Hotel Porta Felice

Great Breakfast Terrace

Located just behind the old city gates - Porte Felice, its not where you would expect to find a quality hotel in a slightly shabby part of the old town - which for me added to the overall charm. Hotel is everything you would expect from a new ’international’ style development - large quiet clean rooms, tastfully decorated and friendly service. However, the great feaure is the roof top bar that doubles as the breakfast area! Great views over the chaotic rooftops of the old centre with the mountains as a spectacular backdrop. We stayed here on our return to Palermo and negotiated a very good rate - so don’t be affair to ask. Parking costs 16 euro - but there is ample on street parking.

Sicily is a save place to travel. If driving, it will take a day or two to get use to no traffic rules and it generally works. To do Sicily properly and at a relaxed pace two weeks is about right. Mt Etna is an experience not to ne missed and my food highlights include Martin’s in via Calascibetta, 25 (piazza Borsa) Palermo and Nino’s Trattoria, Via Pirandello, Taormina. Both offered fresh contemporary Sicilian cuisine and wines. Other tips - if you remember the 1970’s stay ay Villa Fiorita in Taormina, basic but so full of character, great views from ’Esher’ style terraces and very friendly. Don’t go to the Suite D’Autore - fun, but gimmiky and expensive for noisy rooms and poor breakfast service. I hope to get to the island next visit.

Palermo’s saving grace

Despite the city street there is a refuge! Hotel Porta Felice is so much more when you walk through the doors.

Stay in the hotel

Beautiful Hotel if you can forgive the area

This hotel, near the port area, is not in the nicest part of Palermo. It is surrounded by old, seemingly run-down/derelict warehouses. The hotel itself, however, is a beauty. I do a lot of travelling for work, staying ostensibly in the Hilton hotels, and the styling of this hotel and room (room 108) outclassed the Hiltons I can remember. The room was large, with a Queen Size bed, another single bed, a high ceiling, and the best looking hotel bathroom I have seen, with marble surfaces in the sink and bath region. The view from the room was not great, but this was not a problem. Breakfast is on the roof terrace with a view over to the port region - though you’re not going to spend most of your time having breakfast. We stayed here on our last night in Siciily before returning to London, and of four Sicilian hotels this was the only one with a greater breakfast selection than merely bread, cakes, cereal and fruit. This hotel provided eggs (boiled, scrambled), hams, sausages, among other things.