Baroque Apartments - Casa Salomone 2

I found Wonderful Italia by chance while looking online for a B&B for a few days in Ortigia with my family. Their fully equipped apartments seemed fairly priced, and the staff impressed us on the first calls, so we booked a four-day stay on a central Ortigia street. After payment, they started a WhatsApp chat to coordinate check-in, parking, restricted traffic zone authorization, and the rest. We set off early on departure day, my wife, our daughters aged 7 and 1.5, and me. As we were nearly at the apartment, we were told check-in would be at 3:30 PM rather than 3:00 PM. We could wait another half hour, but stood outside while they finished cleaning. The apartment had been closed since 1:30 PM. At 3:35, a pleasant-looking girl in a Wonderful Italia shirt arrived and we got in touch with her. She was polite and said we needed to wait for her colleague with the keys. The second girl arrived within minutes, but made a terrible first impression. There was about 20 cm of sewage water from another apartment in front of the entrance. She stepped into it with both feet instead of taking a slightly longer step, then unlocked the door and walked in without drying her feet, smearing water through half the house. My youngest spends more time on the floor than standing, so I was quite nervous. The second girl went straight to open the bathroom and other doors. Only after she’d left did I understand why: none of the doors closed properly, including the bathroom door. They could only be left ajar. Since we were a family, we let that go. Then I found the bathroom sink was clogged. I sent a video in the WhatsApp chat and said it needed a product like MrMuscolo. No one replied, so I called an operator the next morning and was told they’d notify maintenance. The day passed without any news. I followed up in the chat that evening, and when there was still no reply the next morning, I bought the product and fixed it myself, then posted what I’d done. They said the maintenance technician was meant to come that day. I replied that they should have told me. In the end, I cancelled the service. The apartment is in decent condition but needs maintenance. The shower leaves a lake in the bathroom because the insulation is almost completely ruined, and the damp marks on the walls could be repaired with little effort. Bring toilet paper: we found only two rolls for four days, including the one already in the holder. The Wi-Fi was so slow and unstable it was almost useless and made me miss the old 56K connection. The day after we got home, I received an email from Miriam, Wonderful Italy’s assistant, describing things to see and do in Ortigia, offering help with anything, and wishing us a pleasant holiday. Better late than never.

This triplex apartment is very well placed near restaurants and the seafront. It’s ideal for two people, as three felt a bit cramped, and the extra bed was not comfortable at all for several nights. There’s a small terrace with a narrow sea view that works nicely for breakfast. For aperitifs, there are plenty of bars nearby. Remember that sorting waste is compulsory.

My first stay in the Salomone apartment, and I like it.