The hotel itself was fine - nothing wrong with the room or the breakfast. I paid extra for a seaview which did look nice from the small balcony. However when I asked about the beach, the receptionist pulled a face and said 'dieci chilometri'. Undaunted we went out in their back 'garden' and walked through some long grass to find a small area of shingle. We had hoped for a good place to chill out away from the grime of the city but this was NOT it. (It might be better in the high season but in April they clearly did not expect us to stretch out in the sunshine). There was a bus stop right outside but the buses were very irregular and undependable. We ate in the fish restaurant nearby and got ripped off there, though the bar on the other side of the road was really good with the largest glass of grappa I have ever had. Next time, I would pay for a room in the 'centro storico'.

Hotel Villa d´Amato is a good, clean hotel in Palermo to an attractive price if you get it on the net. Good breakfast. Make sure you get a room with at a garden view and if possible with a balcony. Then it is peaseful and quite. The location is really in the outskirt of Palermo in a somewhat unattractive area even though it is close to the sea (no beach though!). You can take two different busses downtown, not really possible to walk. Taxi prices vary a lot depending on number of people and when during the the day you travel, from downtown from 7 - 25 Euros. Excellent if you have your own car. It is a good choice for budget travelling.

We stayed there for one night in the hope of a comfortable room and a good meal ( as advertised) before we went sailing
It is quite difficult to find and in a VERY rough part of Palermo. You cannot walk out on the street, it feels dangerous.
The staff were generally fine, but the food was truly awful, the worst we had in two weeks in Italy, both dinner and breakfast.
The rooms are 'ok' but the bathroom we had was tiny, the bed not comfortable, the aircon difficult to work and the tv very limited stations. No internet access.
The sea can be seen but it's 100m away, over the 'garden' which is full of rubbish and stray dogs.
The problem is that there are not many other options in Palermo at a sensible price

The only real downside of this hotel is the location - a rather rough part of Palermo. However, there is a bus stop just outside and a fairly frequent bus service into the town centre. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and the room was clean and comfortable. Our room overlooked the street, which was incredibly noisy, but once we'd closed the treble windows it was fine. The rooms at the back are probably a better bet as the garden at the rear is beautifully peaceful. The restaurant wasn't that great, and the evening meals were limited, which is a pity because there aren't many places to go to eat in that part of Palermo (a friendly snack bar just down the road - nice if you can cope with the noise of the traffic), and a couple of seafood restaurants (but take your phrase book if you don't speak Italian). I'm sure the menu would benefit from including some traditional Sicilian cuisine, as all our fellow guests were obviously on holiday - British, French, Swiss, Dutch, American, Australian and Czech while we were there. All in all, I'd recommend this hotel.