La Terrazza apartment

This apartment was terrible. We left three days early, lost our money and went to a hotel. The morning we left there were 15 flies in the bathroom alone. She lives next door and would go in every time we left to make sure we turned off everything. One time she reported us to VRBO instead of talking to us, even though we thought we had turned everything off. Constantly telling us not to use the A/C and leave the doors open, despite the flies and mosquitoes. Was quite nasty to us. When we first got there she handed us two grungy towels. There wasn’t much toilet paper when we got there and she told us to buy our own. The rugs looked like they had never been washed and the washing machine was unusable. The second bedroom is a loft which is not technically a second bedroom, that was fine for us but the staircase was very small and hard to go up and down. I am 68 in good shape and had difficulty during the night. All around a terrible experience but fortunately our driver found us a hotel room and we got out of there.

On arrival my friend and I were greeted by Rosa. Immediately we realised the property did not match the description and photos. Described as a 2 bedroom apartment, the photos showed one room with a double bed and a second room with 2 single beds. In fact the place had one double bedroom and a mezzanine above the lounge with a sofa that turned into a bed. Rosa could not understand why we were upset and said ‘a bed is a bed.’ She suggested that as we are friends that we sleep in the same bed. She was even rather irritated that we asked for more sheets and pillows for the sofa bed. We considered our options and decided to leave the next day. We raised the issue with vrbo spending several hours on the phone and we and sent them photos and they initially said we had a case and would move us to a hotel the next day. 48 hours later vrbo changed their mind and this is an ongoing dispute. Vrbo tell me that the host would need to refund me for the nights we did not stay so part of this review is to politely ask for this to happen. Meanwhile we had to pay again to stay in a different apartment at a cost of over €500. I would not recommend this apartment in Catania for obvious reasons. It simply isn’t what it claims to be, but if you only need one double bed it is ok, simple but ok.

Exceptionally clean, lovely quiet terrace. Handy for the bus and train station and not far from Teatro Bellini, but not the best area at night

The host, Rosa was very kind. The apartment was close to all the sites and restaurants. It’s an apartment that’s pretty quiet, so one can enjoy a drink on a nice patio. You can take the express bus €4 from/to the airport, which makes it convenient to get to this apartment. Taxis may be more difficult.

The flat is not what the pictures make it out to be. It stinks. A cat - when you open the only door to the flat - immediately enters the flat. The bathroom is only accessible through the bedroom. The toilet lid is not fixed. We left the flat after one night due to allergic reaction to cat hair. We did not get any money back. CAUTION. The landlady downplays any problems. After moving out of an almost unused flat (after one night of severe allergic reaction) no refund was offered. The problems were as follows: 1) The smell: The whole flat stinks. The smell comes from the bathroom. It does not disappear after all the drains have been filled with water and aired out. Comment of the landlady: I don't smell anything. The flat has been empty for a week. So it can smell. 2) The cat: The only access to the flat is via a terrace. If the terrace door is open - for example to air the apartment (see above), the cat comes in and does what it wants. I had to get the landlady to chase her away. There is no mention of a cat in the description. I am allergic to cat hair and had a night with my airways closing up. Landlady's comment: I told my son to lock the cat away. It's gone now (the cat comes back around the corner at the same moment). If you are allergic, I can take the runner (carpet) out of the flat. 3) The toilet seat is not fixed: The toilet seat is attached to only one side, so it doesn't hold at all. One bracket falls off and cannot be repaired without tools. Landlady's comment: It was broken off by the previous tenants. My son had repaired it, so it's not my fault if it doesn't hold. 4) Access to the bathroom: The bathroom is -this is not mentioned in the description- only accessible through the master bedroom. According to the description there are 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. That access is not always possible is not mentioned. We tried to describe the main problem - allergy sufferers ! - and the other points as well. The landlady was offended. We had to look for another accommodation on site at our own expense after one night. Of the 8 nights we paid in advance, neither the landlady nor VRBO refunded us anything. So beware!

A wonderful apartment, very well equipped and very comfortable, superb location, Thank you rosa, we will return

We loved the property, the owner Rosa was great and helped us with transportation from the train station. We loved the place and loved her.

The apartment was in a great location. Short walk to central train station. Alibus stop and most of the Catania sites. The apartment was inside a courtyard which made it quite from street and city noise as well as secure. It was very clean and ready when we arrived. We found a number of fabulous restaurants within walking distance. Rosa and her husband were great hosts. The apartment was very efficient and had plenty of room for the two us. Would definitely stay here again.

We ( 3 cousins) had a great time in Catania and this apartment is well located and well appointed in the center of town with excellent restaurants and shops nearby. Contact the owner is you need a parking place prior to arriving as it is very difficult to park. There is a garage one block away that is excellent.