REVIEW | A Catanian Paradise, Hosted by Claudia & Silvio (AirBnb)

Nov 10, 2016
8 min read

Claudia and Silvio were literally the best hosts you could ask for. They made us feel so welcome from the moment we booked to the moment we left and no task was too big!

Location – 7/10

Their home is situated in Gravina, Catania (Sicily) which we came across whilst looking for holiday homes on AirBnb in Sicily and Italy. As soon as we had a look through the pictures and read the description of the property, we knew this place was the one! The house is situated near the east coast of Sicily in an urban part of Gravina, Catania. I would suggest getting a hire car if you are interested in staying here as although there were some shops and restaurants nearby, we found that we spent more time doing activities further away from the house and we didn't spot too many buses near by. Also, cabs are not to cheap in this part of Sicily.

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Space – 9/10

Before we even got to the house, we knew that it was a very good size but nothing compares to seeing it in person. There were five of us and we occupied two rooms on the first floor of the house which was 'our territory'. Most of the ground floor was shared between us and our hosts (minus their bedroom and bathroom which was in a separate part of the house) and the lower ground floor was also shared with them. What we didn't realise when we first booked this house is that we did have to share the house with our hosts – now had we known this at first, we probably would have opted for a different property but I'm quite happy with how things panned out as we got on really well with them and they helped us quite a lot during our stay. To be honest, at first, we were a little worried about stepping on their toes but we probably saw them for about 1-2 hours each day and even when we were all together they did their own thing and we did ours. The lower ground floor/basement level was a lot bigger than it looks in the pictures and consisted of a heated indoor pool, sauna, bathroom and shower. The ground floor had two reception rooms - one with a fireplace, an open plan kitchen, dining area and Silvio and Claudia's 'territory' where their bedroom and bathroom was. There was also a utility room. The first floor is where our bathroom and bedrooms were.

Outside of the house, the garden was HUGE and there seemed to be more land surrounding the house than inside! The front garden was lawned and had many fruit trees and a vegetable patch where Silvio and Claudia grew some of their own produce, as well as a sheltered BBQ area and space for about 5 cars to park. There was no rear garden but the front garden wrapped around to the side where we found a large animal pen with a donkey, dog and a few goats! A little random but hey-ho! Again, not something we knew when booking and since I am not an animal lover, I was not at all thrilled to see this when we arrived but I was OK when Silvio explained that they do not come out of the pen. We were allowed to pet the animals if we wanted to, I watched whilst the others did lol. Also outside there was a patio area to the side of the house which made a lovely chill spot in the evenings or a great place to sunbathe during the day.

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Hospitality & Attitude/Helpfulness – 10/10

It goes without saying that Silvio and Claudia's hospitality was great. Really welcoming, friendly, sweet, caring and understanding. Their house was presented beautifully and always clean and tidy with help from their housekeeper. They were both really helpful but Silvio in particular was fantastic. We actually ended up in a bit of a kerfuffle at the airport where our hire car was given to someone else due to a miscommunication regarding the pick up times. Silvio had already arranged to meet us at the airport so that we could follow him to the house and he stayed with us for hours and helped us get another hire car (with his brother and friend who were also very helpful). On the way to the house he stopped every so often to point out landmarks and popular tourist spots as well as recommending great places to eat, shop and drink – our own personal tour guide!

We also had a last minute change before flying out and decided that we would like to A) remove one person from the booking and B) add an extra day onto the holiday. As Claudia is the person we dealt with until the point where we physically met her and Silvio, we informed her instantly. After explaining the full situation(s) to her, she was really understanding and helped us through the process of cancelling a person from the booking and also dealt with adding the extra day – which we paid for when we arrived in Sicily.

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Rooms & Shower Rooms – 8/10

As our rooms were part of the loft conversion, the edges of both bedrooms sloped downwards (one room more than the other) so we would have to duck when walking around the outskirts of on of the bedrooms.

