Natalia is truly a superhost with a beautiful accommodation in local surroundings.
When we arrived at Palermo airport our taxi driver, mr. Verdone (Natalia tip) was waiting for us and drove with a twenty euro discount us straight up to the front door of the house.
Natalia was waiting for us upstairs. She gave us a little tour and explained some basic and handy tips for our stay.
If you have any questions during your stay, you can sent Natalia a message and she responds within 15 minutes. Very nice and polite!
If you like living among locals, this is the house to rent. It is recommended to rent a car if you want to get around. We rented a car after 4 days of staying. It allowed us the cool down and get used tot the Sicilian way of life and temperatures during summer. Natalia told us that next year there will be airco in two of the 3 bedrooms available. I understand this, but the positive thing about no airco is that the windows are open more often. Allowing the sea breeze going through your bedroom at night and the sound of the sea in the background is like therapy.
Although the small cocktail bar Baica and the pizzeria La Punta (at your front door) create quite some noise on one side of the accommodation, it also challenges you to adapt in the rhythm of Mediterranean life. Going for diner after 21:00 hours for example. If you close the the windows the noise isolation is pretty good. You can use ear plugs if you prefer long nights of sleep.
The kitchen and the roof terras were our favourite places the hang around. The kitchen has all the necessary equipment for cooking your own meal or prepare breakfast/lunch. There is a dishwasher which we never used. I sent Natalia a picture (she might use it on her airbnb ad) taken in the kitchen. With a view like that, who wants to use the dishwasher?!
The roof was my favourite. I like early mornings. Sitting upstairs with my coffee and watching the start of a new day. The calming of the sea. The fisher boats going out or coming in the harbour. Local divers looking for seafood.
Now let's get to the garbage. Driving around Sicily also confronts you with a-lot of garbage on the streets and next to roads and in nature. The plastic culture is noticable when you visit the local SISA supermarket. The nice thing about this airbnb is that Natalia collects her garbage separately. It could be a challenge for some of you, but I really liked it knowing that we all create waste and this is a little contribution for me as a tourist.
Well Natalia, THANK YOU for letting us stay at your beautiful (family) house. We fell in love with Santa Flavia, Porticello and Bagheria.