On this page you'll find several reviews of the families that rented an on-Sicily holiday home. The holiday pictures on this page were all taken by these families.

Click on one of the following links if you'd like to read the reviews about a particular accommodation:

Casa Corona	Casa Geraci	Casa il carretto Siciliano
Casa nell'antico baglio	Casa Pianino	Casita DeLuca
La casa nel cortile	Villa Ponzini

Click on one of the following links to read the reviews of the families that rented a different kind of accommodation:

"Kaat (10) and Amber (7) about the trip: "What we remember of our trip to Sicily? The burning sun on the large cacti, playing in the sea, many small towns and certainly the dolls in a museum in Palermo... and finally, Martijn and Laura's sweet dog. Oh yes, and we also learned how to bake a pizza in Sicily and we learned how to snorkel. Actually, it was our best trip ever!"

 

on-Sicily - Information page Casa corona

"A comfortable house with all comforts. Two lovely terraces with great views of the sea and Balestrate's countryside. The sunrise and sunset provide the most beautiful images.

The hospitality, service and helpfulness of the friendly couple Martijn and Laura who live nearby are unprecedented.

According to us (family with teenagers and a son of 6 years) a holiday home not to miss."

on-Sicily - Information page Casa corona

"Buongiorno Laura e Martijn!

It took a while to write something for your guestbook, but we want to you to know that we had a wonderful holiday in Sicily!

We enjoyed the beautiful house and the street where we "lived"! The holiday home was cozy and homely furnished and we cooked in the kitchen more than we planned to. With all the delicious fresh vegetables and pasta, you will automatically become a kitchen expert!

The girls have had a great time playing on the stairs, together with our neighbor's granddaughters. Children make friends no matter what language they speak. Thanks to the neighbors, who could speak English and French, we felt at home and that was really special!

The town Castellammare del Golfo was very cozy, especially during the "Madonna" festivities with wonderful fireworks! We were one of the few foreign tourists. The atmosphere in the town was really not made for large amounts of tourists. That gave us the feeling that we were not on vacation but that we were living in another country!

With two small children (1 and 5 years old) we did not do much, but what we did was fun! We spent a day in Erice, where the temperature was very pleasant (about 27 degrees Celsius), then drove to San Vito lo Capo, which had a beautiful beach, but full of Italian tourists. Another day we spent in Parlermo, where we visited fun marketplaces and saw beautiful buildings. We did some shopping in Castellammare and Alcamo and drank delicious ice coffee.

We spent a lot of time on the beach. By recommendation of our neighbors, we found a beautiful quiet beach between Alcamo Marina and Balestrate. Because there was a small lido (Lido Greg) the beach was cleaned every day and it was wonderfully peaceful, with all conveniences, such as food, drinks, showers and toilets.

Overall a great holiday! Choosing a photo for your guest book was a difficult task, since our street was a very photogenic one, not to mention the rest of our trips (we made almost 1000 pictures!).

Thanks for all the tips and information and the real personal touch!

CIAO e GRAZIE

Evert, Miriam, Sterre and Roos"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"The stay was perfect. We have enjoyed our Italian neighbors. Nice way to experience living among the Italians. We strolled through the streets and drank cappuccino in the harbor and had delicious meals.

Highly recommended!"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"Bongiorno Laura en Martijn!

We returned safely to Holland, had a lovely holiday and also the boys really enjoyed themselves. At first it seemed the weather gods were not in a great mood, but in the end we were almost every day on the beach, we saw a lot of the area, visited nice little towns and really loved taking a stroll through the streets of "our own town".

The holiday home was perfect, unfortunately we didn't meet the neighbors, but well... there's always next time.

Now we're enjoying a cooling Dutch shower, not so bad after all the sunshine we've had, we should have some nice weather I Holland too, but well, if not, then we still have our tan!!

Thank you and maybe until next time!

