Boutique BnB Dolcevita in Palermo

I booked this hotel with my wife to celebrate our anniversary, a special trip we had been looking forward to for a long time.

One week before we were due to travel, I suffered a massive heart attack.
I was admitted to intensive care and very nearly died.

I am still seriously unwell, and my recovery is expected to be long and uncertain. My family have been living through an extremely distressing and frightening time, focused entirely on whether I will recover.
Naturally, travelling to Sicily was no longer possible.

Despite this, the hotel refused to refund a single penny even though Expedia confirmed they have the discretion to do so in exceptional circumstances.

What happened next was even more disturbing.

After I left an honest review explaining the situation, the hotel contacted me directly to say they had informed their lawyer, claimed my review was “illegal” because I had not stayed at the property, and threatened me with legal action for defamation if I did not remove it within one week.

So to be absolutely clear: while I was recovering from a life-threatening heart attack, this hotel chose not only to keep the money, but to threaten legal action against me.

Yes, I booked a non-refundable rate. But I struggle to believe that any reasonable person would expect a hotel to respond to a near-fatal medical emergency in this way.
This is not simply about money anymore. It is about basic humanity.

Sicily is a beautiful place, and I hope one day to return when my health allows. But I would never choose to stay somewhere that, in the face of such circumstances, showed so little compassion and instead responded with threats.

I will let others draw their own conclusions.