With its monumental history and culture, dramatic changing landscapes, fine cuisine and near perfect year round climate Sicily might just steal your heart.

Sicilian Properties

All our properties are personally chosen. Our strong relationship with our proprietors means a warm personal welcome. However, they are used to holiday visitors and understand your need for privacy.

We choose properties with individual character, often difficult to categorise, but we have used British criteria to indicate the comfort of the interiors and terrace. National custom often prevails in detail and may not be what you are used to. In our simpler properties pride of place may be given to a dining table, and comfortable indoor chairs are not a priority in line with a Mediterranean outdoor lifestyle. Floors are usually not carpeted.

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Standard Facilities

Our properties are self-contained and they all have a sink, fridge, crockery & cutlery, glassware and cooking equipment, bath or shower room and wc. All properties now have kettles but cultural differences can show in the absence of items such as teapots or eggcups. We only offer properties with somewhere to sit and eat outside-terrace, balcony or garden area or all three.

Our properties are denoted thus:

S: Smaller properties furnished with an emphasis on a holiday spent outdoors. They meet our general standards but will have restricted soft furniture and limited personal touches. Some have traditional furniture, others are furnished in a more modern style.

C: Larger and/or more comfortable, generally with soft furniture in the living room, more personal touches and/or better-fitted kitchens. Washing machines and/or dishwashers are frequent.

VC: Furnished as permanent or second homes, with many personal touches throughout. Most have full living room furniture, a fully equipped kitchen, well-furnished terrace(s) and garden.

Numbers in Properties

The 'up to' figure is the maximum number of people who will be allowed in a particular property. We do indicate where a property can accommodate one or more extra children, (up to the age of 16) with plus (+) places; these children are usually accommodated on a sofa bed or bunk bed. For insurance purposes only those named on the booking form are permitted to stay in the property.

Room Descriptions

Living room - a room with well defined sitting area.

Living-dining room - a room with a sitting area but with pride of place given to the dining table.

Kitchen-dining room - a room with a kitchen and dining area.

Kitchen corner, area, alcove - the kitchen facilities are open-plan to the living and dining areas.

Studio - accommodation with only one main living/bedroom, although the kitchen area may be separate.

Fully equipped kitchen - Kitchen with full oven and fridge as minimum. Where there are extras such as a microwave in addition to the oven we will say: fully equipped kitchen (oven, hob, fridge/freezer, microwave).

Bathroom or shower room - A bathroom will usually have a bath and a shower room will usually only have a shower. Bathrooms with baths will usually have a shower also, fully fitted or hand-held. Both will usually include a W.C unless we state otherwise.

Terrace or balcony - All properties have somewhere to sit and relax outside with dining furniture.

Beds - we may describe as 'double' those beds which have twin mattresses but double bedding and a double frame-this is common practice throughout Italy. Singles and twins are shown. 'Sofa beds' may be divans used as sofas by day, or convertible sofas. Sliding beds are pairs of divans, one sliding under the other.

Linen

Bed linen and kitchen and bath towels are provided. Please take your own towels for the beach or pool. A weekly change of linen is provided by your proprietor. In most properties you can expect beds to be made up on arrival, but not absolutely everywhere.

Toddlers

Where we suggest a property as suitable for toddlers, either in the brochure or in a conversation, we do not imply that children can or should be left unsupervised.

Cots

These are available free of charge at all properties subject to availability. If you need a cot, please discuss this with us when you book. You should always take your own cot linen with you. Cots may not be as sturdy as is usual in Britain.

High-chairs

Are not as commonly used on the continent as here. We will do our best to provide them but there may be a charge.

Telephones

Few of our properties have telephones. Please confirm this when you book, and also if usage is restricted-usually to outgoing local and emergency calls-or if your damage deposit will also cover a telephone deposit. If you intend to use your mobile phone abroad, please ensure that it is registered for international use.

TV

Where TV's are available, even if satellite, they are not likely to provide programmes in English.

Cleaning

All our properties are thoroughly checked and cleaned before you arrive to ensure that all is ready. On your departure day, to ease the burden on the cleaners, we would kindly ask that you: Strip beds; clear all perishable food from the fridge and cupboards and throw it away; dispose of all rubbish away from the property; leave all kitchen crockery and cutlery thoroughly washed up and put away; wipe down all surfaces and cookers; leave furniture and equipment in your accommodation arranged as found. Failure to carry out these basic tasks will mean additional hours for the cleaners, for which you will be charged. Because it is sometimes very difficult to get hold of cleaners at the last minute this charge can be as high as £20 per hour. Extra cleaning, cooks and baby-sitters May be available for certain properties. Please consult us at the time of booking.

