I’ve had a lot of great experiences with Airbnb hosts with some exceptionally good service and high standards. This wasn’t one unfortunately. We were arriving in Palermo via an overnight ferry at 6am and as we couldn’t check in until 2pm, we decided to come a day later (having paid for the previous night). I told the contact María that we’d arrive at 6:45 am the next day and would be at the apartment at around 7:15. She said she wouldn’t let us in before 8:30. I asked, pleaded and insisted to be let in when we arrived so we didn’t have to wait in the street with our cases. She told me she was already doing us a ‘cortesia’ by coming at 8:30, and she also said it wasn’t a hotel but a ‘portiere’ service, ie a caretaking service. We didn’t really see it like that.
When we disembarked, I sent her another message and she said someone called Roman would check us in. At 8:30. She also complained that I’d woken her up on her day off and that I should be more grateful. Sure enough, we had to wait outside for an hour with our cases, sitting in a road with no pavement, LOTS of chaotic traffic and some local Sicilian bins.
Roman arrived at 8:20am and was very sweet but insisted that he couldn’t let me in before 8:30, so we waited another 10 minutes.
I thought that by paying for the night before, we’d be given access when we wanted. And I’m confident that had they wanted to, they could have let us in. Maria repeated over and over that she didn’t start work until 10am and that the answer was No.
Previously to this, I’d asked her a couple of questions about the nearest beach and she replied with a voice message telling me she was busy at work and that I should look on Google(!). I’ve never had a response like that before from an Airbnb host.
So the ‘hosting’ wasn’t great and while we enjoyed Sicily, this experience doesn’t compare to the excellent hosting we received elsewhere in this two-week trip.
As for the apartment, it was very basic. The terrace is great but was filthy, with pigeon poo, ash and dirt all over the floor. We had to clean it ourselves. The one tiny cafetière was also filthy and seemingly rusty inside. One bathroom had two half-used toilet rolls from previous guests. Not big things, but little touches that were so well done elsewhere.
Some of the other reviews mention the noisy bar. It’s very noisy, though not when you’re indoors, but it’s very rough-looking and I’d be cautious about staying here if you’re a nervous person or perhaps females travelling together. There were a lot of young men pulling up on mopeds all night, some of which shouted at us when we were on your way home, offering us drugs and who knows what else? It made us nervous, we didn’t know what might happen.
Also, the two bedrooms have skylights but no shutters or curtains so if the light bothers you in a morning, this isn’t ideal.
We were also required - and threatened with a fine otherwise - to carry our own rubbish a couple of streets a way to place in communal bins. I’ve been asked to sort recycling before, but not to carry bin bags to the bins 200 metres away when we’re paying a cleaning fee. Again, not a huge deal, but another touch that didn’t make us feel like welcome guests.
Even if the apartment was ideal, I wouldn’t stay here again because the service was not only bad, it was quite hostile, and I felt like I was bothering people by asking for ‘favours’ rather than paying for a service. There are lots of beautiful places to stay in Palermo in nicer areas so perhaps give this a miss if you’re used to lovely accommodation and excellent hosting.