L'Antico Casale

Michal's very negative Google review seems like foolish revenge. He booked through Airbnb, and the owner of Antico Casale says Michal left a mountain of garbage, damaged several parts of the house, and harmed his dog. Airbnb lets property managers rate guests, and Michal received a very negative rating as someone to avoid after his stay at Antico Casale. This is the owner's account.

The owners, Bernardina and Francesco, are wonderful people to share this beautiful place with. Surrounded by ancient oak woods and olive groves, it's a place where you can recharge body and spirit. Even the silence feels full of emotion. There are plenty of architectural treasures to discover that guidebooks don't always mention, from castles and mills to abbeys and medieval villages that still preserve an older Muslim-era street layout. There's so much here, and you'll want to come back.

The kitchen smelled bad, the pool was often dirty, and there was no hot tub. If you wanted to swim, you had to clean the pool yourself. The house shown in the photos is the owner's home, not the rental. We also found lots of tiny ants in the rooms and bathroom and were bitten constantly. The bathroom had mold, and its door and the bedroom door wouldn't close properly. Francesco, the host, lives next door and was very nosy, even peeking through the windows. He changed the pool hours during our stay. There were no bicycles, iron, or dishwasher. Disney, Netflix, and Amazon were available if you bought them. Workers kept walking around the cottage and making noise from early in the morning. After driving 3,000 km, we still couldn't sleep past 7 a.m.

The owner was very friendly and attentive, and they made us feel at home. We slept really well, even during this year's scorching summer. It's a wonderful place, ideal for a family, and well placed in the middle of Sicily for driving to whatever you want to visit. We'll be back, and we'd recommend it to everyone.