Hotel berhampiran Freak, Catania

The picture that appears when searching for this hotel is deceiving because the hotel is not on a big piazza and is not the building shown. The hotel is not on a particularly busy street (this is good), at least not on the weekend that we were there, and it is in a good location to see the main sites in Catania. We had a lovely room, which looked like it was recently updated and modernized. One glitch - I am 5'2” and my feet didn't touch the floor when sitting in the lavatory! There is a good selection of breakfast items, and I particularly recommend what I think was a pistachio cake with frosting of some type (it was delicious!). The hotel staff was friendly and welcoming. My extended family had some laughs trying to figure out how to open the elevator door from the inside. If you are American, you may want to ask the desk staff before getting in it or risk feeling very dumb! The hotel is about 10 minutes from the airport, which is convenient for an early flight.

Good centrally located rooms and the airport bus stops right across the road. All of Catania's attractions are within walking distance. The room (a triple) was spacious, clean and well-decorated. Breakfast was more than adequate with a selection of savoury and sweet options. Fresh coffee is made to order. Do not let the external entrance put you off -:once inside it is a modern and comfortable place to stay.

We had a layover in Catania and this hotel came up in a search. It is right across from the main train station, which is a major stopping point for people going to Mount Aetna. It is about 1.5 KM from the city center's attractions (Fish market and basilica) so not so convenient to the center unless you want a longish walk--and Catania frankly does NOT feel safe. Nor is the train station area at all desireable. But the Hotel Villa Romeo is a little oasis in an otherwise grim place. 30 Euros from CTA airport and about a 10 min ride. The hotel doesn't have a restaurant but does provide an included good breakfast bar in a delightful atrium--this is an old villa with a number of courtyards and very old fashioned rooms. Beds were comfortable. Decor is very old-fashioned: doors painted Empire style and rooms kind of, I dont know, 40's? The bathroom was perfectly functional but not lavish, this is a 3 star hotel and the amenities were what you'd expect for Italian 3 star. The hotel is absolutely sparkling shiny clean and a large staff was tirelessly repairing and cleaning all over. The front desk managers were warm, welcoming, helpful and cordial. The lobby is small but there is a huge atrium with shaded pergola, plantings and it's a pleasant place to sit. We hung out there because we were jetlagged and Catania was not wowing us for sightseeing after our first evening encounters. (Dodgy is a polite word for that.) There is a hotel shuttle you can arrange to the airport but it's really the same cost as a taxi per person. There is a bus across from the hotel (across a very busy street) and it's 4 Euros. Five stars because the hotel was perfect and affordable.

Nous avons passé une très bonne nuit dans cet hôtel, la chambre est belle, spacieuse et bien insonorisée. Le petit déjeuner est copieux. Seul petit hic, l’emplacement du parking pas facile à comprendre.

- Breakfast for Italy was oookay - Far away from the center, a city bus comes once in hour, which in terms of Sicily - never. But okay. - The hotel is on the sea side, but it does not have a beach [one should use a public beach 10-15 minutes away] - In my room, in the bathroom every morning I had water coming from the ceiling from the higher floor. Told at reception. They did not solve it for a few days before i left. - air conditioning was super noisy I had to stop it before going sleep - the swimming pool was open from 9-19hh, thus leaving for a work duty around 8 and coming back around 7,the pool was not useful for me - The hotel is used to rent its own restaurant next to the pool to different events, so, especially on weekends there is loud music until super late. The reception was not able to stop the music then I asked around 1 am.... this is strange - they let some external people to party loudly till late at the expense of their guests

We needed a hotel room close to Catania’s airport because we had an early morning flight. I was reluctant to book at this hotel because it got horrible reviews. I took a chance and we were pleasantly surprised! The hotel is reasonably priced, the rooms are clean and it’s really close to the airport! They have free shuttle service to and from the airport. We needed a 5am shuttle and they were right on time! We were scared to eat there after all the negative reviews, but the food and wine was great! They had a friendly staff and provided great personal service! We both had delicious pasta dishes and actually all the food looked good! The only negative was the look of the hotel outside. They clearly need to fix up the property on the outside, but I’d prefer a clean room and a good dinner! Don’t listen to all the bad reviews, this hotel is perfect for a one night stay before or after a flight!

