Hotel Vecchio Borgo

We booked through Booking.com because the location looked convenient on paper. From Palermo central station, though, we had to take bus 101 for 3-4 stops, then follow Google Maps to reach the hotel. It’s a nice-looking hotel, but the surrounding area felt like a ghetto and left us uneasy. The streets were dirty, with dog poop around, and didn’t make a good approach for a hotel like this. Reception was okay and well informed, the lifts worked, and the basic toiletries were there. We had a mountain view, but it wasn’t especially attractive. I wouldn’t recommend booking here.

The hotel was quiet during my stay, despite the earlier reviews that had made me worry about noise. It’s an unusual wedge-shaped building, with just five rooms on each floor and eight floors in total, though the first floor is the breakfast room. The area is a drawback. The pavements are dirty, there isn’t much to see or do nearby, and the center is about a 20-minute walk away. The bedrooms could use renovation too, as the walls are scuffed, but they were clean and the bathrooms were spacious with good showers. It was a mixed experience, and the area is something to consider. On the plus side, the staff were very obliging. Breakfast was also among the best I had on my trips around Sicily, both for ingredient quality and service.

Sleep was impossible here on Friday and Saturday nights. The square in front of the hotel became an open-air party, with crowds, loud music, and chaos lasting into the early hours. I understand the noise itself isn’t the hotel’s fault. But management is responsible for doing nothing about it. Once it’s clearly noise pollution after 23:00, they should call the police to disperse the crowd. Instead, they hand you earplugs and wish you luck sleeping. If you need rest or even a basic chance to sleep at night, avoid this hotel.

The hotel was ordinary and clean, and the staff were really kind. Everything about the room was fine. But the weekend noise outside was crazy, as others have mentioned. There was music, fireworks, and screaming. It’s a shame for the hotel, since it isn’t their fault, but it was really unpleasant.