Tuppulia e Cusciulia near Cathedral

We had a really lovely stay, and Luca was so kind and glad to recommend places to see. Being right in the heart of Palermo meant we could walk everywhere easily. Thanks for everything, Luca. We’ll definitely come back.

The room itself was uncomfortable: the bed wasn’t good, and the bathroom was part of the same small room with no door and only a tiny window. We were also kept awake by the pub next door, someone urinating behind the studio door, and people shouting in the street the next morning. The sink was already partly broken and still held water. The hand soap had been watered down, and the outside bin mentioned in the rules wasn’t there. We gathered our rubbish in a bag we brought, but left that, two full Aperol glasses we couldn’t empty because of the sink, and an unmade bed. We were charged €26 for cleaning, yet the owner left us a bad review and demanded €116 for the sink and what he called an extremely dirty room. He also accused us of a smoke smell, though we didn’t smoke indoors. We opened the outer shutter and inner security door to air out the room because the window was so small. Before arrival, the owner had directed us to a secondary entrance in a run-down building. The photos on Air B&B didn’t match what we found after booking. Save yourself the hassle of this cheap pseudo-jacuzzi and stay somewhere reputable. Dear Luca, we won’t pay you €1. Air B&B will probably reimburse your expenses, so use that money to buy your dignity instead of fixing the sink. Never again.

We decided to leave as soon as we saw the place, and agreed with the owner on a refund. A few days later, after several weak excuses, he blocked me on WhatsApp, so I couldn’t get in touch. I would have preferred honesty from the beginning. The room was nothing like the listing: he had described a 70-square-meter apartment over the phone, but it was barely 25 square meters, and the photos didn’t show its true size. A single small window provided the light, and with late July’s heat, the air conditioner had to stay on around the clock. The bedroom had an open bathroom and shower with no privacy. The directions described a central Palermo street, but self-check-in took us to a back entrance behind Via Papireto, in an area that looked unsafe, with broken car windows, flat tires, and rubbish everywhere. Palermo residents later confirmed our impression, describing it as one of the city’s worst areas. We called the owner to explain that this wasn’t the quiet, safe place he’d described on the phone.

We found another place downtown for the same price and left after only a few hours. The owner said he’d refund us within a few days, but nothing came, and then he blocked us on WhatsApp. The problem was obvious once we saw the room: it was a bunker of no more than 25 square meters, with the bathroom facing the bed behind just a low wall, no door, and only a 30x30 cm window with a mosquito net. In 42 degrees Celsius (105°F), we couldn’t imagine staying three nights and running the air conditioning only “when necessary.” We had been told to turn on the air conditioning and dehumidifier “IF NECESSARY” after a shower or hot tub, but didn’t think much of that message until arrival. The entrance wasn’t at the address provided, but down a very ugly alley on a parallel street, and we had to wait for the cleaner to finish. I contacted the owner about the missing bathroom door and tiny window in the photos. He was annoyed, said we could use a partition, and said he couldn’t help, even after I explained my claustrophobia. We’d found the listing on Airbnb, liked the photos, and had messaged the owner on WhatsApp to check our Palermo dates. He asked us to pay by PayPal through the “friends” option to avoid fees, then sent directions. If you don’t want your holiday to become a nightmare, avoid this place.