Palermo Central B&B

The room was about what I expected from a budget hotel at €36 a night, so I would have rated it four stars if the toilet in my room had worked. Check-in felt worse than TSA at a US airport 🤢! And, like other places in Palermo, the walls seemed paper-thin. There was no sound insulation, and people on the other side had voices like Pavarott 📢🔊 and Callas 📣🔊.

There was no staff on site, just an automated machine that required payment of the full accommodation cost in cash, in installments. They said the room access code would only come after payment and that the funds held on my card would be released after the stay. The whole arrangement felt extremely suspicious, unprofessional, and deceptive. Although the property is listed on Booking with an official reservation backed by a credit card, only a few hours before that reservation officially ended they sent payment details and pressured me to pay immediately outside the platform. They offered a bank transfer or a suspicious link sent over WhatsApp for entering card details, outside Booking's communication system. After I entered the card details, the money was frozen and the Booking reservation was canceled, leaving me without the platform's protection. I was left relying only on their assurances that it wasn't a scam.

Parking on the street was easy, with plenty of space, and the city center was about a 10-minute walk away. The hotel is on the outskirts of the center, with simple, clean rooms, made beds and towels provided. There was a TV and air conditioning too. Good value for the price.

Breakfast was delicious, especially the croissants in the flavors we asked for. There was also yogurt, cereal, honey, jam, and juice. The bathroom is outside the room, but it was very clean and private, with its own key. We were only there one night, and everything went smoothly. The staff were kind even before we arrived, helping us figure out how to get there and suggesting the cheapest and best options. Self check-in was easy, and both door codes worked. The room was clean and in good shape. We'd recommend it and come back.