First of all, I know a week isn’t long enough for Sicily, but I am traveling with 5 other people who only have that amount of time. This would be probably in May 2007, but we are trying to block out the time now.

So within that limitation, I think we shouldn’t try to stay in more than two different places on the island, with the thought that we’ll sample what we can in day trips, and if we like it, we can come back to see more another time.

We would be arriving at Messina by ferry, and my current thought is to divide the time between Taormina and Palermo (or somewhere in those general areas) and return by plane from Palermo.

Does that make sense, and does anyone have recommendations for a different plan? I would like to have some specific ideas to present to the group before someone else starts campaigning for a whirlwind tour of the whole island.

Ideally, I would like to find a couple of B&Bs that could put up 3 couples, so if anyone has recommendations along those lines, too, I’d appreciate them. We expect to have two cars for the 3 couples.

Also, do you think the second week in May is a good time for a visit? Is Sicily likely to be very crowded then?

Roz,
I just got back from my hloidays in Italy. I really liked La Masseria http://www.lamasseriabb.it/english/camere.htm about halfway between Cantania and Taormina. I am working on a trip report and reviews. Happy to answer questions.

Henry

Henry,

La Masseria looks like a lovely spot. Can you tell me how much you paid for a double room? I didn't see any prices on the web site.

I'll look forward to your trip report!

- Roz

Roz,
I paid 35 euro per person for the room and 15 euro per person for dinner. I thought it was a great value.

Henry

quote:

Originally posted by Roz:
... Palermo ...
Ideally, I would like to find a couple of B&Bs that could put up 3 couples, so if anyone has recommendations along those lines, too, I’d appreciate them. We expect to have two cars for the 3 couples.
Also, do you think the second week in May is a good time for a visit? Is Sicily likely to be very crowded then?

Hi Roz,
You're right, one week won't be enough for Sicily!

In Palermo, I recommend the Ai Cartari B&B - Shannon's review is on the SlowTrav site. We stayed there last March, and both really liked it; I look forward to staying there again some time. Excellent location, and welcoming hosts. Note that you won't need a car in Palermo ... the historic center is easily walkable, and you can take the city bus to Monreale.

I think the second week of May will be lovely. I have no idea about the level of tourists, but the weather should be ideal.

The flowers should still be out mid May. The island will be beautiful and green. I'd pick one place to stay, either Palermo or somewhere on the east coast. There's plenty to do/see around each to keep you busy.

We just spent a week in Sicily at the beginning of April. The weather was wonderful, the flowers were out and there were a lot of tourists, almost everywhere we went. April is frequently considered part of the "high season" because it is such a pleasant and comfortable time of the year for Sicily. As for locations, we actually stayed in Taormina for our first two nights, which was a good choice, having just arrive on a transatlantic flight connecting into Catania. We then spent three nights very close to Monreale outside of Palermo, and then our last two nights in a small town right outside of Siracusa, as we were flying out of Catania. We stayed in some lovely hotels- fairly upscale this time, since we were celebrating a special wedding anniversary. We were pleased with all three choices and in general found service everywhere we went to be excellent! Was it a hectic itinerary- to a certain degree yes, but we still built in a fair amount of down/quiet time too. We thoroughly enjoyed Sicily and look forward to returning.