Palazzo Bruca Catania

The apartment may look nice, but a lot of the decorations don't seem useful. There weren't any hangers for clothes or wet towels, either. Check the floor plan before booking: to reach the toilet, I had to pass through another bedroom. What if the other couple is asleep?

The welcome made the stay especially memorable. It was my husband's birthday, and they wished him well and gave us local sweets and a bottle of prosecco. The place itself has a wonderful atmosphere, and the ceiling in the luxurious bathroom was stunning, with a roomy hydromassage jacuzzi for two. Palazzo Bruca Catania is also very well placed for getting to the attractions, and we thought the value was outstanding. We had a perfect stay, 10/10, and would highly recommend it.

Martina at reception was a real help during check-in and whenever we needed something in the afternoon or evening. She was friendly and always smiling. Breakfast came as daily vouchers for a bakery by the Duomo, with a choice of two pastries and one drink, or two drinks and one pastry. Our room had a nice balcony looking onto the little square across the street, and the AC kept it cool even in October. The room was spacious, the beds comfortable though quite soft, and there was a good-sized fridge with a large bottle of water. The bathroom was clean but small, and the toilet had an odd old-water smell. The hotel could use some renovation. It's a few blocks from the Duomo. There was heavy street traffic when we arrived Friday evening, and we had to use the intercom to get the gate opened. Reception is on the second floor, with a small elevator.

We only needed a room for one night before an early flight home, and had already booked somewhere else before asking for a refund. The room looked appealing at first, with lots of space, a nice shower and a jacuzzi with a TV. But when my wife opened the bed, she found long black hairs. The staff apologized and changed the bedding, then we found more black hairs when we opened the bed again. We spotted them around the room too, on the bedside table, floor, bathroom and counters. My wife walked around in white socks, and they were covered in more of the same hair. She's Italian and a redhead, and I'm American and blond. We told the front desk we didn't want to stay in such a dirty room and asked how to get our money back. The woman in charge said we had to contact booking.com. I asked her to contact them too so we could settle it quickly. Listening to her call, I heard her say we were leaving because there was no safe for our things, without mentioning the cleanliness. Things got much worse after that. The manager and two housekeeping coworkers took our complaint personally and ended up shouting in my wife's face. There was also a man in the lobby holding a cigarette, and I still don't know what his role was. He joined in, got angrier, came up into both our faces and insulted us. Then he told us to enjoy the evening out in the streets, as if he were kicking us out, even though our bags were already in the lobby and we had said we were leaving. It was around 2pm in a big city full of hotels, and the street seemed cleaner than that room anyway. I've never written a Google review before, but this experience at B&B Palazzo Bruca in Catania felt worth describing. For what they charge, the room wasn't close to clean enough, and the way they handled a paying customer's complaint was humiliating and unprofessional. Management was rude and hostile. I wouldn't want anyone traveling a long way to have to go through this. I'd rate the man and his team below one star if I could.