Throughout the house the rooms and shower rooms were clean and tidy and we were presented with loads of fresh, clean towels and flannels upon arrival which was nice. We also had our own laundry basket and were introduced to the house keeper/nanny who was happy to help us with any cleaning or cooking we had or wanted to do. To be honest, we all over packed so we didn't actually do any laundry, especially because our stay was so short but it was nice to have the option. The beds were really comfy and both rooms had air conditioning which was a God-send for me in particular because as much as I love a good hot holiday, I struggle with pretty much any temperature above 25 degrees! One thing we really would have appreciated in the bedrooms was a wardrobe..or two. We had to make do with a clothes rail (which only really had enough hangers on it for a couple of outfits each – doubled up) and the futons which became a heaped mess after about two days. Most of our clothes remained in the suitcases on the floor.

The shower rooms (both upstairs and down) were awesome and right up my street - really rustic but chíc. One of the bathrooms had the most beautiful natural sink which was basically a large grey and white rock – very simple but pretty. There was also a shower next to the pool on the basement level. Silvio did show us how to use it and how to get the water to the right temperature but in all of our excitement we forgot how to heat the water and ended up not really using it at all.

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Facilities – 9/10

When deciding on facilities, a pool, Wi-Fi and some kind of out door space were our main priorities. This property ticked all three of those boxes, however, the Wi-Fi signal was very poor in our bedrooms which was a little upsetting as at the end of the day we would all say goodnight and want to just check in with family and friends back home before going to sleep. It did work upstairs on the odd occasion but I would find myself huddled up on someone else's bed or stooped by the window in the bathroom upstairs to get the best connection. In the end, I only really used the Wi-Fi outside in the garden or anywhere on the ground floor – it was just less hassle.

Silvio explained to us that he bought this house in pretty basic condition and turned it into what it is today. The interior design is so out-of-the-box and unique, especially the pool area. The pool was fantastic. It was under the main house and if you are outside on the ground floor, you can look down through the windows (on the ground) into the pool area – pretty cool. To get into the pool, you have to swim through the waterfall at the pool's entrance. It looks amazing, like a real indoor waterfall complete with rocks and tropical plants which we often saw our hosts watering from time to time. It was also heated and only about 5 feet deep. Next to the pool is the sauna. I'm not really a sauna person, more of a steam room person so I didn't really use it much but the rest of the girls loved it.

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

Source: AirBnb

House Rules – 9/10

The house rules were as fair as they could get – there practically were none. Having said this, we were very much aware of having to share the space and were also a little cautious of the fact that Claudia had just given birth a couple of week prior. We don't tend to make heaps of noise or get crazy drunk abroad anyway so this was not really a problem. I did bring my speakers so we did play music pretty much everyday – in the bedrooms or outside in the garden, although Silvio often came outside to chat and drink with us and said that we could play the music louder if we wanted to which was nice. They were very lenient with rules regarding the times we came and went. They understood that we were mainly in the house to eat, shower and sleep, that's all and would be out most of the day, then come home in the early evening and then go out again in the night – they had no problem with this. We had our own set of keys also in case they were out or asleep whenever we were coming and going which was good. Other than this, I think they just expected of us what any other host would which was that we kept our areas clean and tidy. Of course, we expected to clean up after ourselves after meals but Silvio actually insisted that we did not do any dishes or cook any meals ourselves whilst the housekeeper was there – really nice gesture but I did feel a little uneasy having her wait on us hand and foot if we needed to eat.

Garden Selfies!

Comfort – 9/10

Everything in this house was comfy! The beds, the sofa bed (which was my bed for the week), the couches in both the main reception room and the second, the deck chairs, the pool.. everything. We got a great night's sleep everyday (despite our late nights and early-ish mornings) and it really did feel like a home away from home.

Overall – 9/10

Overall, I can safely say that Silvio and Claudia made excellent hosts during our stay with them in their gobsmackingly gorgeous home. As a couple and new parents, their hospitality, love, care and attentiveness did not go unnoticed by us. They made us feel safe, wanted and welcome and were extremely helpful at all times. Their home is amazing – inside and out – and they made it really easy to live with them (and little Nico) for the duration of our stay. I would highly recommend staying at Vico Alessandro Volta if you are thinking of visiting Sicily or more specifically, Catania. The links from this house to places like Mount Etna and Messina by car are fantastic and there's lots to see and do in and around the area.

Thank you Silvio and Claudia (and Nico) for making our stay extra special!