Best hotels in Palermo | CN Traveller

It’s hard to believe it when entering the lobby today, but when it was first built to be the residence of a wealthy English family, what would then become the Grand Hotel et Des Palmes was a much smaller, lavish house outside of the city, surrounded by flourishing gardens and offering a distant view of the sea. In 1874, a local entrepreneur transformed it into a hotel. Although the people at the helm have changed over the years, the building has remained a gathering place for affluent foreigners visiting the city. Like many of the elegant buildings in Palermo, the hotel was also renovated by Ernesto Basile, and many of his Art Nouveau touches have been restored and are still present today.

The hotel is home to 105 rooms and suites with a sleek and modern design, but its crown jewel is the Richard Wagner Signature Suite, the only room that has retained its historical form and still features 19th-century stuccoes, as well as the piano that the composer received as a gift from his father-in-law, Franz Liszt, and is said to have used to compose his opera Parsifal in that exact room. If staying in this piece of history is out of budget, you can request a tour from the team, and they will be happy to share all the secrets that these walls hold.

Locanda Santamarina Dimora di Charme

If, when travelling, you like to stay in the centre of the action, you can’t get a better location than Locanda Santamarina Dimora di Charme, which is only steps away from Palermo’s cathedral and the main shopping streets, meaning you won’t ever need to venture far during your visit. The rooms and suites all feature a modern look and a calming colour palette of earthy tones, including the penthouse suite, which can accommodate up to four people. Don’t be fooled by the rooms’ sleek look; the property is far from being a modern cookie-cutter hotel. The historical building underwent a large-scale renovation that included eight months of archaeological excavations and restoration, supervised by the Italian Ministry of Culture, resulting in the charming hotel of today.

The spa is small but mighty and was created in what used to be a World War II air-raid shelter. The facilities include a Turkish bath, a Finnish sauna, a Roman sauna, a thermal pool, and a Himalayan salt room, as well as a fully equipped gym for those looking to maintain their fitness regimen. For the guests enjoying a romantic getaway, there is also a space dedicated to couples, featuring a jacuzzi, sauna, and treatment beds.