Sicily Holidays: Hotels in Palermo

Island of Sicily lies in the Mediterranean Sea and is its largest islands. Even if Sicily belongs to Italy, it is an autonomous region with a regional constitution and some special rights, from which perhaps the most important is the right to keep 100% of all taxes! The island is also one of the main vacation spots in Italy and even in Europe, each year been visited by very many tourists seeking to spend beach holidays and cultural trips alike. This travel destination offers in the same time extraordinary beautiful beaches, crystal-clear and warm waters of Mediterranean Sea, excellent accommodation in hotels, luxury resorts, and rental properties like villas and apartments, but also a very rich historical heritage and a multitude of archaeological remains belonging to all cultures that have been prevalent once in this part of Italy. Most hotels in Sicily are built close to the beaches, in exquisite resorts or residential areas with luxurious villas, and feature great amenities and a friendly staff which is generally high skilled and helpful, even if sometimes the Italians apply solidly the "dolce vita" life concept!

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, 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 the 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!