We only had 1 full day in Calabria-- and I think if we didnt stay in this hotel- we would have only seen Mt. Etna-- and missed out of seeing the Duomo and fish market (were able to walk to both from the hotel early in the morning) prior to our Etna Experience tour. Hotel was great- small, but clean/modern room and the only downfall was that WiFi only worked in the lobby. Would highly recommend!

Great location, helpful staff, wonderful breakfast!

First off, this review is for American tourists. European tourists will never understand my frustrations with this hotel, and hotels in general in Europe. Also, this review is for BUDGET-MINDED travelers. If you are rich and money is no concern...skip this review.

This is a nice hotel. It does have a relatively large lobby, as far as lobbies go for a European hotel. And, most importantly, it is very centrally located to the heart of Catania's architecture. This is ultimately what you are paying for....location.

Average size room. Though I can never understand why the showers are so small? Every time I bend over to wash my feet, my butt turns off the water.

They also have a very nice, extensive breakfast buffet. Both hot and cold items and you can order your cappuccino or espresso from the waiter.

So what's the problem? Well the Wi-Fi is awful. You can't use it in your room, so I'm stuck skyping with my daughter in the hotel lobby...with everyone else around. I thought America is supposed to lag behind most other countries with regard to high speed Internet? Every hotel we stayed at in Italy had awful service in the rooms. Perhaps is the huge marble walls that don't transmit signal very well.....but that can be fixed by adding more and stronger routers.

Finally, there are many hotels nearby with similar amenities that cost much less. Villa Romeo is an example. If you are trying to save a few bucks (which is very hard to do in Europe in 2012), stay at a hotel a little farther away and take a bus to the main piazza.

THM (Take Home Message): This is a nice hotel. I gave it 3 stars only because I didn't think the overall amenities warranted the cost. You are simply paying for location. If you are staying in Catania for 3 days or more and have time to enjoy the breakfast, then maybe it is worth it. If you are rich and don't care about money....and don't want to take public transportation....then again, a very worthwhile hotel for you. For the rest of us mere mortals.....I think you can find much better deals in the area.