Wow ! The owner Alexandero was a life saver. We landed in Italy at 1am and our hotel wouldn’t open the doors , we called everywhere we could to try to find a place to stay . He was the only one who answered, he called us a cab and greeted us with the warmest energy! One of the most beautiful hotels I have stayed in. What character this place has. It made out Italian experience super special . We woke up to breakfast and coffee and the front desk/ alexandro recommended us several nice places to visit in town. 11/10 for meeeeee! Excited to visit again! Thank you! Hospitality king 😊
I stayed in this hotel when I was organising a nature tour in Sicily for a group of English people, and I will definitely stay there whenever I visit Palermo in the future. It's an extraordinary building - an old church that was abandoned for years and has been lovingly restored by the owner, Alessandro. He has an amazing imagination and has introduced glass floors and a glass lift shaft and decorated the entire hotel with interesting antiquities, art, vespers, bicycles and Sicilian knick-knacks. The bedrooms are comfortable and the bathrooms have antique sinks and are decorated with old Sicilian tiles. Breakfasts were lovely - as much coffee / pastries as you could possibly consume and a lovely side plate of fruit on every table. All the staff were warm and helpful, and, as other reviewers have mentioned, they're in touch with a team of people who can drive you to sites or to the airport and who are all professional, calm and reassuring. Alessandro himself is quite charming and he tells me he may be opening a sauna soon so look out for that! The hotel is right in the centre of town, near the Palazzo dei Normanni, which houses the Capella Palatina (unmissable) and regular exhibitions of modern art, and is a short walk away from the Cathedral and the pedestrianised Via Vittorio Emanuele. The hotel is in an old side street so there isn't a huge amount of light - but don't be put off by that because the location and ambience is perfect and you can dowse yourself in sunshine all day when you're walking around town. I highly recommend Porta di Castro. Thank you to Alessandro and all the staff for a very special stay.…
Clean, comfortable lodging a block from the Norman palace. Friendly staff goes out of their way for you. Enormous breakfasts, fun decor and nice touches like cold water tap in the lobby. Owner rode by us on his bicycle as we were walking in the park our final night in Sicily and stopped to make great recommendations how to enjoy our evening. We were up too early for breakfast on our last day, but he saw us leaving and wrapped up croissants for us to go. A class act.
We checked into this enticing B&B (based on web research) only to discover the room redefined the concept of European small. There was literally no room for even one suitcase let alone the three we traveled with on a two-week Italy vacation. To the proprietor's credit, he understood the challenge we faced. After offering us the opportunity to switch rooms (which would have meant switching again the next night - no thank you), he graciously agreed to refund our payment so we could move to another hotel. This level of integrity is (unfortunately) all too rare in the hospitality business given the impetus to make up for lost revenues during the pandemic. We very much appreciated this consideration. For those looking for a unique, boutique B2B located center city of Palermo and traveling with limited luggage, this would be a property to consider.…
We recently stayed in this excellent B and B in the historical centre of Palermo. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was huge and the added bonus of access to cold still and sparkling water throughout the day was welcome after a day sightseeing. It is close to the cathedral and the many street markets.
This is really a fun little place and in walking distance from the cathedral and palace . My main problem with it was the horrible smell in the bathroom. I also think the bedrooms could use a tweak to make them as fun as the downstairs area .
We stayed at Porta di Castro for one night in Palermo after a holiday week in Sicily. The B&B is centrally located and despite being in a narrow street is accessible by car and offers a car parking service. The interior design is quirky in a charming way. We travelled as a family and as we needed to share a room with our two young children we were a bit limited in the room choice. Our room (number 6) was tiny and had no window to the street, just a small window to the tiny inside patio. As a result it was very dark and felt really stuffy. I am not usually claustrophobic but I really struggled to sleep there. A shame we got the short straw as we were travelling with another family who had the same room category (4 people) and got a much bigger and nicer room with a balcony overlooking the street and also had a mezzanine. In my view our rooms were not worth the same despite having the same rate. We managed to sleep ok with the basic air conditioning unit and to leave on a happy note thanks to the lavish and delicious breakfast served by incredibly friendly staff. So overall a great accommodation option provided you don’t get room number 6!…
This is a fantastic little gem! A boutique hotel right in the middle of the town. History mixed with modern fun details. Rooms all different. We stayed in a family room which was great. Best of all was the passionate and dedicated owner. He gave us a tour of the neighbouring sites where he is developing a spa on the one hand and a small outdoor pool area on the other side with a wine bar. All in historic sites where you will see the ancient tiles etc. Probably finished in September or October this year. He was very lovable! Can recommend this unique boutique hotel.
Nice friendly quirky pension. Good location and decent sized rooms but a bit noisy at night. Breakfast is fruit, juice, coffee and lots of pastries. Friendly enough hotel, although I wouldn't say I was welcomed with open arms. My door was a big tricky to open with a card and a key to navigate. Throughout the night I kept hearing the front door slam and other doors closing which was a bit sleep jolting. All in all good for a two day stay in Palermo.
Located a few steps from the Norman Palace and Cathedral of Palermo, the Porta di Castro is conveniently situated in the Ballaro district where you will also find a lively market on most mornings. Check in was easy and the staff even parked our rental car for us. The hotel staff is very friendly, especially at breakfast time when they put out mountains of fresh local pastries, fruit and coffee to order. The term continental breakfast doesn't begin to describe the volume and variety of cornettos, filled pastries, cakes, breads and spreads, fresh fruit and other local delicacies that we were offered! The rooms are elegantly appointed and each have their own unique charm, but all featured modern baths, luxury linens and climate control. Look no further, this is the place to stay in old Palermo!…
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