Habitat Home, Catania, Italy

Location is very good - a few minutes walk to the Duomo, retail shops and cafes; a few steps away from a fascinating outdoor market with deliciously fresh seafood cooked in restaurants nearby. Most of the receptionists are very friendly and helpful. The condition of the apartment however is not as promised in the photos. It felt very weathered; the ensuite bathroom ceiling has molds with paint chips falling off; the toilet in the living area smelled musty and so we kept it closed all the time; the wifi system is patchy. The promised reception area is 900m away, and the only way for a non-Italian resident to reach them is to make an overseas/roaming call. Our room was cleaned on Day 4 of 5 of our stay, instead of midway through as promised. Perhaps all it needs to to be aired periodically and a fresh coat of paint.

Check-in is slightly cumbersome, as you need to go to a different location to get the key. There is staff available on-site only at limited hours of the day for questions etc. The apartment has a somewhat strange lay-out, with the bed overlooking the kitchen/sitting area.

Overall a really nice place to stay in a central location . At check in the staff could not do more to please. See points: - everything you need from a hotel such as a powerful shower and amenities in apartment. - good cooking facilities saving money - overlooked a well maintained courtyard - mins away from local bars including the castle area Only niggle would be the air con was not in the room but the kitchen, meaning the door had to be left open. A tiny niggle really. Defo reccomend to other couples as me and my partner had everything we needed for a cosy get away.

Area is brilliant. City on your door step. Aparment is very clean and a good size. But dated though. Bathroom is horrible and frustratingly small. Bit annoying to have to go a different building to get the keys. We were driving and it was late so this was awkward. Also I had emailed the hotel twice to ask about parking before my stay and got no reply.

Catania is fascinating, not gentrified and very different to the rest of Sicily and Italy, but we really loved it! The apartment was like the pictures but probably less 'sparkly and new'. The location of the apartment was really great and we loved walking through the local markets in the morning, and the proximity to restaurants and the square. Our only dissatisfaction was with the check-in which was slow and disorganized. I had to witness a very unhappy guest ranting for quite a while before I was acknowledged, and the location of the actual check-in was not signposted and appeared at first to be within a construction zone.) After a long delay I received many complicated instructions about finding the apartment, finding the parking garage (completely different direction to the apartment and the check-in location) and paying city tax etc... all up the apartment was very enjoyable, the location was perfect but the check-in process was a real let-down.

Great place. Easy check in. Spacious and modern. We were a family of 4 (boy 17) separate sleeping area for him and girl 13 stayed with us in our room. 2 bathrooms/ wifi a bit slow but overall the place was good. Area easy to access. Staff friendly