Luxushotels und Resorts

We did not stay at this accommodation but we found a room at the 4* Villafranca hotel in Palermo. The Dimora del Genio was in a very bad part of town and was very dark in the stairwell. No lift, the appartment itself looked fine but the bedrooms were not good ...think student accommodation! It is not the sort of accommodation I am used to, the web site did not marry up to the actual experience. Partly our fault we should never have booked it.

Beautiful Hotel excellent kitchen en great staff

I think the breakfast was terrible. No fresh juice or fruit or bread! Everything from a package or can.. A terrible was to start a day. Otherwise a nice stay!

The hotel picture gallery on the website does not do it justice. This is a jewel of a place to stay. Perfectly tranquil and with acres of space for guests who want to get away from it all. The service is excellent. The food from the organic gardens superb and the pool one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to use. I would only make a couple of observations that I hope will be of value. Firstly, don't cut corners on toiletries. This is a mistake and there are wonderful Sicilian brands that produce high quality shampoo etc (e.g. Ortigia) that you should partner with. If you have Aesop in the toilets don't re-fill them with something else - your guests will know (I'm a big fan of Aesop and know exactly whether this is the real thing or not). Please don't miss the details when the rest of the hotel is so exemplary. Second, leave water in the rooms for guests and make sure guests around the pool know the water available at the bar (or better still bring it round to those sitting by the pool). A small thing but will go a long way. Lastly, the hotel is covered in fresh flowers and herbs. You create beautiful little collections of these on the tables in the dining area. Do this in the rooms too. It's details like this (and the toiletries) that will leave your guests with a lasting impression beyond the beauty of the rooms and hotel itself. Having said all that, it was a wonderful stay - the breakfast was incredible and I'd like to thank you all for such wonderful hospitality.