Archival
10/10 Excellent
Ken W.
15 June 2017
Unquestionably THE best vacation experience we've ever had!
We've been using vacation home rental services for many years; no vacation rental compares to this gem in terms of location, amenities or host generosity and communication.
Start with the owner, Angelo...
This isn't some bare-bones rental home, it's Angelo's "home of the heart" as he says (he lives and works in Cantania, but also owns this vacation home and comes here periodically to care for his large Orchid collection and to relax).
He communicated 'instantly' before and during our stay. He's extremely generous, helpful and genuinely excited to share all that he has with you.
He even spoke decent enough English - a rarity in Sicily.
The House itself is amazing. You can literally throw a stone into the sea from the beautiful 3/4 wrap-around deck. Or you can turn your head and get a post card view of Mt Etna directly behind you.
It's located midway between two large tourist cities and very close to numerous small sea-side towns nearby you've got to visit.
The picture you see of the waves is exactly the view we saw each time we ate a meal on the covered deck. In fact, the place is so spectacular, we actually decided to stay home and enjoy it rather than do more sight-seeing one day... and had to force ourselves to go to bed, rather than sit in the moonlight watching the waves.
...and we had magnificent sunrises each morning as we ate breakfast!
At night we left the front and bedroom doors open to hear the sounds and have a nice breeze as we slept. There were no bugs (or security issues to worry about as the balcony is not reachable from the ground.)
You get the entire house. It was better furnished than my own home in terms of kitchen facilities, spices, etc ...and you're surrounded by his orchid collection and beautiful art in the living room and dining room.
He offered us his indoor garage but we parked next to house (on street) for simplicity.
It's at the end of the road after passing olive and palm nurseries, not in a busy city. Groceries and restaurants are an easy 5 min drive away.
We feel very grateful to have found Angelo and his 'home of the heart" - it was the high point of a spectacular multi-week Italy vacation!!
If this rental is available for your time period, grab it.
Ken Wade