Mount Etna Chalet

We felt surrounded by nature here, which made it easy to slow down and relax. The chalet was cozy and clean, with everything we needed for a pleasant stay. Ezio welcomed us warmly and shared helpful information about nearby restaurants. 👏

Ezio was happy to help with everything, from price matching and booking reservations to suggesting things to do nearby. The chalet is quiet and private, and the views of Mount Etna are lovely. It can get hot without air conditioning, but we still had a great time and would recommend staying here.

I think it says a lot about someone when they agree to something they call fair, then change their mind and tell guests they should or could have driven back to the cabin after the conditions we faced. That felt insensitive and inconsiderate. In the end, the host offered to refund less than 30% of what we paid, without a clear reason beyond, in my view, taking advantage of the situation. He had first agreed to a 50% refund after I asked, and had said he would be “fair.” We had booked just the night before, and the cabin was still available less than 24 hours before our stay. It wasn't peak season. On our way there the next day, a storm flooded many of the roads in Sicily, which was also reported on the news. We had a small rental car and couldn't get across all the deep puddles. We tried three different routes to reach the cabin before turning back. As the weather worsened, we stayed on the highway and headed to the nearest city to the airport so we wouldn't miss our flight the following day. We apologized sincerely and told the host how disappointed we were that we couldn't make it. By the time we reached Catania late that evening, we were emotionally stressed and exhausted from the drive. We couldn't keep driving, and the weather still felt unpredictable. The host initially seemed nice and agreed to the half refund. The next day, he changed his mind and said he'd spent 30€ on cleaning towels, even though we hadn't used them because we never stayed there.

The host made us feel welcome and gave us a detailed tour, explaining all the little peculiarities of the place. It had everything we needed. The setting at the foothills of Mt Etna was idyllic.