When people ask why we prefer AirBnB over a hotel experience, I'll tell the story of Villa Elloise. Our two weeks in Mondello was exactly what we love about this way of travelling.

1. You get to stay in areas different from your average charter destination. Mondello turned out to be a nice little town with great little restaurants within walking distance. We really enjoyed hanging out with the Sicilians as opposed to packs of tourists. The Villa in itself is in a quiet and safe residential area.

2. You meet local residents - the Somma family is truly great people and wonderful hosts. You feel more like a guest of the family than someone that happens to rent the place - in everything like being picked up at the airport, to insisting on swinging by with fresh bread for lunch and generally checking in that we were enjoying ourselves.

3. Finally the combination of the two above is what we enjoyed the most. Everyone at Villa Elloise would give us their insights about the local area - recommend restaurants, introducing us to Sicilian culture and the kids at the house would even take us around - like to try a restaurant in the next town over or give a local tour of Palermo.

The apartment in itself is new, fresh, practical and perfectly air conditioned. We especially enjoyed the terrace which has a beautiful view.

But the real gem of this property is the pool area. It was even better than we expected from the pictures. It's HUGE. It has jacuzzis. It has light. It has music. It has changing rooms, indoor/outdoor shower and even an elaborate kitchen area. We spent long days with our kids (3 & 6) at the pool nearly every day and loved every bit of it. If you're looking for a poolside kind of holiday, this listing is hard to beat.

We highly reccomend Villa Elloise - both the place and the people you'll meet.