10/10 Excellent
Ben S., Dallas, TX
1 Oct 2019
Liked: Cleanliness
Remote and Spectacular
If you have a car rented on Lipari, and you enjoy feeling like you're miles away from anywhere, this is the spot for you. It's exactly why we booked it, and it was exactly what we expected. This remote villa is not easily accessed DIRECTLY by car. Very narrow roads to get to the parking area, which is a 3 minute walk down a rugged stone path that is somewhat steep, to access the property. It IS possible to drive down the path. (Whether or not you can drive back up it is based on your car's power & tire quality, your skill as a driver, and the weather conditions!) Keep this in mind as you consider your luggage, whether you'll be cooking and carrying groceries down that path to the villa, etc. It requires extra effort to stay here. But sitting on the terrace overlooking the ocean thousands of feet below, you may never want to leave!
The house is photographed exceptionally well in the ad. In reality, it is a rustic concrete structure set into the hillside. It is not modern or technologically sophisticated. The bedroom on the top floor is air conditioned, but the rest of the home is not. The bottom floor consists of two totally separate, self-catering apartments with a bedroom and bathroom in the back, and kitchenette and single bed/couch in the front. Opening front and back doors to these units provides a breeze to flow through, but the back doors do not keep out the rain if it rains, so you'll have to close them (and thus cut off your breeze) in inclement weather. The lower terrace cover leaks during rains, don't leave anything out!
The main kitchen is appointed for basic cooking. There is a fully-stocked grocery store between Pianoconte and Quattropani with everything you need. For those who don't wish to cook, there is an exceptional pizzeria/restaurant down in Quattropani just a few minutes' drive. As a chef, I was impressed by both of our meals there.
The older gentleman who greeted us at the port, Pino, was informative, and a good resource about how the house functions because he built it himself. We communicated with him almost exclusively in Italian, as we had 2 fluent speakers in our group. A typical Sicilian, he tried to woo both of the ladies (mother and daughter) in our group. He also arrived unannounced the day before we departed to see if we were ok. Only the ladies were home that day, which was a surprise to them, slightly uncomfortable.
This was a memorable home that I would rent again without hesitation.
Ben S.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2019