We retrieved the key from the very personable host at the restaurant in front of the hotel. We parked our car in the piazza out back and yes, we paid 5 Euros a day to an 'attendant' who patrolled this plot of land. These entrepreneurs are everywhere in Palermo. There are free parking spots close to the waterfront but still, we were accosted by men asking a small fee for safeguarding our car. I suppose that we could have told them to buzz-off but our Italian isn't up to par.
We were in the 'Grecale' room which faces the piazza and a park. The space is divided in two rooms; one sitting-room with a sofa-bed, bathroom, closet and bar-fridge and the bedroom with a table, chairs and the bed set up on a mezzanine. The steps to the mezzanine were narrow and steep. A word to the wise; running down these steps at night for the bathroom might be quite dangerous. Oh, the toilet seat was broken off... Breakfast was fine; coffee, juices, choice of 2 kinds of fresh fruit, bread, cakes, croissants and jam.
There are a number of eateries, restaurants, cafés, clubs on via Bottai and across via Vittorio Emmanuele so there is a lot of ambiance at night. Relax, join in and enjoy.