Color Botánico

Great little apartment. We stayed here for five nights. Had everything we needed. Comfy bed and pillows. Hot water. Good air conditioning.

Absolutely perfect location in Palermo SOHO. Crawling distance to all the fun, but quiet at night (I did request a room not facing the street, so that helped). One of world's best restaurants is two doors down. Huge parks are 15-20 minute walk north. Subway is 10-12 minute walk north. World class gelato, dining (casual and fine), shops, galleries, activities -- all minutes away by foot. The unit is more than double the size of a standard hotel room -- full kitchen that's nicer than what I have in my house. Huge bed with comfy mattress, normal size pillows, great AC and extra sheets upon request. Twice, I over indulged at nearby restaurants -- I brought home the leftovers and had a great meal and saved money. You can't do that in a tiny hotel room. The balcony was great for breakfast (a half dozen grocery stores are less than 10 minutes walk from unit) and end of day gelato (huge freezer in unit) or malbec. I slept was well as I've ever slept -- and I'm a light and fussy sleeper on the road. Plenty of space to stretch out. Plenty of racks to dry clothes washed in the sink, to allow for light packing. Check in is after 3, but my flight arrived at 4 a.m. They got me in my room a little after 10 a.m., which was great. It is an apartment hotel. One person at the front desk to troubleshoot if you have an issue. It is very secure -- they give you a code to get into the lobby. Great working elevator. I almost booked a similar sized apartment in MicroCentro. While that area has a lot of famous spots and places the tourists go -- it is creepy after dark. Palermo SOHO is vibrant 24-7. A few blocks in either direction and it would have been noisy. But this is a quiet, mostly residential street. Lots of buses nearby as well, to make it easy to visit other parts of the city. Two people could live in this unit for 2 weeks (4 with 2 bed configuration) and not feel crowded. Color Botanico is a 9.8 out of 10 -- one of my highest ever ratings.

The handle to the bathroom was loose when I arrived and it fell out of the door during the middle of my visit. The control for the air conditioning was hard to click. Staff switched around the batteries (not replaced, but switched in the device) but it was still hard to adjust up and down. They provide soap, but do not provide shampoo. It's odd, but there is a grocery one building over, so not hard to buy some. They provide 2 days worth of coffee and tea. Again, I think it's a penny wise pound foolish approach to welcoming you -- but then again, the price point is amazing, so maybe they have to pinch pennies. It was impossible to get the balcony door closed until the superintendent came up. Basically, he advised that the right had does not re-lock well, so it was best to go to the balcony on the left hand side, so it could be locked for security. They say it an extra charge to change sheets and towels -- even though the stay was for 9 nights -- but then give you one change them for free card...a little confusing but again, these are the tiniest of problems.

Location, silence, comfortable bed

Lack of good kitchen utensils, including pans

In a nice part of Palermo and better electrical outlets than some hotels, which meant I did not need a plug adapter.

They do not give you additional tea or coffee if you stay longer