Greetings Ed, Mees, Faas, and Claudia"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"We rented Casa Geraci for two weeks and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Laura and Martijn welcomed us and showed us the house. They gave us information about the environment and the Sicilian cuisine. The house is beautifully restored. There is a kitchen and living room and under the stairs you will find a washing machine. On the first floor is the beautiful first bedroom with bathroom and balcony. We slept on the second floor, where we had access to a terrace overlooking the sea and the harbor of Castellammare.

In the morning we had breakfast and we had a nice chat with the friendly neighbors. Bars, shops, restaurants and the harbor are all within walking distance. From the town we made several day trips and we've seen many wonderful places, like Erice and Segesta.

The service provided by on-Sicily was also excellent. So we had a fantastic holiday!"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"Dear Laura and Martijn,

You've arranged the start to our holiday in Sicily in an excellent way. At our arrival at the airport in Trapani, a chauffeur was waiting for us and drove us to Balestrate's town center. There you were to accompany us to our first holiday accommodation in Sicily, a beautiful house in Castellammare del Golfo. You informed us elaborately about the places of interest in the area and told us lots of interesting thing s about Sicily and its customs.

It is nice to know that there are people available, who you can always call should problems occur or for some advice and who speak your language. At the end of our holiday this came in very handy when we were searching for a location where we could spend the last 2 days on the island. Laura brought us to a beautiful agriturismo in Balestrate. What a great service! Also thanks to the service we got, we can look back on a fantastic holiday in Sicily.

After our start in Castellammare del Golfo we have visited Segesta and Erice, went on to Palermo, Celafu (beautiful!), Taormina, Mount Etna (breathtaking) with small towns in the area, Siracusa, Noto, Agrigento and then back to Balestrate. We enjoyed the nature, the culture, the authentic atmosphere, lovely little towns and the friendly and helpful people of Sicily.

For our next visit (we haven't yet seen all of the island) we will definitively call you to plan another lovely holiday.

Greetings,

Bertus van 't Holt and Jolanda Krabbendam"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"Sicily in May is really beautiful! A green island with lots of flowers and not very crowded. To us the nature reserve lo Zingaro was the highlight of our holiday; it is like walking in a botanic garden with several bays with crystal clear water and quiet beaches where you can have a swim.

The places of interest are very beautiful and special. They can be easily reached by car and everywhere the landscape is beautiful. Castellammare del Golfo doesn't seem that special at first, but after a few days we really liked it. It has a nice and lively harbor with good restaurants, all within walking distance. Sandy beach is also nearby.

Castellammare is an excellent starting point for daytrips in the area.
The holiday home is tastefully renovated. Great starting point for trips, which we made frequently due to the lack of a garden (there is a balcony though).

We really enjoyed ourselves during this holiday because there is so much to do and to see and because we were able to really relax. The reception and further service from Laura and Martijn was super.

Greetings, Martin, Corine, Hilde and Fien."

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"Dear Laura and Martijn,

We've had a lovely holiday! Casa il carreto Siciliano is as beautiful as shown on the photos: the holiday home is nicely renovated, it was clean and cozy and it was big enough for the four of us (great having two showers!) On the terrace we've enjoyed the Sicilian sun.

The town center is really nearby. We bought fresh fruit and vegetable at Frutta en Vini and at a bar we ate our first bun with ice-cream (delicious!).

Jasper and Lotte really liked the ceramics workshop and are proud of the plates they painted themselves (luckily the plates arrived in one piece in Holland).

Thank you for everything and who knows, until next time!

Greetings from Amsterdam,

Linda, Mark, Jasper and Lotte"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa il carretto Siciliano

"Our stay in casa Il carretto Siciliano this summer was very memorable. What a cozy house, decorated in Sicilian style and with a lovely terrace. Immediately we felt at home. It was great being in the heart of Balestrate, in a small street where the old folks were sitting in front of their house chatting with each other. So we could really enjoy the Sicilian way of life: every morning we heard the greengrocer singing, we had breakfast at the bakery around the corner and in the evening we too were making a passeggiata and of course we ate very good pesce spada, spaghetti alle vongole and zuppa di cozze in our favorite restaurant. And all that within 100 meters from the sea - which we could see from our terrace - and with the beautiful and large sandy beach (just outside of Balestrate).

