I am planning a trip to Sicily and am having a hard time finding a nice private beachfront hotel or villa near or in Palermo. We are willing to stay a small distance from Palermo as long as scooters will be adequate for the drive into the city. Is there such an place?

The Grand Hotel Villa Igiea is on the water and has a lovely view of Palermo. It is just north of the city and you could take scooters into town. The "beach" is really boulders in the bay but it has a very nice pool. You may also want to look at the hotels on Mondello beach. It is a bit farther but you could still get to Palermo on scooters or public transportation.

Thank you so much - I have seen that hotel mentioned before. Sounds like our best bet!!

As a much cheaper alternative, also check out the San Paolo Palace, which is by the waterfront on the southern edges of town. It is a "Holiday Inn" type highrise with good sea views from the upper floors. The hotel also operates a shuttle bus to and from the Central Rail Station. The Villa Igea, however, is much more elegant and refined.

That is good to know - thanks for the input - another question I do have is can reach Sicily by flying into Rome, via train/boat? The cost difference is $400 if we fly into Rome. Not having been to Europe I wasn't sure if that was an option.

If you are connecting to Palermo at the Rome Airport, I strongly suggest flying. You can also look at the cost of one-way domestic tickets on Alitalia and Air One, the two principal carriers on this route. There are very attractive promotional rates from time to time.

www.alitalia.it
www.air-one.it

If you are staying overnight in Rome, the alternative to flying is to take the early morning Intercity Train "Peloritano" which travels to Palermo in about 11 hrs. I recommend reserving seats in First Class. It's not a bad ride, though quite long.

www.trenitalia.com