The hotel was a good location to dining and shopping. The food at the restaurant was good. Rooms nice size and walk in showers updated. Clean rooms and staff very nice and easy to work with. Small elevator and restaurant on the 6th floor. Would recommend.
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Stayed at this hotel for three nights having arrived via the airport. Located on a quiet (for a significant city) side street. Excellently located being only 4-5 minutes from the historical centre and small restaurants too numerous to count. The decor and furnishings are very well maintained. The breakfast is nicely understated, being a continental selection - rather than soggy scrambled eggs and fried offerings. The staff were unobtrusive. But politely helpful when needed.
Two minor grips, a) the pillows were far too hard for my liking and there did not appear to be an alternative; b) we asked if we could use the pool (having seen what looked like one on the website). The receptionist was incredulous stating “we don’t have a pool, the pool is in the sauna and is 25 Euros per person, per hour and must be booked a day in advance.” We considered ourselves told; the costumes were repacked.
Neither of these things spoilt the time we spent at the hotel and I would happily stay there again.
The good points:
Great location - close for shopping and restaurants/bars
Breakfast better than expected
Nice convenience store nearby
Good massage operative in the Spa
The bad points:
Thin toilet paper
Drain smell in both rooms we tried
Functional staff but not warm & friendly
Bossy restaurant manager
Very dark rooms - all of them! Take a torch.
Lack of a view - we faced a nearby wall
Inaccurate website - the rooms do NOT have kettles or ovens
Dangerous black marble staircase down to Spa
You have to book the Spa and pay extra - 50 Euros per hour
Charged upgrade fee (in cash!!!) but room type the same BUT it did have a bath which we were told our initial room allocated would have but didnt. reception info therefore not trustworthy!
Tips
Get a higher floor (than floor 1 ) to avoid smelly drains in room
Don't get room 108 or 110
Take a bug spray - we got bitten.
I'd wish to have just some stronger light bulbs in the room. Otherwise, everything was perfect. User-friendly safe deposit box. Firm bed, but not uncomfortable (OK, this might be subjective....). Big bathroom, good heating. Excellent breakfast. And everything is close.
Yes, Federico II is clean with friendly staff.
However, if your bed is So uncomfortable that you dread going to sleep. Mattress is rock hard and lumpy, I would wake up with a monster pain in my ribs. Others in my tour game said the same. Worse bed in many years for me.
Located in Central Palermo, within easy walking distance of the opera house and historic Palermo, on a quiet side-street devoid of noise or exhaust fumes, this is a wonderful hotel to choose. It feels intimate, somehow, even though it has a full featured dining area (and a divine multi-cultural breakfast, including “standard” American fare for those who need a heartier breakfast) and the rooms have everything you need. The staff is warm, gracious, and helpful. But, somehow, almost buried in the basement floor is a world class spa. It features a Turkish bath, a sauna, a pool—and all set within an atmospheric spa setting. The massage was a god-send given that Palermo was the first stop after a very long, multi-stop flight from the US. With their help our bodies managed to return to almost human form very quickly. And the price for using all of the amenities and the massage were way below anything we’ve experienced anywhere else. Highly recommended.