Balestrate is a not overly touristic coastal town. Only in the weekends and with the holidays it can be a little bit more crowded in the summer when lots of people from Palermo come to enjoy the sandy beaches. We like the fact that Palermo is nearby, about half an hour by car. Thanks to the excellent information from Martijn en Laura, both on their website as given to us on arrival, it is easy to find your way in the big city and you won't have to search long for a parking space, a place of interest or a good restaurant.

Besides Palermo, Monreale, Erice, Trapani, Segesta, Scopello and the nature reserve Zingaro are also easily reachable, just like the beautiful beaches in Castellammare del Golfo and San Vito lo Capo. We also loved the landscape, the beautiful coastline and the mountains and hills.

Last but not least our compliments for Laura en Martijn, who make sure everything runs smoothly and who organize fun things like the pizza workshop in the countryside. A really nice, fun (and educational) evening for children and parents, with delicious starters and Sicilian dolci, a local Nero d'Avola wine and of course the pizza we made ourselves. Laura also helped us on a more personal mission: a genealogic search for our Siciliaanse ancestors, who lived here in the area.

In short, we had a perfect holiday in la bella Sicilia!!!!

We advise everybody who wants to see more from Sicily than the standard things and who'd like to optimally enjoy the good life on this island, to choose on-Sicily. We already miss Sicily a lot...

Martijn e Laura, mille grazie e arriverderci!"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa il carretto Siciliano

"We really enjoyed our stay and we thank you for everything. The holiday home was nice and located in the middle of the town. You could find us every morning drinkning coffee in the town square, we visited the beaches of Castellammare and Balestrate, the Tonnara in Scopello, we rented a boat, we made a trip to the elegant Marsala (what a great area!) and we were in Palermo during the Santa Rosalia festivities - what an experience!

We frequently used the restaurant vouchers and enjoyed the food and the Sicilian hospitality.

Thanks again and we will definitively save your website in our 'favorites'!

Greetings,

Beverly and the family Schuil"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa il carretto Siciliano

"Dear Martijn and Laura,

We have had a great holiday in Sicily. The things we loved the most were your hospitality, helpfulness and the fact that you really feel that you want all of your guests to have a great holiday. Really unique!

The first week we stayed in the Baglio: a real Sicilian experience. Fresh vegetables from the garden, a genuine pizza (wood burning) oven, wine and a friendly Italian neighbor in a very authentic and spacious house (part of a traditional farmhouse), in the middle of the countryside but not far from the sea.

The second week we went to Castellammare del Golfo and stayed in Casa Geraci: a unique but totally different experience, in an old fisherman's village, surrounded by Italians. The holiday home is on the outskirts of the town center with restaurants, cafes and shops within walking distance.

In those two weeks we have enjoyed plenty of culture, great food and of course the beach! Highlights for us were: visiting Mount Etna, and some of its craters, the historic town of Erice (on the top of a mountain above Trapani), the visit to the historic park Selinunte (with remains of the town Selinous, founded in 500 BC) and our boat trip to Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo. The beautiful rocky coastline with its small beaches was really nice.

Again thanks for the many tips that we have received about authentic restaurants and several places of interest.

Peter, Cara, Sicilia and Juliette (9 and 6 years old)"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa nell'antico baglio

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Geraci

"This year we've been to Sicily for the first time and it was a fantastic experience! When we found on-Sicily.com, we fell in love with Casa nell'antico Baglio.

The Baglio is a fantastic location, immersed in green and with a small access road. The baglio has one entrance gate and a spacious courtyard. The house is nice: it has a beautiful fireplace, a kitchen and a spiral staircase to the bedrooms. On the terrace we've enjoyed the sunshine and read many books.

We made a couple of day trips, and visited Erice, where we had a great view and saw several islands.

We were particularly surprised by the nice welcome we had in Balestrate. Martijn and Laura gave us a lot of information about the region and we got a clear map of the town and indications to good restaurants.

