Il Carmine

We only stayed one night, having chosen the place because of its reviews. After a brief look at the room, we were asked to pay straight away. In two weeks in Sicily, this was the first place that asked us to pay in advance. Once we'd brought our bags in and looked around properly, we saw how poor the room's condition was. We asked to leave and get a refund, but were told that wasn't possible and that he would call the police. Later, we found blood and other stains on the sheets. Reception was shut when we went downstairs to ask for clean ones, and nobody was around, so we had to sleep under our own beach towels. The next morning we waited for reception to open at 8. The woman there said she'd contact the director, but also said he wouldn't care. He didn't. Stay somewhere else.

None of us slept for more than two hours, and we didn't even get an apology. When we found bodily fluids on the sheets and asked reception if they'd sleep on them, they said no and claimed there was nothing they could do. The receptionist also said the manager didn't care. On the phone, he hung up after saying he couldn't speak English, even though he'd spoken it perfectly well the day before. The room had plenty of other problems. Parts of the ceiling had fallen down along the walk to it and hadn't been swept up. The shower had lots of mould and missing wall tiles, completely at odds with the website photos, and there was a blanket of dust under the bed. Our quadruple room had three beds: one sank in the middle when someone sat on it and couldn't be used, and the other single bed wasn't full length. The manager didn't seem to care about our stay and just wanted our money. Don't be taken in by all the glowing material online.

The staff were rude and unprofessional, and breakfast was revolting. The room felt old, dated and dirty, with no plug sockets for charging phones. I was fairly sure it was haunted. Don't stay here unless rude staff, a grim old room and no sleep sound appealing.

The staff were really friendly, helpful and full of information, and the converted convent has big rooms and generous public spaces. It's right on the edge of the historic quarter, so all the sights are an easy walk away. Breakfast tasted good, but there wasn't much choice compared with similar hotels I've stayed at. That was the only real downside.