01/09 A day on Etna
How is our guests typical day?
Let’s assume they booked online getting the best tariff (Book now) and they received our confirmation e-mail (most of them read it after holiday has finished, unfortunately)
– They arrive in reception where we fill them up with discounts (when a couple gets € 20,00 discount on cable car after they paid even just € 69,00 on a double room life becomes immediately better, isn’t it?). Most of them ask wether if can they book an excursion (no, there is no need and they don’t take reservation… as by received e-mail’s attachment).
– Some of them go to local photo/video exposition getting 33% discount (ok, you pay € 2,00 instead of € 3,00 but yes, it is an amazing 33%, anyway!).
– They visit Silvestri Craters as all other people on Etna do. Some of them accept some reception advices and go to visit non only Thomas Reichart cave, close to hotel, but even a ‘secret place’, just two minutes far!
– They come back in hotel after watching sunset and get dinner (if they have reserved, if they didn’t they …usually get dinner anyway except when restaurant is closed… and they think “Why restaurant is closed and no-one told us?” – do you remember that e-mail? – but we send them to close Rifugio Sapienza of other less close restaurants).
– They wake up not too early and have breakfast. Cable car opens at nine so they can take it easy. Most of them, after paying bill, ask to leave luggages in hotel to take them after excursion. No problem.
– People who choose a short 2h30m excursion go to take a ticket in cable car station and start immediately (at any time between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.); people who can do the long trekking excursion go to Guides Hut (in front to cable car station) and, at 10:00 a.m., they climb with their groups (divided per spoken language).
– Short excursion people come back and leave, we hope happy. Long excursion people come back so tired and dirty that they seem actors in a zombie B-movie. Most of them realize why we suggested two nights stay: they are happy but they don’t feel driving their car is best idea (we told them by e-mail, better to stay two nights!).
– Some realize there is still too much to do (5km far there is Europe’s highest Sport Park, Etnavventura, with 10% discount), there are more caves, paths, strange places.
– Receptionist asks “where will you go, now?” and according to answer he offers some advices to make transfer part of holyday (for example, “Taormina? Then on road pass for S. Alfio and visit one of oldest world’s trees in a magic wood and don’t miss Alcantara Gorges” or “are you going to Eolian Island? Instead of autobahn cross Nebrodi mountains and visit Montalbano Elicona medieval town and his magnificent Megaliths, which just from very few years have been finally recognized as an ancient astronomic observatory similar to Stonehenge!).
– They leave and receptionist feels alone waiting for today’s guest. Melancholic he writes these words on hope next readers will find some good suggestion to make their holydays better.