We're going to Palermo next week and have a reservation at Villa Igiea. It is no longer part of the Summit Hotels website! Has anyone stayed in the last few months? Is it too far out of town to wander easily in the town center? Is it a taxi ride or bus? Also what is the best way to get there from the airport? Thanks

Villa Igiea is NOT convenient for walking to and from the Palermo city centre. In fact, you would not want to walk, particularly after dusk. Indeed, many people avoid this hotel for this very reason (although the hotel itself is magnificent, probably the best in town). It takes about 10 minutes by taxi to reach the center. The buses are very infrequent. The hotel may possibly have a courtesy shuttle to Piazza Castelnuovo (Teatro Politeama). From the airport, most people take a taxi. To save a few Euros, you could take the airporter bus, get off at Piazza Castelnuovo, and take a taxi from there. Enjoy your stay. It's a very good choice, except for the logistics.

Hi,
I stayed here last year at New Years. Very nice hotel with interesting architecture. I thought it was beautiful, but...
The neighborhood is out of the way and you'll have to take a taxi to go most places. We had a rental car and had a good time going around. They drive slower in Palermo. It's up to you if you want to taxi it or rent a car, but I'd rent a car again. The driving isn't so bad.
Ciao, Melissa

Thanks. I'll stick with it and plan on a taxi.

I love the Villa Igea and never had a problem walking around its decidedly working class neighborhood even at dusk. However, I would not stay there at this time of the year because of its distance from the center of town but because it is more or less a "resort type" of hotel and better enjoyed when the temperatures are up. Moreover, if this is your first trip to Palermo you'll like the convenience of staying in a hotel in the center where you can hoof around easily. Save the taxi for your ride to the airport.

Sicula, I have reservations at the Letizia for next month. Any comments on the hotel or its location? Unable to find much on it other than what I found was positive enough for me to book there. Safe enough area for a solo female traveler?

Holly: it's fine to stay at the Letizia, but you do need to be a bit careful at night. It is located in a very atmospheric (poor) part of the old town, near Piazza Marina (great location for sightseeing), but you should avoid the alleyways and side streets after dusk, and stick to the main throughways (Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Roma, etc.) If this makes you uncomfortable, there are several other good choices closer to the Central Post Office on Via Roma.

That's kind've what I thought, so thanks for the reassurance, GAC. I'll probably be sound asleep by nightfall, so not a problem.

Holly:
I took a little look-see tour of the Letizia last March. Some rooms were available and other were being renovated. Although it seemed a decent enough place, I chose not to stay there mostly because there was no elevator. Not that I'm lazy or anything...just didn't want to have to depend on someone to be called up from who knows where to lug my heavy suitcases up and down 2-3 flights of stairs. You see, it is a very informally structured hotel and it doesn't have much of desk lobby that I could tell anyway, in fact it's more like an apartment house than a hotel. As for safety, once you get there you will see that GAC's advice is excellent. Keep to the beaten well lit paths of the throughfares. Have a great time, and do try the " fritedda";
a seasonal dish made up fresh fave, artichokes and baby peas...a palermitan spring time speciality. Yum!

Oh, now you're making me hungry already!

One more Q - is the Letizia far enough from the train station (where I presume the airport bus drops off) to warrant a taxi to the hotel? I don't mind walking a few blocks and don't have much luggage, but am not familiar with the city and wondering if taxi would be best? Is it more than, say, a mile away?

Cutting across the narrow streets of La Kalsa, it's 1000 metres. Going up Via Roma and turning right on Corso Vittorio Emanuele will add at least 400 metres. So, it's 10-16 minutes on foot.