Cefalù Luxury Loft

The rooms were modern and spotless, with comfortable beds, working air conditioning, and a balcony with amazing views. Breakfast is included too. No complaints. Just take a taxi from the train station if you’re walking with bags, since there are a couple of steep hills.

The location is the only real plus. The room quality doesn’t match the price: the “French balcony” is really just a window, and the bathroom was in awful shape. Limescale covered the shower, its drain didn’t work, there was nowhere to put soap, the doors wouldn’t close properly and barely stayed on, and the bidet hose leaked. There was no place to dry towels either. Breakfast was overrated, and limiting guests to two coffees is absurd, especially when they’re made with coffee pots. Parking is difficult and not guaranteed. It was also hard to communicate with the owner, and the arrangements we’d agreed on weren’t honored when we arrived. After traveling around Italy, this was by far my worst experience, and I’d avoid guesthouses and B&Bs like this one.

The balcony was the biggest letdown. We paid for one with a view, but ours was covered in concrete, cigarette butts, and other rubbish. I left clothes out to dry and came back to find them coated in concrete. Building work started very early, so sleeping in was out of the question, and an afternoon nap was impossible with all the drilling. Selling us a balcony room like that was disgraceful. Although it’s meant to be non-smoking, the common room smelled of cannabis and had cigarette ends. Breakfast was average, served first come, first served, with the same cakes brought out day after day. You get one coffee, then each hot drink costs another euro. The center is reachable on foot, and we didn’t mind the walk, about 15 minutes to the port, but the uphill route could be hard if you’re not very mobile. There is free parking, though it’s first come, first served and not guaranteed. There’s also a lift, I suppose that’s a plus. I wouldn’t recommend staying here. For the price, you can find somewhere with more welcoming hosts, less noise, and a proper balcony.

We stayed for a week and would come back. It’s a good hotel, with a few rooms so it stays quiet, friendly and helpful staff, and a good breakfast. The location is ideal for Cefalù, around a 10-minute walk to the beach and restaurants, and parking on site is free. The shower was broken and needs replacing. There was also very loud drilling early in the morning due to building work, and the WiFi wasn’t reliable.