Antonio was a great host to me and my girlfriend for 7 nights. We were delayed at Catania airport when landing and Antonio messaged to keep tabs on how we were doing and was waiting on his deck when we arrived.
We are English and speak almost no Italian, Antonio does not speak English however he knew enough and made significant effort to learn phrases and we tried the same with Italian. For the rest of the time we managed perfectly with Google translate.
The whole property is gated and you feel safe inside at all time. The apartment is located to the back of Antonio’s house but we never had any issues with privacy. We were made so welcome to use the shared pool and garden (shared with Antonio, his wife and young daughter) and never felt like we were getting in the way of them or vice versa.
Antonio gave us a tour when we arrived and showed us how to use everything which was helpful. To use the gas stove, the tank is under the sink and you need to turn the valve before it will work, we had trouble locating this when first attempting to use it so thought I’d mention is haha!
The apartment has a kitchen/dining/living area with oven, fridge, cupboards, stove, sink, television and dining table. There is a bathroom with sink, toilet, bidet and shower. Up the spiral staircase (beware, heavy suitcases might be a tad tricky to carry up with one person) you will find the bedroom which has a balcony with a table and chairs for dining which is good for a view of the farm fields. There is another dining area before you enter your apartment which has a table and chairs as well.
The main living area and the bedroom have air conditioning which was welcome as the weather was excellent whilst we were there.
There is a small market shop locally, then the nearest supermarket (Lidl) is a 10 minute drive. Arenella beach is alright, but definitely worth the 15 minute drive to Oasi Gelsomineto for a better one. We also heard Fontaine Bianche was good but didn’t go there. Antonio was helpful in recommending places to eat and Almyra was a good pizzeria/restaurant around 5/10 minute’s drive from the property.
Overall we had a great time in Sicily and would definitely recommend a Summer break to anyone with the (almost) guaranteed good weather. I’m someone who likes to do a lot when on holiday, but it was so nice that I was happy just to chill by the pool for two or three of the days we were there. Antonio is a gentleman who is attentive and despite the language barrier felt we had a good connection. His wife and daughter are also very lovely and we enjoyed the pool together on one of the afternoons.
Lastly, just to say sorry for waking you up at 7am on our last day to open the driveway gate Antonio!! Grazie! xx