Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Sicily Holidays - Hotels in Palermo

Sicily is an island which lies in the Mediterranean. It belongs to Italy, but is one of its autonomous regions, with a regional constitution and some specific rights, like the right to keep 100% of all taxes! Island of Sicily is also one of the main holiday spots in Italy, every year been visited by many tourists seeking to enjoy beach vacations and cultural getaways alike. This part of Italy offers in the same time extraordinary beautiful beaches, crystal-clear and warm waters, great accommodation in hotels, luxury resorts, and rental properties like villas and apartments, but also a significant historical heritage and numerous archaeological remains. Most hotels in Sicily are settled close to the beaches, in exquisite resorts or residential areas with luxurious villas, and feature great amenities and friendly staffs.

Having an area of 25,708 squad kilometers, in Sicily are many things to see and to do and a large number of interesting places where can be spent great holidays. Some of the most visited vacation spots in Sicily are Palermo (the capital city), Agrigento (with Pelagian Islands), Catania, Cefalu, Messina (with Aeolian Islands), Siracusa, Taormina, Trapani (with Aegadian Islands and Isle of Pantelleria), and Mount Etna, a 3,320 meters (10,900 feet) high volcano, which is perhaps the most renowned tourist attraction of Sicily. Palermo is attracting due to the very rich historical remains, great accommodation in luxurious villas, hotels, and resorts, but also due to the short distance to the island of Ustica, where can be practiced many water sports like scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting, sailing, fishing, and others. An important role in drawing there many vacationers plays the wide range of excellent lodging amenities. Hotels in Palermo belong to the best accommodation units of the island, so most of them are occupied up to the last room during the peak season! There are many luxury 4 & 5 star resorts like Hotel Villa Igiea Hilton, Grand Hotel et des Palmes, Hotel Excelsior Palace, Hotel NH Jolly Palermo, Hotel Mondello Palace, Quality Hotel President Palermo, Hotel Vecchio Borgo, Hotel Torres Artale Relais, Hotel Politeama, but also a large number of good 3 star hotels such as Hotel Villa Esperia, Hotel Tonnara di Trabia, Hotel Azzolini, Torre Artale Hotel and Villas, Hotel Gallery House, Hotel Palm Beach, Hotel Villa d'Amato, Hotel Athenaeum Palermo, so everybody can find housing without to exceed the vacation budget.

Beside the beaches from nearby and water sports practicing, holiday makers can enjoy the cultural and architectural beauties that this city has to offer. Some of the main tourist attractions in Palermo are the old churches (The Cathedral of Palermo, San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi, San Giovanni degli Eremiti, or Santa Maria dell'Ammiragliato), museums (most of them housed by palaces like Palazzo dei Normanni, Palazzo Chiaramonte, and Palazzo Abatellis, but also the modern museum Museo Archeologico Regionale), the opera house (Teatro Massimo) built in 1897, and places like Orto botanico di Palermo (a botanical garden), the Capuchin Catacombs, and Vucciria, which is a colorful fruit, vegetable and fish market. By the way, Sicilian food is very tasty and in restaurants from Palermo can be enjoyed some traditional dishes containing fresh seafood, pastries, or local cheeses, all sprinkled with the also famous Sicilian wines.

Holidays in Sicily come to the end very fast and most tourists who stay in the capital city have not enough time to take trips to other vacation spots of Sicily like Cefalu, Trapani, Agrigento or Taormina. For this reason many of them are already planing their next holiday on this island even before to leave the comfortable hotels in Palermo!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sicily must be a really great city! I´m sure that´ll be my next destination!
Last month I rented a furnished apartment in Palermo, Buenos Aires, near the down town and had a great experience!
Cheers!