KAŻDY KTO CHCIAŁBY ZAMIESZKAĆ NA PLAŻY POWINIEN TU BYĆ. WŁAŚNIE TAKIE SĄ NASZE PIERWSZE WRAŻENIA, BO TAK CZULIŚMY KIEDY BLISKOŚĆ MORZA I JEGO SZUM BUDZIŁY NAS RANKIEM I USYPIAŁY NOCĄ. GENIALNY WIDOK NA WULAKN ETNA I PRZELATUJĄCE TUŻ NAD NASZYMI GŁOWAMI SAMOLOTY TO DLA NAS NAPRAWDĘ WSPANIAŁE PRZEŻYCIE! TRZEBA PAMIĘTAĆ, ŻE DOBRĄ ATMOSFERĘ ZAWSZE TWORZĄ LUDZIE. KAŻDA Z PRACUJĄCYCH W WIOSCE TURYSTYCZNEJ OSÓB DOKŁADAŁA KAŻDEGO DNIA STARAŃ, ABYŚMY CZULI SIĘ TUTAJ JAK W DOMU. SŁODKIE SYCYLIJSKIE ŚNIADANIE, MAKARONY PRZYRZĄDZONE NA RÓŻNE SPOSOBY I PRZEDE WSZYSTKIM UŚMIECH I INTELIGENTNE POCZUCIE HUMORU SZEFA KUCHNI TO DOSKONAŁY DUET. CODZIENNIE MIELIŚMY ZMIENIANE RĘCZNIKI, POŚCIEL PACHNIAŁA ŚWIEŻOŚCIĄ, A ZAŁOGA SPRZĄTAJĄCA POKOJE DOKŁADAŁA WSZELKICH STARAŃ, ABY KAŻDEGO DNIA BYŁO CZYSTO. JA I MOJA RODZINA CZULIŚMY SIĘ W WIOSCE JAK W BAJCE I ODKRYLIŚMY, ŻE TO MIEJSCE STAŁO SIĘ DLA NAS JAK TO NAZWALIŚMY ”RAJEM NA ZIEMI”. BARDZO DZIĘKUJEMY WŁAŚCICIELOM I CAŁEJ EKIPIE ZA TAK DOSKONAŁE PRZYJĘCIE NAS I DBANIE O TO, ABY NAPRAWDĘ NICZEGO NAM NIE BRAKOWAŁO. JESTEŚMY PEWNI, ŻE WKRÓTCE ZNOWU TU WRÓCIMY!

Basic facts about hotel are true, but description omits to say the pool is small, with only 30 beds fitting comfortably around it. The pool music is aimed at teenagers and completely out of character with the hotel and age profile of its guests. Hotel reception staff unhelpful and rude. Area around hotel is dirty and streets full of litter and unsafe to walk due to traffic. Shuttle to local town is infrequent. 25 minute walk down a very steep road. There is no beach anywhere near, you have to sunbathe on rocks. Food in restaurant very limited if on half board with a choice of only pasta or fish most nights. When asked to upgrade to a room with a balcony it was going to cost £209 more for the week but had to go bed & breakfast not half board, so more money for less meals. Unable to hire a car from the hotel, you have to go to Catania airport to pick up.

We stayed for three nights as we were attending a wedding locally. The hotel was lovely and the staff were first class. Everyone was very helpful and extremely friendly. Unfortunately the pool and spa area were out of action but it didn't matter as we spent time outside around the pool. The barman was also very friendly and knowledgeable about the drinks he served. I would definitely recommend the hotel for a short visit as there isn't much to do locally