Wir hatten das Apartment 'Sirene' gebucht. (Es gibt mehrere, unterschiedliche Apartments im Haus.) Es handelt sich um ein großes Ein-Raum-Apartment mit Badezimmer. Es liegt im 1. Stock (nur wenige Stufen, Aufzug vorhanden) eines alten Hauses im südlichen Teil der Insel Ortigia - ca. 50 m vom kleinen Strand Cala rossa entfernt (Badeschuhe mitnehmen!). Man kann die ganze Insel bequemst zu Fuß erkunden. Das Apartment hat einen kleinen Balkon zur Straße hin, auf dem man schön sitzen kann. Die Fenster gehen zwar zur Straße raus, sind aber so gut, dass man in der Regel keinen Lärm hört (nur manchmal die Müllabfuhr). Schon in unmittelbarer Nähe finden sich schöne Restaurants und Cafés aller Art. Das sehr saubere Apartment ist wirklich komplett ausgestattet. Wir reisen viel, aber das hatten wir so noch nie: Esstisch mit Stühlen, Sofa mit Tisch; bequeme Betten; Waschmaschine (mit Waschmittel!), Trockner, Bügeleisen, Bügelbrett; Mikrowelle, ausreichend Besteck und Geschirr; Kaffee, Tee, Zucker, Salz, Olivenöl; sehr gutes WLAN; zwei Schlüssel. Zur Begrüßung erwarteten uns neben Mineralwasser eine Flasche Wein und ein leckerer Kuchen! Der Besitzer Luca, der sehr gut Englisch spricht, ist sehr freundlich, hilfsbereit und auskunftsfreudig. Er begrüßte uns selber, zeigte und erklärte alles und gab viele Hinweise zu Besichtigungen u. ä. (Er schickte schon direkt nach der Buchung zahlreiche, nützliche Informationen und fragte nach unseren Wünschen bezüglich der Betten.) Er reagiert in der Regel sofort auf Fragen (per WhatsApp). Wir können das Apartment nur wärmstens empfehlen!

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This was an excellent home base to explore Ortigia. The apartment is as large, if not larger, than shown in the photos. You could easily do yoga in the living room, for reference. Luca is an excellent host and provides many suggestions for the surrounding area including nearby beaches, restaurants, public transit, gelato, fresh seafood, you name it! You could genuinely not plan your trip and have a lovely time just with the recommendations from Luca. There is not a reception (it’s an apt building) so the key handoff is in person which is easy to arrange via WhatsApp. The bed was very comfy with a memory foam topper and lots of pillows. All the basic amenities are provided - hair dryer, ironing board, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, salt, pepper, cooking oil, beach umbrella, beach towels & regular towels. You’re steps away from a beautiful pebble beach if you’d like a no-transit day. Ortigia itself is quite small and you can walk from end to end in approx 25 mins.

If you’re someone who favours a daily cleaning service & reception, obviously an apartment might not be for you. But if an apt is what you’re looking for this one is perfect.

We are blown away by the level of support we received from our host, Luca. Not only he arranged for parking in a very challenging location at the island of ortigia, he personally met us there and helped to carry our luggage to the apartment (fairly short walk). The apartment is very charming old town dwelling with the location hard to beat - smack in the heart of Ortigia, close to every beach, museum or other attraction there. Not to mention gazillion restaurants and cafes for any taste nearby. Luca has explained to us how everything worked at the apartment (nothing special, full kitchen, coffee, everything you would expect) and gave us extensive recommendations for visiting specific beaches and attractions. Getting around was very easy with hop on/hop off tourist bus (don't forget Archimedes' tomb!) and the water was warm even in october (aroung 25C ot 76F). Complimentary bottle of wine and Luca's mom cake were the last straw and we felt right at home. All in all, very positive, warm experience right at the heart of Old Syracuse.

We liked everything, but I must mention that the apartment is a four-level dwelling (fourth being a lovely roof terrace for romantic evenings). People with mobility issues might experience difficulties at this location, although there is an elevator to the apartnet (it's on the first floor, just a short ride from the ground floor).

The apartment was wonderful - so spacious, beautifully decorated, very clean and comfortable and very good value for money. It had 2 small side balconies - you could see the sea down the street from one of them. The bed was very comfortable! We loved swimming in the clear blue water at Calla Rossa beach (and another beach close by) which was only a minute's walk away from the apartment. Such a beautiful spot! Luca, our host, went above and beyond to make our stay as perfect as possible (thank you, Luca!) He was very helpful in advance of our arrival with information on transport options from the airport and greeted us on arrival at the apartment. He spent time with us providing lots of information and recommendations for places to visit and restaurants/bars which was so helpful! His mum had baked a fruit tart for us and he had left a bottle of wine too - all very thoughtful touches. Luca was always very quick to reply to any messages and went the extra mile to ensure our stay was very special. The apartment is in a perfect location, right by Calla Rossa beach and close to restaurants and bars (but nice and quiet). We loved staying in Ortigia - a beautiful, charming place with plenty to do. We recommend doing a boat trip round Ortigia island where you can swim in caves in the crystal blue water! We would definitely recommend this accommodation!!

Nothing - everything was perfect!