B&B i miti dell'Etna

The place took me a little while to find, but once I worked out which side of the street it was on, it was easy. I was travelling alone as a woman and would absolutely recommend it. The host was marvellous, and the clean room was comfortable. The shared kitchen had snacks and coffee, and breakfast is just around the corner. The market wasn’t noisy, and even Saturday night sounds from being right in the center didn’t come through with the AC and bathroom extractor running.

It’s a handy base for sightseeing: most central sights are walkable, and the Alibus stop for the airport is easy to reach on foot. There are loads of nearby restaurants, including Pane e Polpette on the square, with great street food. If you eat meat and want to try horse, that’s a local specialty. The market runs from 07:00 to around 14:00 every day except Sunday. There are cheap clothes of questionable origin, along with a great choice of fruit, vegetables, fish, cheese, and meat at good prices. Cherries were 1-2 EUR a kilo there, compared with 3-4 EUR per kg near the famous fish market farther into the center. Our balcony looked out over the market square, and you can see majestic Etna above the rooftops. The square itself was incredibly littered and looked ruined. That seemed more or less characteristic of the city as a whole, so you have to get used to seeing it. The market view is a little noisy, as is the nightlife, which carries on into the early hours, but shutting the windows and using the good AC made it manageable. The room we picked was comfortable and clean, though its bathroom was very small and had no bidet. I suppose we didn’t look closely enough at the photos, since the other rooms seem to have one. The host was nice and friendly, and spoke English, so communication was easy. There’s no daily housekeeping. Our room was cleaned once during our five-night stay, which was enough for us. Breakfast Monday through Saturday is a croissant and coffee at one of the nearby coffee and cake places, using a coupon from the owner. There didn’t seem to be a time limit for using it. On Sunday, croissants are brought to the pleasant shared kitchen. Guests can use the capsule espresso machine anytime, and there’s also milk, water, juice, biscuits, and other packaged cakes. A shared fridge is available too, though guests leave things in it until they spoil, and it could use a bit of attention from staff. All in all, it was a nice stay and good value for the price. Location and comfort are its two main selling points.

A good host, spacious rooms, and a great location for the price.

I liked the room, but the garbage situation was a problem. They didn’t leave us bags to collect it, and earlier guests told us to put it right by the house door. Communication with the owner was simply terrible: he confirmed the reservation and then didn’t, so right up to the last minute we weren’t sure we’d have a bed. Breakfast was decent, a hot drink and pastry of our choice at the nearby Bellini cafe. The elevator didn’t work every time.