If you’re coming by taxi, pronounce the name in French – an English J will get you to the Jolly Hotel elsewhere in the city.

You should be able to tell from the contrasting reviews that Hotel Joli has a split personality. The superior rooms are excellent: the economy rooms are basic. Being someone who can’t resist a cheap deal, I went for the bargain basement – literally. We finished up in the dreaded room 109. You open the door and you are confronted by a staircase down to what must have once been the coal cellar. That said, the lobby at the bottom of the stairs provided extra space and both bedroom and bathroom were of a reasonable size. The window opened out onto a service area surrounded by air-conditioning units and overlooked by the terrace. It was too noisy to sleep with the window open, but the air-conditioning was efficient and having the window shut kept the mosquitoes at bay. The bedroom contained a huge bed – made up of two singles pushed together and just one chair. The bathroom included a good sized shower cubicle but nowhere to keep toiletries.

Wifi wouldn’t work in the room. However, there was a lobby nearby with two comfortable armchairs and excellent wifi reception.

Breakfast was the usual continental selection of coffee or tea and various breads, cakes and biscuits to eat with it. There was a selection of rather sweet juices. A Sicilian breakfast is available at a supplement, but none of the guests had the courage to order one. When we were the only people in the breakfast room, the staff were friendly, but they tended to get flustered when the room was crowded around 9:00am. Front desk staff were very helpful.

The hotel is in the modern part of the city close to the Politeama theatre. From there, you can get a bus to anywhere in the city. Buy your tickets in the tobacconist – there is a bus company kiosk near the theatre but the incumbent didn’t seem remotely interested in selling anything.