We enjoyed our holiday a lot and will definitely return to this special location!

Greetings, Elise and Johan"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa nell'antico baglio

"Dear Martijn and Laura,

We have had a really pleasant and wonderful holiday in Sicily. We stayed for two weeks in Casa nell'antico baglio and it was wonderful. We really fell in love with the baglio. The holiday home is located just outside the town of Balestrateand we thought it was a lot bigger in real life than what we imagined by seeing the pictures on the website. Casa nell'antico baglio is spacious, clean and cozy and has a large terrace with both a sun and a shadow area, surrounded by olive and lemon trees.

From our neighbor, we received fresh vegetables from his garden and
even though we were only in two, we received vegetables for ten persons. What a sweet man!

On arrival we received (beside the delicious Sicilian sandwiches in your home) lots of information about restaurants, excursions and a map of Balestrate. We have used them many many times. With the map, supermarkets and bakeries and stores are easy to find and that saved so much time!

We made a lot of trips including to Erice (small village on a mountain with a beautiful view), we saw the salt museum and had a wine tasting in Marsala.

The tips about the restaurants (and the discount vouchers) were great. On one evening we went to Palermo with you and another Dutch couple where, after a drink on a terrace somewhere in the great city, we dined together in "Lubiè". A real Sicilian evening with a delicious fish menu, tasty Sicilian wine and funny stories from Laura and Martijn. Thanks again for this evening!

You also took us to a street festival in Castellammare del Golfo and we really had lots of fun.

We can go on for hours talking about Sicily and Martijn and Laura, but you should just book an accommodation, go to Sicily and see everything for yourself!

Martijn and Laura, thanks again for the nice Sicilian evenings, we will not forget them.

Love, Dave and Wijnanda Sterk"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa nell'antico baglio

"After our holiday in 2008 in Casita DeLuca, we fell in love with Sicily, also thanks to the Martijn and Laura's hospitality and service. After Casita de Luca we gave Casa nell'antico baglio a try, a great experience, lovely renovated, very quiet, comfortable and all kinds of fruit we could pick from the trees in the garden.

The area is great, close to Palermo with all its places of interest, Segesta (we liked this the most), and all the many good restaurants (some of which were recommended by Martijn and Laura).

Agriturismo Tarantola and La Batìa perfectly fitted the picture we already had from Sicily: quiet, kind-hearted, friendly people and places of interest.

No doubt we will return to Sicily for another holiday in one of Martijn and Laura's accommodations.

Peter and Helen
May 2010"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa nell'antico baglio

"Dear Laura and Martijn

We've had a great holiday: we visited lots of things, went for several walks, enjoyed the food and could completely relax!

Casa Pianino is very spacious and has lots of room outside where we could sit with the four of us and where Ewoud and Floris could play together. They are still very proud of the pizza diploma they received from the pizza baker!

Next year we'll go to Umbria, but maybe we will come back one day.
Greetings from all of us,

Bernard, Eveline, Ewoud en Floris"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Pianino

"Although we had already visited great parts of Italy, Sicily was still unknown to us. Finally in 2010 it was Sicily's turn and via the on-Sicily website we booked a holiday home. Laura and Martijn have holiday homes in a lovely part of Sicilia and we highly recommend Casa Pianino.

The trip to Sicily by car was no problem and it led us first to the east coast of the island where we stayed the first couple of days. Besides Mount Etna, Siracusa and Noto (delicious ice cream!) are really worth a visit.

After the warm welcome by Laura and Martijn we went to Casa Pianino which was the holiday home we were hoping for. It is beautifully located in the countryside, quiet and with a roof terrace that has a great view of the surrounding area and the sea in the distance. The house offers all comforts. The holiday home is spacious with a good kitchen where we frequently cooked Italian meals. Ingredients for a good meal are easily found in Balestrate. When you're there, say hi to greengrocer Ignazio and his wife (they also sell great olive oil). Besides this, in Balestrate, like in so many places in Italy and in Sicily, you can eat well in one of the local restaurants. Recommended! The Sicilian cuisine is very good!

