We had a fantastic stay at Villa la Vela. Before and during the stay communication with Scopello and Mirella was friendly & clear. Mirella greeted us with cream-filled Sicilian cannoli which was a nice touch and was very responsive to any questions we had.
The villa is excellently located to explore the north western part of Sicily. Castellamare di Golfo is only 10-15 mins away by car. Segesta, San Vito lo Capo within 30-45 minutes. If you're staying local, supermarkets, restaurants, pharmacy, and ATMs are only about a 20 minute walk away and the local village is very lively and well set-up with parking, music, shops and a good selection of restaurants. The Tonnara is also 5-10 minutes walk but you will need to pay to get in - there is no longer an option to wander down after closing as previous reviews said used to be possible.
The villa itself is lovely and well-appointed. It is light and airy with large windows / doors, all with metal shutters to keep the heat and morning light out. It also has high ceilings which adds to the sense of space and a relaxed coastal style to the furniture and art. The private beach is rocky but brilliant for snorkelling and it's even possible to swim around to the Tonnara which is relatively close by. Aircon is only available in 2 of the bedrooms in the main house (plus the annex which we didn't use) but it's possible to keep the whole of the rear of the house cool at night by keeping the right doors open/closed. We didn't find this to be a problem. The pool isn't large but it was absolutely fine for a family of four and perfect for cooling off in every now and then or playing with the kids. The road outside does get traffic but it's not excessive and we honestly didn't really notice as the villa is set back and above the level of the road with a wall and lots of vegetation in between. The broadband worked well which was great for streaming content for the kids.
The only downside was the wasps which became a nuisance - in the end we ate mostly inside but this was a problem in general on the island at the time and not specific to the villa. A good local beach recommendation is Cala Lu Grecu - small and pebbly but beautiful with views of the Tonnara. It's walkable via a path across some fields opposite the Mio Mercato supermarket down the road, although it's a little steep in places if you have young children.
Overall I would highly recommend staying at Villa la Vela.