a couple of points where you can get into the water for a swim. There is a sandy beach which you can get to by car roughly 5 minutes drive away. There is also a bakery at the top of the street more or less 10 minute walk from the house opposite a pizzaeria and ristorante. The house itself had everything for 4 people including cutlery, plates, pots, pans etc. An umbrella for the beach was also in the utility room - very handy! Stella did provide a bike for my stay included in the price which I used to get to the nearby beach. Again she did this without asking and that was very generous.
I would say the house is about a ten minute drive from the airport. The neighborhood is very quiet (I am used to lots of noise in Italian villages and towns early in the morning whereas here it was actually very quiet), possibly because the road only goes to the beach ;).
Palermo can be reached most easily by car, Stella was very kind and took me to Palermo for the day. Where she introduced me to brioche and gelato (icecream) from the heart of the city. It truly was terrific! I would recommend going if you stay here.
All in all my stay was great and I had everything I needed. If I go again I would take more people with me!