The holiday home has several terraces and a rooftop terrace which is a great place to sit and eat or to have a drink. We also used the barbecue in the outdoor kitchen. We still think about the outdoor shower at the back of the house where you could take a shower while looking at the lemon trees...

To us Balestrate's beach was the most beautiful beach we saw in Sicily, we really enjoyed it. Even though it was July, it wasn't very crowded. There's so much to see and to do on the island that we didn't have enough time to do it all. Mount Etna (really worth it, although it is quite a long trip), Monreale, Palermo, Selinunte, Segesta, Scopello, riserva dello Zingaro and the coast between Marsala and Trapani are certainly worth a visit.

On our way back we took the ferry from Trapani to Civitavecchia. It was perfect and a nice experience. Now that where home and we still have great memories of this holiday. Arrivederci Sicilia, ci vediamo un'altra volta!

Laura and Martijn, grazie molto di tutto e buon successo!

Frank, Pauline, Jos, Bas and Pim"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Pianino

"Hi Laura and Martijn,

Here's our entry for your guestbook. We look back at a great holiday on your lovely island that also stole our heart...

The holiday home was perfect and it was only a couple of minutes by car to the beach and the town center, where in the morning we bought freshly baked bread at the bakery. Balestrate is a nice coastal town and in the evening it is very cozy. We frequently went for a drink and a bite on the town square near the church, where several nights we could enjoy music and dance.

The people were very friendly and were very happy every time we tried to speak Italian.

We saw beautiful things, like the nature reserve near Scopello and the islands of Favignana and Levanzo.

In short, we really enjoyed ourselves!

Frank, Sophie and the kids"

on-Sicily - Information page Casa Pianino

"When we booked the flight to Trapani, we still had to find a holiday home in Sicily, so we started searching the internet. After having seen many homes (most were rejected because they were too small), we arrived at on-Sicily.com and found the phone number. We chose Casita DeLuca and after several phone calls and e-mails we booked ourselves a holiday home.

Arriving at the Casita we were received by Martijn and Laura with fresh coffee and a delicious coffee roll. Our (first) experience in Italy was an excellent one, the temperatures could have been a little bit higher, but what do you expect in early March! Martijn's excellent tips about restaurants, attractions and other useful things to know, have certainly contributed to a lovely holiday, but what surprised us was the beautiful nature. The archeological sites are fascinating, and the Sicilian cuisine was also a wonderful part of the holiday, especially in restaurant La Batia in Alcamo. In short, Sicily is worth another visit!"

on-Sicily - Information page Casita DeLuca

"Robbie had found on-Sicily.com with Google and when visiting the website we were sold and booked the same week. The holiday home, Casita DeLuca is as beautiful in reality as it is on the website.... 'and we fell in love' with Sicily!

When we arrived at Trapani a chauffeur picked us up and brought us to Balestrate, where we were welcomed by Martijn. He then showed us the way to our accommodation, where we were had breakfast with an espresso and a Sicilian bun.

We had a great time with much culture, food, and beach. I will never forget the buns with ice cream I had in Sicily! The restaurants that were recommended by Martijn and Laura (for which they gave us several vouchers) were great! That is really a plus if you're on a holiday in an area you haven't visited before; finding a good restaurant is always a challenge, especially if you don't speak the language.

We look back at a lovely week in which, also thanks to Laura and Martijn, we were able to really enjoy the pure Italy. See you soon!"

on-Sicily - Information page Casita DeLuca

"We had heard so many positive stories about Sicily that we decided to go and check it out ourselves in the summer of 2009. After some surfing on the internet we found the beautiful website of on-Sicily. We directly fell in love with Casita DeLuca and we were happy that the holiday home was still available.

The reality was even better than the pictures - the holiday home was perfect for our family and having Martijn, Laura and especially Peter as neighbors was the icing on the cake. Especially the service and the emergency package when our luggage arrived a day later – in one word GREAT.