Smoking

We feel it is now appropriate to ask you not to smoke at all inside any of our properties. If smokers then smoke in the garden or on the terrace please carefully collect all the remains and dispose of them tidily.

Access to Properties

Access to most properties is not normally until 4pm. Where this is problematic because of flights times, we will do our best to allow earlier access, but will not be in a position to confirm this until your arrival at the airport.

'Breakage, Damage & cleaning' deposit

We hold this against any breakage or damage not reimbursed directly to the proprietor, and any extra charges incurred for cleaning when you leave. It is payable with all bookings and ranges from £100-£1000, according to the property. It is sent as a separate cheque dated the last day of your holiday, or is added to your Credit Card authorisation (see booking form). The cheque is held until 2 weeks after your return, when (unless you specify otherwise) it is destroyed provided no deductions need to be made. This deposit will also be held against any telephone costs if applicable.

Garden & Outdoor Areas

These range from superb terraces and gardens to a simple terrace or balcony, with privacy varying, according to the property. The word "garden" does not imply that the whole area is cultivated or lawned. We describe the gardens as seen, but high season temperatures can affect their outlook. Where proprietors are close by, the garden may be tended at irregular intervals; please make allowances for their occasional presence. In the Mediterranean climate, water is used sparingly and watering may be forbidden in high season.

Dining furniture is provided in all properties; further outdoor furniture reflects the standard of the house. If no barbeque is mentioned in your property description, and you would like one, please enquire, as our owners can often add this item. Please note, however, that due to strict fire regulations during the summer months, the use of barbeques in some parts of Sicily is not permitted.

Swimming Pools

Most of our properties in Sicily have pools. In a tiny minority of cases, there are salt (not sea) water swimming pools, which are deemed more ecological. In all properties with pools, there will be a regular arrangement for professional maintenance, but please remember that you will effectively be in charge of a complicated piece of machinery. You may also need to exercise restraint over, for example, the use of sun creams to make sure that nothing goes wrong with the filter/machinery, and consider the safety aspect if you are taking young children. All measurements are given in good faith and should not be relied upon. All due care should be taken when swimming, and children should always be accompanied. Please note that shared pools, such as those on residences, may have a 'quiet time' during the afternoon siesta.

Water

Please note that in most of the Mediterranean water is in short supply; please use it sparingly. In Sicily, high demand in the peak summer months can mean water is sometimes temporarily cut off to conserve supplies. If water for showers comes from one tank, it may be necessary to leave time between showers.

We recommend that you follow the lead of the Italians, and drink bottled rather than tap water.

Electricity

In Sicily, the infrastructure is not as advanced as at home, and you may find supply to be less powerful and at times intermittent. The system is unlikely to be able to cope with several electrical appliances in operation at the same time and it is not unusual to experience power cuts although these usually only last for an hour or two.

Countryside & Animals

A major attraction of many of our properties is the unspoilt countryside nearby. This means that country life will be on your doorstep and that you may occasionally be visited by small field animals and insects. In a few of our properties the owners' dogs or cats may also be part of the scene, or neighbours may have dogs.

Local Colour

Everyone dreams of the perfect holiday, and for our part we work extremely hard to make sure that it comes as near to this as possible. The countryside location of many of our properties means that there may be farming activities going on nearby, and in autumn, the hunting season can mean the presence of hounds.

August is the national holiday month in Italy and many others will also be in search of paradise. Services in smaller villages and resorts may become strained and traffic and noise levels may rise. Conversely, many facilities may not be open out of season. The pace of life in the Mediterranean is undeniably different to that in the UK. You may find that, for example, shops and offices generally open early and then close for a long 'siesta' from around 1pm to 5pm Restaurants and bars open later and remain open later than in the UK. Please do not expect the locals to speak English; we recommend that you take a phrase book. The weather in all our destinations, as anywhere, can sometimes be unpredictable. And please recognise and understand any incursions of 'local colour', and enjoy your taste of the lifestyle that lies behind them.