Palazzo Villelmi

We stayed one night in Palazzo Villelmi. Our room was lovely and the location is excellent- very close to the Duomo. Federico met us upon arrival and was so helpful with an excellent restaurant booking in Cefalu, and also gave us information about places in Palermo. Highly recommended.

We booked a room from Saturday to Wednesday in the first week of March. When our taxi dropped us off about a quarter mile away from the hotel, Federico, the owner of the hotel met us and helped us carry our suitcases. This was entirely unplanned and foreshadowed how amazing our time in Cefalù would be in no short order due to Federico’s recommendations and the network of folks he knows in this small beach town. He is the epitome of “I know a guy”-ism in the greatest way imaginable. He gave us a list of ten restaurants to try and we went to one for each meal except one (and this was only because we wanted to try a new place for every meal and some restaurants are closed on certain days). Every single restaurant and cafe he recommended was incredible (this isn’t hyperbole, literally every single one) and offered a unique insight in to Sicilian cuisine. He helped us get reservations when we needed them and provided recommendations for our other non-food related activities. The hotel itself is well situated and anywhere within the town is easily walkable and it also has a lovely view of the duomo. The rooms are exactly what we wanted since we’d be spending most of our time exploring the area. It is also a great launching point to start the day since the Bar Duomo cafe is right next door where you can get a sweet and/or savory breakfast and coffee and a great spot for aperitivo or desserts whenever you want. I can’t stress enough how much Federico maximized our enjoyment of our trip. We will only stay at an establishment that he operates whenever we visit Cefalù in the future.

Villelmi is well located on the main promenade of Cefalu, but the room was still very quiet. I was informed, ahead, that no elevator served the 3 floors of the property. As I climbed the 63 steps to my room, " at the top " I observed no handrails on 2 of the flights -- very dangerous. I managed the climb in the cold light of day ; but with luggage or after several glasses of wine this would be dangerous--- if not deadly. On first look at the room, there was a lack of electric outlets. To charge my batteries, I had to disconnect my refrigerator ! This property , like many B&Bs, has no full time desk. At check-in time you have to tel. the clerk, who was off- property ; this was a challenge without a local Sim card. He responded kindly and assisted with my luggage -- up the mountain of steps . I cannot recommend this hotel.