Sicily and especially the area of Balestrate stole our hearts! That's why we will return in May 2010 to Casita DeLuca, but this time with some of our friends. We can hardly wait..... "

on-Sicily - Information page Casita DeLuca

"We spent two wonderful weeks in Casita DeLuca. It is a beautiful house with a nice terrace on the ground floor and a beautiful roof terrace, where we enjoyed the view in the evening. The beach was perfect and the view of the mountains surrounding the gulf was romantic. We were surprised that Balestrate has not yet been discovered by foreign tourists, but we enjoyed it, because now it was just for us and the Italians. We recently have recommended Casita De Luca to friends of ours.

We paid a good good price for Casita DeLuca. In these financially difficult times one is hesitant to spent more than 800 or 900 Euros a week. The breakfast with bread and coffee Martijn prepared for us upon arrival was very much appreciated. These are the little things that make a difference!

A little tip for improvement: the shower was too small (*). That could be better. Besides this, it was perfect! Arrivederci."

on-Sicily - Information page Casita DeLuca

"Dear Martijn and Laura,

It was very nice that we were picked up at Trapani airport. After the formalities at Jumbo's in Balestrate, you escorted us to the holiday home that we had rented for the week. After unpacking our suitcases in the two bedrooms with double beds, you took us to a lovely restaurant where we ate local dishes.

When we got back in the evening we relaxed in the large living room and with something to drink, we installed ourselves in front of the warm fireplace.

The next day we've been to Palermo with the rental car from Jumbo's. What a great city to drive in. It took however some time to get used to the chaos! That is, compared to what we're used to in Holland.

On Saturday we went for a trip in the area, took a walk along the beach and went to Erice. What a great town, really Medieval. In January you can drive into town, but I wouldn't recommend it in high season with all the tourists and the narrow streets. The next day we drove to the famous town of Corleone. It took us 2.5 hours because we only took the small mountain roads, but it was really worth it.

Monday was our last day in Sicily. We would like to thank you again for organizing all the interviews and for translating from Italian into Dutch. Thank you for your hospitality and for organizing everything.

The following day we had to get up early to get back to Holland. Unfortunately it took much longer than planned (the plane took off with a 4 hour delay!). Nonetheless we had a great time in Sicily!

Greetings,

Naomi en Bart"

on-Sicily - Information page La casa nel cortile

"Our holiday in Villa Ponzini was one of complete relax. It is a beautiful spacious house. It has a huge veranda where there is always a cool place to find. Within walking distance we found a quiet beach with a nice warm sea. We have built a lot of sandcastles with our son, Jano.

The small beach restaurant had some delicious pasta and pizza so that was great for lunch. The outdoor shower in our garden was really a blessing after a morning sea bath. The fig tree smelled delicious.

We ate lots of figs, tomatoes and basil from the garden. The area was luckily not full with tourists (but it was already September). And with Martijn's restaurant tips and discounts we always had a delicious dinner. And that's tremendously important to us! Especially eating at the Agriturismo Tarantola was sublime. And the bar near Alcamo had such delicious cakes and ice cream ...

Martijn had arranged for us to go and swim in a pool in Balestrate and we also visited a couple of towns when the weather was cooler. Trapani was very nice!

Ciao ! Bern, Peter & Jano (2.5)"

on-Sicily - Information page Villa Ponzini

"The holiday in Sicily was great. Thanks again for your help when our rental car broke down! By the way, a week after we got back to Holland the car rental Agency Maggiore sent us a bill for some dame we would have caused. We don't know anything about this damage, but we were lucky that it was covered by our insurance policy. It does give me the idea though that the rental car agency is trying to rip people off, because when you bring the car back, nobody is checking the state of the car with you. This way you can't proof anything.

Sicily is a lovely island, beautiful nature. And the cooperation with you was excellent! If someone wants to go to Sicily, I will definitively recommend you!

Good luck!

By the way I've only attached one photo. It was taken when Senne took a bath in the sink of the outdoor kitchen.

Greetings,
Astrid, Sierd and Senne"

on-Sicily - Information page Villa Ponzini

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