Bed and Breakfast Ai Cartari - Palermo

This was, quite simply, the best B&B I have ever stayed in. I stayed in both rooms and while the flat is preferable because it is quieter and more private both are extremely comfortable and tastefully furnished. I was warmly welcomed on both occasions and even had a delicious apple crumble served for my breakfast. Thank you very much Loria- I will be back.

We had a very large suite between two quiet courtyards, in a great location in old Palermo. Our host was friendly and helpful, and the other guests we met at breakfast were Italian, and interesting. We were not pleased with the air conditioning, which shuts off centrally if the outside temperature goes below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit, which to us is still pretty warm). We thus needed to sleep with the windows open, which kept the room cool, but brought in some mosquitoes, and occasionally, the noise of a barking dog (when the windows and curtains were closed, the room was extremely quiet).

The B&B Ai Cartari is a renovated 15th Century building and its magnificent interior is a complete contrast to its exterior surroundings. It is conveniently placed for trains and old city, and the nearby restaurant/cafe is to be recommended. Rosi the owner was very friendly and helpful.

We stayed in Ai Cartari for 2 nights in Oct 2012. we found it an extremely comfortable place to stay, and in an excellent central location. THe owner Rosi was very friendly and provided a delicious breakfast with homemade cake and strong coffee each morning.

Pre-Columbus building. It use to be a paper mill during the Renaissance. Very well kept and the owner takes great care to maintain. There is not one bad aspect, great location, local food outdoor food market with great cafes and local fare.Breakfast is a fresh, abundant and well presented. The owner is a great host and made our stay comfortable. She was helpful and pointing us in the right direction to get a few items we needed and she follwed up to see if we had located everything we needed. She also called the car rental to fix a small issue we were having. Great experience. Great stay.

This is an impressive B&B, like staying in an old palazzo amazingly restored and wonderfully run - more spacious than anything we have seen before - we had the ground floor bedroom with our own entrance, it was nice and cool. The area is very well situated, close to the Vucciria and the sea front. Rosi had cooked a wonderful torta for breakfast, we only wished we stayed longer...but we'll be back!

Beautiful B&B with super service and excellent breakfast! The rooms were spacious and nicely decorated. Our 3 kids enjoyed it very much, and so did the parents. It was easy to accces the main sights in Palermo and there were good bars and trattorias in the area.

This B&B would be a big draw in returning to Palermo. The rooms were spacious, clean and very quiet. The owner, Rosi, was welcoming and very helpful as well as a great baker (the typical Sicilian sweet breakfast was well done here). She even negotiated the taxi price for us to get to the airport when we left. Excellent, central location. We walked to all the major sites. Would highly recommend and we will hope to return.

Both Rosi and her son were so very kind and helpful. I can't say enough good things about our stay there. It was EVERYTHING I thought it would be, and more. We were treated like their personal guests, gave us excellent recommendations as to neighborhood restaurants, communicated via email before our trip to clarify directions -- even asking for our phone number. Such personal attention! I really felt welcomed in their home. We definitely want to visit them and Palermo again.

Ai Cartari is a beautiful residence. The room we stayed in was huge and had beautiful antiques, tall ceilings, and a lot of class. It was a bit dark, as it was on the first floor. Although initially it was a bit cold, heat was turned up at our request. Senora Rossi was accommodating and delightful, and her english is quite good. The bed was very comfortable, and the breakfast was one of the freshest I had while in Sicily, but still basically consisted of sweets (the first morning whipped cream cake covered in wild stawberries-yum!), coffee, and fresh fruit. The location was a little difficult to find, there is no sign for the main entrance. Palermo is dirty with trash and animal excrement, especially on side streets like the one where this B&B is located, but the B&B was impeccably clean inside. Location is great for seeing the sights of the city, very central. If I ever went back to Palermo, I would definitely stay there again.

