Fattoria Mongerrate

The setting is gorgeous and the farmhouse has a rustic facade, but the drive there was a real problem for us. The road is beautiful and brutal at the same time. My son, who never gets carsick, became violently ill, and we couldn't drive anywhere else. We had booked five nights because the Airbnb listing described it as 25 minutes from Cefalu. In reality, it took at least 45 minutes on a good day, over awful roads. When we asked the owners to let us change the reservation, they brushed us off. We ended up leaving after one day and telling them to keep the money. We did get some back, though apparently Airbnb had a lot of trouble with them too. Our vacation was ruined, stuck there with a seven-year-old and no practical way to get around. For more than €150 a night, the place needs a lot of work. The inside feels worn, the equipment is sparse and cheap, and it doesn't work well for a longer stay. The bathrooms have open-flame gas boilers, the kind hotels have banned because of explosion risks. The pool is 140 cm deep throughout, with no shallow part, so keep that in mind if you have shorter kids. There's not much for outdoor cooking, and once the sun goes down you'll be inside. We were there in peak summer and there was no air conditioning or even a fan. It's in the woods, so bugs get into every corner and even your bags. I spent time each day clearing larger maggots from the bathrooms. Some people are in hospitality because they care about it. This felt like the other kind, just about making money. Airbnb apparently doesn't check these things. Superhost, my behind. Avoid it. There are plenty of places with better facilities, more responsive hosts, and a better location.