La Serenissima Hotel

We really liked the location in the historic center, a completely remodeled building with spacious and modern rooms and bathrooms. Very varied breakfasts for all tastes. The staff were very attentive and helpful, especially Miss Farhana, always smiling and willing to help.

We stayed at this hotel in Palermo for seven nights. First, the location near the old city is top. We were within walking distance of all things intriguing. The staff was helpful and friendly but a bit paranoid and asked every day if we were leaving when we went out. The room was clean and comfortable, with a double bed. The air conditioning, two, never worked. The room included breakfast, which was a waste of money. We went the first morning, but nothing was fresh, OJ was sugar water, and the coffee was brown with some milk foam. Parking is a big issue in this area. The hotel is just inside the ZTL zone (an old town with narrow roads), but you can still get to the hotel if you have the nerve. After arriving, we learned that the hotel had a relationship with a parking garage, and they would take it to the garage on the first day and bring it back on the last day. The overnight cost was 15€. You can pick up the car anytime you want, and someone will drive the vehicle out of the narrow exit for you. So far, so good. One morning, we tried to use our car and learned that a 5€ ZTL ticket each day needed to be bought at a tobacco shop to exit the ZTL zone. The ticket is valid until 00:00 that day. We never understood the logic that leaving an area required a payment. We bought the tickets. The walk to the garage is about 10 minutes. A parking attendant brings the car to the street in a pedestrian area. The good thing is you drive only 100 meters and then use the main road to exit the city. When returning to the hotel with the car, the area is full of cars parked everywhere on a narrow street. We then requested to have the garage pick up the vehicle. Only with being firm and willing to accept a 5€ charge did someone come. Each night was a bit of a drama when we returned with the car, but it did work. My advice is to determine who takes the vehicle to the garage and what price. The roads are very narrow one way in nature and require driving down “no car zones” to reach the garage. Drivers be warned! The room was well insulated, but Saturday was so loud to 05:00 that my wife did not sleep. I used earplugs and got through. Showering was odd, and often we only had hot water. It usually is the other way around. Another tip is the fresh fruit bar just around the corner at the dock. We had our morning food start often at this location. All in all, a mixed bag, but the positive outweighs the negative. We recommend this location with some cautions.