Only comment was no proper working airconditioner but is such an old property walls are so thick that is not so bad. Warm welcoming from owner was the best point ! Best choice for dirty and corrupted Palermo ! Our stay was great just for the accomodation with nice woman top breakfast and great rooms 2x with 2 bathrooms in a tipycal sicilian style.

This is a wonderful B&B. We were welcomed and made to feel like friends. The apartment was beautiful, well appointed and comfortable. It gives out onto an enclosed courtyard so is very quiet. It's easy to get around Palermo and you are within easy walking distance of many local sites and attractions including two beautiful museums and the Botanical Gardens. It's handy for the railway and bus stations which is also where the airport bus stops. There are plenty of restaurants nearby and the neighbourhood, although it can get quite scruffy, is lively and unthreatening. We hope to stay here next time we are in Palermo.

The place is very nice but in winter is very cold and there'snt heating enough.

It is very very difficult to find this place. There is no parking space, the street is very narrow, you have to jump out of the car to drop the luggage (someone has to stay with it) and start praying that you find a parking place somewhere near. Breakfast is not served in this place. You are given a voucher for breakfast in a nearby bar. This breakfast was minimal and if you wanted a juice you had to pay extra!!

The owner/host, Rosalia, was absolutely lovely, and we were very well located in the old town. Breakfast is minimal, but we grew to love the very popular "cafe" where our pastry and coffee were provided each morning (a short walk from our room)....great people watching at most times of the day.

Overall very satisfied with the accommodation although breakfast was very poor. Centrally located, clean and friendly willing to please hostess.

Le camere sono bellissime. Mi sono divertito molto il mio soggiorno. Joseph LaRose Kent, Ohio U.S.A.

B & B is in an excellent location for the ancient part of town. No car parking available on site. Cost 10 euros per night in a garage 5 minutes walk away. Room was huge, but only had a lockable gate and heavy curtain for privacy. Separate entrance for independence. Breakfast was provided at a nearby bar, except on Tuesday when the owner provided breakfast, which was much nicer. No soap, tissues or hairdryer provided. Bar fridge in room, but nothing to drink out of. Bed made and towels changed daily.

Super friendly, super helpful, super value, super place!

Great place, Lory is very kind and the pplace is really amazing...

Lovely welcome, like meeting a friend. Very private, great to really get away. Beautifully decorated furnishings. Incredibly spacious.

This place was so much more than we have expected. The family welcomed us with open arms and took us through their beautiful home into our room. The room was unbelieveable, it was gourgeous. I would highly recomend this place to anyone. It is a great experience and you will meet one of the nicest family in Sicily.

It was a wonderful time in Ai Caitari. I have spent a lot of time by travelling and staying in European Hotels but Ai Caitari wasn´t like the other hotels, it was very cosy and the surroundings of the hotel was beautiful. It was the best BaB I have ever seen.

one of the best B&B´s I have stayed in in Europe,also superior to many hotels. It has style and charme, is central and the landlady and her family charming. No other place for me in Palermo! thorouhly recommended. And I am a travel journalist who travels and sees a lot.

An absolutely stunning place, right in the heart of Palermo yet so quiet! Our hosts were very welcoming and friendly, and the apartment was beautiful. You have your own separate access door, and the San Francesco bakery is just around the corner. There's also a fantastic wine bar opposite the bakery which does the most perfect antipasto with perfectly matured cheeses. We really couldn't fault the Ai Cartari, and look forward to going back some day.

Very well located in the old town, very nice familly atmosphere, a lot of space in the room. Allows to feel Palermo from inside.

Wow, what a place. Frankly, no hotel room we have ever had matches the bedroom/living room suite at Ai Cartari, with it's brick-vaulted ceilings and fine antiques. But it was the family who own it that really made our stay something special. We will always remember their hospitality. Once again, we extend our gratitude to them. They were troppo gentile.

In heart of old city.

This was the best place we stayed at in our travels all around Sicily. Own entrance, huge space, beautifully decorated, very central, reasonably priced. Local area (old centre) in the process of being restored and improved.