Ortigia

Last year we stayed at I Santi Coronati B&B and were very pleased with it. Breakfast at a nearby bar was included and it was very centric. It had an elevator and flat showers.

Hard to advise without knowing how many people, budget, amenities needed like AC, elevator, parking etc

Booking.Com is a good place to start
Use the filters
Read the reviews-can only be left by actual customers so they are legitimate
Reviews can also be filtered

You can book there or find the hotel website

I've used VRBO for every stay in Ortigia. Each was exactly what was advertised and, in some cases, even more than I hoped for! Happy hunting! Ortigia is a wonderful place day and night!!!!

I agree. Just look at Booking.com. You can use the site to screen hotels, even if you want to book directly. The further south you go, the closer you are to the seawall and promenade but the further you are from where you'll park and carry your pack; so a balancing act that depends a lot upon your length of stay and whether you're doing a lot of day trips.

We are four. Two 30 somethings and 80 yr old and a 60 yr old. So not too many stairs and close to attractions

With the info you offer about your group, I still think a VRBO might be good for you. By choice I said in one that had stairs but the other times the apartments were at ground level with maybe a step or two off of the street. There are not many real 'attractions' in Oritigia but they are all within a very easy walking distance (I say that even though I had a hip replacement a month or so after my last trip there). FYI, taxis can take you to certain parts of the island. That will make things a lot easier for you I should think. Parking a car there? Hmm, I think a picture of that is next to the dictionary definition of "huh?"

What are you interested in doing in Ortigia?

If you do a search you will find quite a few recommendations. We stayed in Hotel Gutowski which has a nice rooftop terrace, a breakfast and does have an elevator. It is fairly close to where cars are allowed, so you could be dropped off without having to walk a long way.

Here is a recent similar question:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/lodging-in-ortigia

How many nights will you need?
What is your budget?
When is this trip? If soon I would suggest getting on booking.com and see what is even available (some of your other posts indicate “October”- don’t know if that means 2026 or 2027?)

Will you need 2 rooms/2 bathrooms? If so I don’t think a VRBO type apartment will work. I wouldn’t bother with an apartment for a stay of less then 3-4 nights- too much hassle, inconvenient check in times and extra fees.

Ortigia is very small so almost anywhere is within walking distance. It is also flat so walking not a big issue.

We looked at I Santi Coronati (mentioned above) it looks very nice but we ruled it out because of their very strict check in time- with no ability to drop our bags before that check in time and their very short desk hours. We prefer a more full service hotel and don’t really like having to go offsite for bkft. It is in a great location though.

We booked Palazzo Artimede for our next stay. It is smack dab in the center of the island, full service etc.
https://www.vretreats.com/en/palazzo-artemide/

Another hotel (I think listed in RS if that matters to you)
Hotel Livingston- a bit away from the center but still a decent location. My sister stayed there with a tour and liked it well enough.
https://www.hotellivingston.com/

And another that we considered Palazzo Gilistro
https://www.palazzogilistro.it/

All of the above have elevator, AC, bkft.

In Ortigia last spring, we liked this apartment a lot: Matteotti Royale Apartments

https://www.booking.com/Share-GpNLdB

So, I am just hearing about Etna erupting and that we shouldn't go to Sicily in October.

Is this true, should we look at other options?

Etna is active now
Whether it will be in October is unpredictable

Ortigia is 100 km from Etna
Why wouldn’t you want to go to Sicily in October??

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/etna/news.html

Why wouldn’t I want to ho to Ortigia in October? Because I was worried about Etna. I am travelling with my 80 yr old mom. I don’t want to be relocating or have any issues because of the volcano erupting. Also, I was wondering if things would still be open and running

I’m not really sure how to respond.

Etna has been erupting for a couple centuries.
It has been active on and off over the past 10 years or so.
There is no way to predict what Etna will be doing in October - or any other month.
If you are staying in Ortigia you are 100 km (about 60 miles) away from Etna- I doubt you’d even be aware of what Etna was doing.
There wouldn’t be any closures in Ortigia.
Did you plan to hike up to Etna?

There is always the chance that flights in/out of Catania will be delayed or canceled due to Etna activity. No way to predict.

Sicily is a big island- if you don’t want to be that close to Etna then maybe stay in Palermo?

Just fly through Palermo instead of Catania. Or take the ferries.

For those asking, we were not planning on staying in Catania. We are just landing there. We wanted to stay in Ortigia for a few days, then head to Reggio Calabria.
We would take the ferry to Reggio
We were looking at le due sicilie for lodging. Has anybody been there?
Thank you all, so very much for all your help.

Your stay in Ortigia won't be impacted by Etna, but your ability to get to Ortigia could be impacted if the Catania Airport CTA gets closed.

It's unlikely but it does occasionally happen.

It’s been a number of years but I enjoyed my stay at Domus Mariae Albergo in Ortigia @
Via Vittorio Veneto 76.

My room was very comfortable & it had a small balcony facing the sea where I admired the beautiful sunrise.

This albergo is across the street from the Domus Mariae Benessere which is more expensive since it has a SPA.
When I stayed at the albergo it included a delicious breakfast at the Domus Mariae Benessere.

Make sure you eat at my favorite restaurant; Sicilia in Tavola (reservations recommended) and save room for their delicious pistachio cream tiramisú!

Enjoy your stay in beautiful Ortigia!