Five years after my last stay at 5 Balconi I found it every bit as friendly and stylish as I remembered. Such a great bargain, too – prices are kept down by the shared bathrooms, but on my last visit my daughter and I had two (scrupulously maintained) bathrooms to ourselves, and if you don't want to take the risk you can pay a little extra and reserve one. There's coffee, tea, biscuits and local wine on tap, and Rob and Cristina are such relaxed hosts, and happy to help with all kinds of queries about the city and moving around the island. The breakfasts alone are worth coming for, with fresh fruit, juice and delicious pastries from a nearby stone-oven bakery. Tip – book direct with them to get the best deals.
A quirky place with a great location. The owner was friendly, giving his time to advice us where to eat /visit for the one night of our stay.Great restaurant recommendation so thanks for that! On the down side felt that the place needs some attention. overall clean but a few splatters on the walls of the bedroom??? The road is noisy but the traffic noise wouldn't keep us awake, what did however was a terrible noise of a water system coming from near the bathroom or neighbour. It was continuous throughout the night so impossible to sleep.
I enjoyed every minute of my stay, from the minute the door opened to the warm colours and even warmer welcome from Rob & Christina, to the last minute when I had to tear myself away. I loved my room with its comfy bed and view out onto the busy street, that the shutters quietened at siesta time! I loved breakfast surrounded by treasures and curios enjoying the perfect espresso! I loved all the recommendations of things to see and places to visit that Rob & Christina shared. I loved it all, and can’t wait to go back.
I loved 5 Balconi - so colorful and beautiful inside... It is brilliantly situated, we were very warmly welcomed by Rob who made us feel at home right away. Loads of handy tips of places to have a drink eat a bite and places to visit. The rooms - we prolonged our stay so tried two different ones - are very beautiful, each with it's own balcony and a great view of Etna from room 1 and also of Catania free-style driving: an art in it's own right! In the morning we met Cristina who was so lovely, she gave us a delicious and very generous fresh breakfast: fruit, yoghurt, fresh bread, local patisseries, ham, cheese - all you need to get the day off to a good start... all provided with great humour and attention by Cristina - can't wait to go back basically! Great value for money too.
I stayed at the 5 balconi again and it is as awesome and incredible as it always was before. Christina and Rob are the perfect hosts. They serve the breakfast with everything you wish for and have tips for nice restaurants and cool bars. The rooms (I stayed in 2 different rooms because Catania was the start and the end of my trip) are very clean and all have air-condition. Also the 2 shared bathrooms are very clean and provide shower gel and shampoo. The street outside is very loud, so close the windows or take earplugs. I love the sound of the street and love to sit on the balcony and watch the Sicilian life... The B&B is in walking distance of all the sights in Catania (fish market, duomo, via etna, castello ursino). If you don't rent a car you can reach the city beach easily by bus and the airport also by bus or by taxi. I really recommend this B&B and hope to stay there again!…
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