Messina Bedda

We were relieved it was only one night. The room had a strong sewer odor from the moment we walked in, and the blocked window meant we couldn't air it out. The bathroom was in poor shape too: the bidet felt unstable enough that sitting on it seemed risky, and showering left the whole bathroom flooded. A terrible stay, and I wouldn't choose this place.

We picked this place after reading reviews that praised the generous breakfast, but breakfast turned out to be at a bar, not on site, with just coffee and a croissant. The city center location is handy, though keeping the window open meant putting up with a lot of traffic noise. Our room itself was clean and roomy, but a foul sewer smell from the bathroom kept us awake all night. We never met the owner, either. Three stars feels too generous, and I wouldn't recommend it.

The bed was comfortable, and there was a coffee machine everyone could use. That was about it. We booked a night in Messina to rest during a long drive, but left without sleeping. A nauseating sewer smell filled the room all night. The room was clean, but the apartment and its fittings were old and in poor condition: cracked, damaged walls, a cramped bathroom with no amenities, and even an old rusty toilet paper holder. The balcony faced the main road, so street noise and shouting carried in at night, along with city workers mowing outside the entrance until 3 a.m. The air conditioning didn't cool properly, and opening the balcony door just let in more street noise and heat. The TV and air conditioning were connected, so turning one off turned the other off too. Not much company on a sleepless night. The apartment is on the second floor of an old building with a few rooms, which is awkward if you've got lots of luggage for a longer stay. The door was hard to open and made enough noise to disturb the other guests. We never met the owners. Check-in and checkout were handled by phone, which was fine, just noting it. We had to leave for the ferry, so breakfast at a partner bar we hadn't been told about was a rushed fallback. At 8 a.m. they had no croissant, so we settled for a chocolate brioche and coffee that was barely okay. Never again.

My mother stayed here for three nights and came home exhausted. Her room and bathroom had no windows, something she hadn't been told beforehand, and there was a persistent sewer smell. They weren't cleaned or tidied, with the explanation that they didn't want to invade her personal space. Yet the cleaning staff did come into the room. €120 wasted.