B&B Federico Secondo

The room I got was small and standard, with one bed and sealed opaque windows, so there was no view at all. That wasn’t the twin room with a courtyard view I had booked through eDreams. When I arrived, the manager’s brother met me, but his English was limited and he couldn’t really sort out the problem, so he told me to call the manager. On the phone, the manager shouted and wouldn’t listen. The next day, after I came back from shopping with all my bags, I was asked into his office and faced more shouting. He said, “We don’t do twin rooms here,” although I have proof, including a screenshot, that the booking offered one. He also insisted I hadn’t booked a courtyard view, when I had. He offered no help and just told me to “go talk to eDreams.” It was a deeply unpleasant stay, with a misleading listing and unacceptable, aggressive treatment from management. I’d strongly caution people against staying here or booking through eDreams.

A lovely base for a family visiting Palermo’s historic area, close to the center. The nearest parking lot is about a nine-minute walk away, though street parking might be better if you can find a spot.

The staff were warm and helpful, and the place is very good value. This family-run B&B has roomy, clean rooms and an excellent rain shower. The neighborhood is quiet, yet you can walk to the city center and all the main sights. There’s plenty to choose from at breakfast, with excellent local options. The cannoli in particular are a lovely way to start your Sicilian experience. I’d have no hesitation recommending it.

The rooms are good and the location is amazing, but the owner and employees seemed completely uninterested in our needs or in helping us. We’re not picky travelers, but this was a terrible experience, and the owner’s hospitality was nowhere to be found. On July 24, 2023, a city emergency caused by high temperatures led to the power being shut off. We understood this wasn’t the hotel’s fault. But without power or water, we couldn’t use the washrooms in our room. We returned at 11 PM after celebrating my husband’s birthday and found everything locked, with no hotel representative on duty. We called the owner, or the person who said he was the owner, to ask what we should do. He said we could do whatever we wanted, that he didn’t care and it wasn’t his fault. We asked how to use the washrooms with no water, and he again said he didn’t care. We called three times before he finally came, only to repeat the same things. When we asked where the nearest hotel was, he said we could go wherever we wanted. Asked whether he’d reimburse us if we stayed elsewhere that night, he said he’d see, as long as it wasn’t a five-star hotel. He also said other guests were good people because they’d just left, while we were bad for bothering him. Luckily, all four of us were adults with no children, and one of us had Wi-Fi in Sicily. Otherwise I have no idea how we’d have found somewhere else. We spent that night at another hotel, where the staff were welcoming and gave us a discount because it was late and they could see how upset we were. The next day we returned to Federico Secondo. The power was back, and we spent the rest of our vacation there. The owner never even asked where we’d spent the night. It felt like he didn’t care at all what problems guests had in his hotel. I didn’t ask him to pay for the night elsewhere, because I couldn’t make myself speak to him again. This didn’t spoil my impression of the Sicilian people. While we were near the hotel trying to reach him that night, local residents offered to let us stay in their home just to help us. Breakfast was included in the price, and the food itself was good, but until the end of our stay we never understood how to order or collect it. There were some cakes, juice, and a couple of pieces of ham and cheese on the counter. Then they’d ask if you wanted toast and bring it if you said yes. After you finished, they might ask if you wanted mozzarella. It was confusing, and if I’d known about the mozzarella beforehand, I wouldn’t have ordered toast. The whole thing made us feel unwelcome, as if we were eating their food for free, which wasn’t right. I travel a lot and don’t consider myself a picky person. I’d tell people to book elsewhere, since there are plenty of hotels in the old city. It would be better to send the owner money and not show up at all.