Page 201 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sicily

WHERE T O ST A Y  199

The Grand Hotel Villa Igiea with its beautiful garden, Palermo (see p202)
Hostels and Refuges
package deals. Accommodation upon. If you want to stay on
may vary according to require­ private property you must ask There are no official Italian
ments, from rooms in a the owner’s permission. Youth Hostel Federation
residence to small apartments In general, campsites are clean youth hostels in Sicily, but
with an outside terrace. and well­managed. Besides an there are a few privately run
Each village offers a range of area for tents and/or caravans backpacker hostels (charging
recreation and sports facilities. (trailers), most sites also provide roughly €18 per night for a
Besides one or more swimming bungalows with private bath­ dormitory bed). However you
pools, villages usually offer rooms and kitchens. Facilities will often find that a private
tennis courts and windsurfing, often include grocery shops, apartment or B&B is just as
diving or sailing lessons. Some pizzerias, laundries and cheap, if not cheaper. Websites
even provide baby­sitting. organized sports facilities. such as couchsurfing.com
There are some villages that For longer stays, book ahead and Airbnb are the best sources
offer all­inclusive holidays where of time, and in high season, of information.
the price even includes drinks phone in advance even for a There are also several
at the bar. Charges in tourist one­ or two­night stop. If you mountain refuges in Sicily.
villages are always calculated are touring, start to look for a Most of them are found on
on a weekly basis. Alternatively, site by early afternoon. Most Mount Etna, but the Club
you may choose to book campsites are open from Easter Alpino Italiano has two such
accomodation, then select and to October. The main ones are refuges on the Madonie and
pay for any further recreation listed on page 201. Nebrodi mountains.
and sports facilities as you go
along. For full details make
enquiries at a travel agency,
or contact the major tour
operators who manage these
villages (see p201).

Camping
Spending your holiday on a
camping site is a good way of
keeping costs down. Almost
all the sites in Sicily are on the
coast, with direct access to a
beach. In the interior there are
only a few sites on the slopes
of Mount Etna, well situated
for excursions. Camping
outside official sites is pro­
hibited, with camping on
beaches especially frowned Comfortable room with modest furnishings at San Domenico in Erice (see p202)

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