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Latvia
Thank you for everything! The stay here was nice. Location is good, next to the bus stop to Taormina or Catania! Great cafes and restaurants nearby too! Really nice beach!!! The hostel overall was good, shifts were chill and everyone was nice!
3 months ago
United States
My time at the hostel was amazing. I met the greatest girls and the hostel and Graziella made me feel so at home. It was a perfect opportunity to live a more relaxed day to day especially when you are long term traveling. I miss them already and can't wait until I get to see them again.
5 months ago
Thank you for your help Elle ❤️
United Kingdom
I came during March-April, it wasn't busy so I reccommend going during the summer months as it might get a bit boring otherwise. the hostel and Graziella were always lovely, kind and available. The hostel has everything you need and there's good public transport for day trips. Thank you for having me! :)
7 months ago
United Kingdom
The tasks and hours were totally fair and as agreed, and I had no issues with how I was treated personally. However, I ended up leaving after a week instead of staying the full month. The owner unfortunately more often than not created quite a stressful environment and at times I saw other volunteers treated unfairly, which made the atmosphere uncomfortable. Working front desk was also pretty rough with no AC in a pretty hot reception area.
about 1 month ago
United States
The location is quiet for plenty of beach time, while being close to taormina and catania. cool rooftop and of course cool volunteers. however, i wish i had a better experience with the hostel. in my time, i found it frustrating to talk with him due to his communication and attitude towards most of the volunteers. any attempt to have an open conversation regarding issues with our experiences or the hostel were shut down and responded to defensively and disrespectfully. a lot of the volunteers i worked with left early because of this. just a heads up: not all the volunteers stay at the hostel.
about 2 months ago
Austria
The hostel is an arrogant stubborn man who is going to intimidate and bully you every chance he gets if he doesn't like you. I felt very uncomfortable in his presence and that ruined the whole experience for me. This hostels old way of functioning made the shifts extremely exhausting. The sacrifice was too big and the reward too small. Many other volunteers also felt this way and I wish everyone would be more honest when writing reviews so that unwanted experiences can be avoided. If you want to visit Giardini/Taormina I highly recommend it, but stay away from this place.
2 months ago
Aleksandra, we're sorry to read this, as you never told us you were unhappy. You left without saying goodbye and never replied when we asked why. Maybe we weren't a good match, but the bullying accusations are very serious and offensive: we don't recognise ourselves in them. When we tried to connect, you seemed distant: you skipped our arancini night and never said a word. It was a quiet season with few tasks, as other reviews say, yet many went undone. We struggle to see what was exhausting.
Spain
My experience at the hostel was overall very good. I met some really nice people, both volunteers and guests, and I had the chance to explore the area and spend time at the beach, which was great! The working hours were always respected and the tasks were simple enough. It was just a bit quiet during some days/hours, so the shifts could get long, but you could always use that time to get your own things done. However, even though my experience was good, I know some other volunteers didn't have the same experience as me, and they had some issues with the hosts.
3 months ago
United States
This was my first world packers experience. Over my 3 ish weeks there I met some great volunteers and cool guests, but the hostel and Graziella were nice but sometimes difficult to communicate with. One volunteer was kicked out after giving the requested two weeks notice before leaving, whereas I gave only a weeks notice and was allowed to stay, so things were a bit unpredictable.
3 months ago
United States
The hostel is in a good location (10 minute walk to the beach + restaurants/supermarkets) but the hostel unfortunately does not respect people's time and boundaries, and the passive aggressive approach to resolving issues made the experience not very enjoyable. I felt as though I wasn't given the opportunity to utilize my time very well because of the poor instruction/communication + very limited time to explore the area with any of the other volunteers. However, shout out to my fellow volunteers, I am grateful to have spent the month in such a beautiful part of the island with them.
5 months ago
Thank you for your feedback, Alysia. We’re glad you enjoyed our location and the friendships you made. We’re sorry your experience didn’t meet your expectations. As a small family-run hostel, we value collaboration and open communication. We genuinely appreciate feedback, as it helps us improve, but we also believe that open dialogue during the stay is the best way to address concerns as they arise.
Germany
I got to know amazing people at the hostel, especially with the other volunteers! The place is a great location for slow days at the beach and relaxing. During my stay there weren't many guests since it was still off season, so sometimes the shifts would go by a little slowly, but it allowed me to do some work on my computer so it was fine for me! the hostel and Graziella mean well and were always nice to me but unfortunately I know other ppl didn't have that same experience, also regarding the work, some things could've been communicated better. Despite that I had a good time :)
5 months ago
Thank you for your help Svenja ❤️
