When we write our Airbnb reviews we try to make them informational, as we read reviews heavily before making our decisions about where to stay when we travel.
We chose to stay at this place over Christmas, as it seemed like a very special place from both the photographs and the glowing reviews. While in many ways the place is glorious and does reflect the magnificent crumbling decadence of Palermo, here is what I wish we had known before we had booked:
1. In the winter months the expansive living room is not available to use in any practical sense, as it is completely unheated, and bone-chillingly cold. Nowhere in the listing did it say this (at the time at least - hopefully it will be updated for future guests). Although we couldn’t use it, we did pass through the living room on our way from the kitchen to the exterior door, and it was quite musty-smelling.
2. The apartment was not warmed up for us in advance, and for the first night and next day we needed to wear our winter coats and hats inside- even to bed! The heater was also set to only run for a few hours each day, and we had to push to get our hosts to tell us how to increase the heat. We stayed three nights temperature in the apartment wasn’t really comfortable until the morning we left.
3. The apartment, while decorated with real style, does not have the feel of a place that is really set up for people to stay comfortably. Instead, it felt much more like it was designed to look great in a photoshoot. The beds were not very comfortable, the bedding was not very nice, and little thoughtful touches like having a garbage bin in every bathroom were missing. The dishwasher was completely broken and the upholstered furniture was very dusty. The kitchen sink (while stone and extremely cool - doesn’t drain properly and had food remnants in it when we arrived) and the some of the pots were literally caked with burnt, crusted on food. There were no table knives and very little other cutlery.
4. We have mixed feelings about the location. On one hand it was incredibly central - very close to the central station, right over the bustling Ballaro Market, but on the other it was incredibly noisy at night and in the early hours of the morning. Garbage pick up from all of the mess of the market seems to happen around midnight, and in the wee hours of the morning vendors begin setting up for the day. Their shouted “Buon giorno”s and cries about their wares are charming at 9 am - not so much at 5. It was comically loud. To be fair, l am a light sleeper - my very deep-sleeping husband and kids were not bothered.
5. While I assume this will be updated, when we booked, the Airbnb listing said this was a three-bedroom apartment, and showed photos of three bedrooms. There are, in fact, three bedrooms in the apartment, although one is quite small. Unfortunately, when we arrived one of the beds was not made up. When we contacted our hosts about it they told us the apartment was only being rented as a two bedroom. All was resolved - we sent them a screen shot of the listing and they told us where we could find sheets for the third bedroom. I guess my advice would be to make sure it is clear what beds need to be prepared before you arrive.
Palermo is an amazing city. We loved being out in the streets and exploring. (A note to future Christmastime guests - the city is very much business as usual on the 24th of December, but gets quite quiet on the 25th and the 26th, which are both holidays here. The Ballaro market, however, remains open, as do some locals shops and restaurants). We made ourselves comfortable enough in the kitchen and had a cozy Christmas; it just wasn’t the one we were expecting.