Nonna Nina

Getting to the beach or the town centre meant a long walk, and the surroundings were grim: rubbish everywhere, barking dogs, a joiner's workshop and a fish shop nearby. Youths, probably deprived, were riding scooters in the middle of the night. The shower looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in ages. Breakfast was the cheapest sliced salami and cheese, though the croissants were tasty. A Spanish family looked disappointed when they came down for breakfast. I wouldn't recommend the place.

We arrived to find the room unclean, with some sort of cream on the towels. The air conditioning smelled like a four-week-old towel, and when I raised it, the host's coworker made fun of me in Italian, apparently assuming I couldn't understand. The refrigerator was disgusting, the furniture old and very worn, and dogs across the street barked all day and sometimes at night. Worst place we stayed on our trip through Sicily, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Travelling alone, I picked this because it was one of the cheapest places still available in Avola, and I usually go for the lowest-cost bed with my backpack. A shared dorm is normally around 23€, or about 30€ for a room without breakfast, so spending 34€ here felt fancy. I got a really nice, clean room with a big double bed, my own bathroom and balcony, plus a nice breakfast and a lovely view. The staff were nice, and the receptionist was very kind and spoke French! :)

I was exhausted from travelling with my small child when I realized at 9 pm, just as I was trying to check in, that I'd booked the right dates in the wrong month. They kept answering while we were sorting that out, but when I asked for Wi-Fi so I could find somewhere else to stay that night, they ignored me. No humanity at all.