Alla Loggia Del Gattopardo

The price was affordable, and my room was spacious, clean, and comfortable, with a nice view of the city. The staff were welcoming and helpful. It was a wonderful stay in Palermo, with major attractions within easy walking distance.

It's difficult to give this place a clear review. The location is very central in Palermo, and the staff are friendly, although very few speak English. The area looks off-putting at first, as much of Palermo does, but it's actually pleasant and lively at night. The hotel feels like a construction site. Most rooms have no AC and little furniture beyond a bed. Our first room had a broken shower and flooded a bit on the first night. The advertised kitchenette hadn't been installed, though you could see the wall hookups, along with separate ones for future AC. The second room did have a kitchenette, but it was beside the section under construction, so there was loud noise behind our wall in the mornings. The whole place felt bare and hastily put together, even the room numbers were paper stuck to doors with tape. Finding it was another problem. It's down a narrow lane with no visible sign or even street number. Once we found it, we had to work to get the owners' attention because the doorbell didn't seem connected yet. Breakfast was decent, especially the fresh croissants and strawberry juice, but otherwise unremarkable. I can't recommend the hotel as it is now, but I'd gladly come by in a few years to see if they've managed to get everything working.

We used this as our base for three weeks. It was so central, just behind Via Rosa, that we walked everywhere. In the square, there are restaurants, cafes, gelato, street food, fruit and veg, a butcher, deli, and bakery all within five minutes. Head beyond that and there are streets full of shops, markets, and restaurants close by. Our room had a balcony looking over the alleyways, and we got to know the neighbors across the way. They didn't speak English, but it was fun trying to chat. They can be noisy, so keep that in mind. The rooms were spacious and clean, seemed recently renovated, and had a small basic kitchen that was enough for some cooking. The bed was made every day, and they changed the bedding and brought fresh towels every three days. There's also a rooftop balcony for catching the lovely breezes, plus a covered common area on the first floor that gets natural light. It's a family-run business, so have Google Translate handy to communicate.

The room had a big bed and the AC worked well, but the Wi-Fi kept cutting out and there was no hot water, so we had to shower cold. The location is 3.5/5: close to lots of restaurants, stores, and historic buildings, though at night you have to walk through a dark alley. Some neighbors yelled loudly until 3:30 am, and motorcycles roared past. Service gets 2/5. They were very friendly when we arrived and tried their best despite speaking little English. But checkout was at 11 am, and they started knocking at 10:45, then again at 10:55, followed by a text saying, “check out please”. We got to the main desk at 11:05, and the man wouldn't even say goodbye. Room: 3/5.