B&B AlbaChiara

I booked Albachiara B&B at the last minute and had a great stay. Slept well and felt ready to explore some more. Thanks for the hospitality!

The rooms are modern and nice, and the beach is right across the street. But read the fine print: breakfast isn’t included, so why call it a bed and breakfast? They sold us laundry soap, detergent, and tokens for their laundry room, which has one washer and one dryer. After we put our clothes in the washer, we learned the dryer didn’t work, something they already knew. We were left with a big load of wet laundry. That was strikes two and three for me. They weren’t quick to help, and because of the language barrier on our end we were glad to use Google Translate throughout. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. Pay extra and go somewhere else.

This is just about the restaurant and bar. I stopped for a snack and drink, ordering the classic arancino for €3 and a Sprite. The arancino was mostly rice with very little filling, and the Sprite bottle was tiny. When I went to pay, the Italian man had left and a foreign man working there told me the total was €9.50. I objected: the classic arancino and Sprite came to €6, or €8 even if he charged me for the €5 arancino. He then took out the menu and charged me €6. I guess they hear a little accent, even when you’re speaking Italian, and try something like this. It would have meant paying €3.50 more for a mediocre snack. There was a lot of drama, and the menu wasn’t displayed or on the counter. If you’re not a local, be a bit cautious.

We spent a week at Alba Chiara B&B in San Leone. The owners were very nice, and our room was clean and tidy. The location is great. Try the fish kus-kus at the restaurant at least once, it was one of the best meals I had on my whole holiday in Sicily.