"Arancelli 11" Typical Villa

We stayed a week in the villa and had a very nice time. The host, Lucio, is great and was very helpful! As we were traveling with a baby, it is worth pointing out that to reach Ragusa Ibla you need a car. The walk path is an overgrown stair with no lights. Also, we had 2 cars which easily fits in the parking space at the villa.

The localisation was perfect : 30min from the beautiful beaches and close to the city of Ragusa (and the situ of Scicli) which is very nice. The house is perfect for 6people and there is a big living-room. The garden and the swimming pool is very nice. Kitchen tools can be improved. There a dishwasher that works very well. The gas cooler is perfect. The beds are comfortable. The house is cosy and with nice fournitures. It lacks some shelves in the principal bedroom. Globally the house is great. We had a great time there. From the airport of Catania, it takes 1:30 to get to the house. You can also visit the Villa Romana sel Casale in piazza armerina and Syracusa which both are 1:30 from the house. Have fun in Sicily.

Because of a scheduling mixup, we stayed next door at Casa Tua, Luciano's other property. The pool is beautiful and the yard is carefully maintained. The outdoor kitchen and dining area area great, as is the big covered porch and bathtub upstairs with a view of the mountains. Bedrooms are comfortable and very clean. It feels like a rural and beautiful spot and is very quiet but for the occasional rooster crow, which is nice. The public stairs across the road that lead to the old town of Ragusa Ibla is a huge plus - the stairs are steep so they aren't for everyone, but in 10-15 minutes of walking, you can be in a fantastic old city with lots of great restaurants and cafes. I Banchi was a restaurant favorite for a nice meal out in the town. La Capinera is a restaurant down the road that is beautiful and has lots of nice outdoor and indoor seating, but it is along a busy road with no sidewalks, so you need to drive though it's only 5 minutes away. The house feels a bit spare and could use a few more homey touches (lamps, coffee tables, etc.) and some basic goods that we had to purchase (soaps, laundry detergent). There's also a tennis court in the back of the property that is in a beautiful spot but could be better maintained if the host wanted to make that a feature of the place. We swam and drank wine on our porch and walked to long, delicious dinners in town every day and had a great visit. Luciano is a very responsive and friendly host.

An expensive villa and not without its faults. Our stay was okay but we would not go back. The garden is tidy and very private. There are only two sunbeds for six guests. One of the plastic chairs broke as soon as we sat on it. There is a big wooden table outside. It is rough with a risk of splinters but okay with a cloth over it. The pool is very small indeed. Guests are expected to clean it themselves. There is a parasol but no stand for use on the patio. There were no outside cushions as shown in the website photos. There are good lights in the garden and in the pool so it is very nice to sit outside. The villa is very clean. The beds are comfortable, king size with adequate bedding. The bedrooms have fans but are cramped and the furniture is poor. Bedside tables are metal and going rusty. The wardrobes are very basic. The bed in the front bedroom is very loose and creaky. The windows do not have mosquito screens, just loose net curtains which insects get can easily get around. There is air conditioning only in the living room. There was plenty of hot water. The shower nearest the front door leaks into the second bedroom and makes a puddle on the floor. The living room is fine, large and spacious with a lovely fully-opening window to the garden. There is no lock on this window, just some cabin hooks, so if someone broke the glass it would be easy to enter the villa. Be careful when closing the front door as the interior handle comes off in your hand. Toilet rolls are the only basic materials provided. No washing up liquid, cloths, cleaning materials, laundry liquid or dishwasher tablets, and only eight pegs for laundry. We were warned of this in advance, but it is not expensive to provide a sufficient quantity of these basic items for each set of visitors, especially as guests can’t readily buy them in the quantities needed just for a holiday. The dishwasher had no salt or rinse aid in it so did not clean items properly. There are adequate cooking utensils and pans. There is not enough crockery for six people, a mix of odd glasses and some cheap, light cutlery.