We are a British family of three who have just returned from the most fantastic holiday in beautiful Sicily. Our hosts, the wonderful family Gervasi, kindly arranged for us to be collected on arrival at Palermo airport and taken to the house in Castellammare del Golfo where we were warmly welcomed by them, really starting our holiday on exactly the right note. While leaving us to enjoy our holiday, the family were easily contacted and were more than happy to offer practical advice and local knowledge when needed. The house was as beautiful as we could have hoped for, spacious, elegant and tranquil, and contained everything needed for our stay, ample utensils, furniture for the terrace, even a beach umbrella, and much more. Everything was clean, well organised and maintained. The solid wi-fi was a enormous convenience which enabled us to research and plan trips as we went along, consulting online bus time-tables, opening hours, etc. The house is perfectly located close to all attractions within the town while the cul-de-sac location maintains a magical atmosphere of calm. There is a well-run 'alimentari' a short stroll away for food essentials as well as olives, local cheeses and other things.
For us, Castellammare del Golfo had everything, a nice little everyday beach a short walk along from the town, a rugged coastline with dramatic coves for bathing washed by turquoise seas, mountains perfect for exploring on our doorstep, reliable bus services to places of interest, the amazing city of Palermo reachable for a day trip (though bus not necessarily recommended for this one), lots of places to try authentic Sicilian food from little take-aways only used by locals to extremely plush restaurants overlooking the port, and perhaps the friendliest and most charming local inhabitants we have ever met on our travels, a far cry from the tourist burn-out we have experienced in higher profile destinations.
Despite our policy of always visiting new places, Castellammare is a place we would definitely return to because of its charm and the scope of what it offers. We are grateful to the Gervasi family and will definitely stay in this property again, next year, perhaps with friends, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to all of our friends and family.
