We are a family of 3 and stayed at Geatano's place for 9 nights. We were welcomed by the owner and his son Ruben. They were very friendly and helpful, especially with scooter rental and driving us to and from the port.
We found everything as described, very spacious and clean, there were fresh flowers and complementary fruit and water. Dishes, cutlery etc. were not plentiful but enough for our requirements. Unlike other apartments we have stayed at, there were no food staples like oil, vinegar, coffee, sugar, etc.
Most of the electrical appliances were in working order, only the oven could not be turned on (tripped the circuit breaker). We found an electric jug which was useful for us. The gas stove worked fine.
The shower is - which we have seen before - only an attachment on the bathroom wall, meaning that everything goes under when it is turned on, including the toilet. A shower curtain would probably help here, even though it would still mean that the whole room needs mopped and dried after someone has had a shower.
The big problem with the property was a very strong stale, musty smell in the two back rooms, probably due to the fact that there are no windows - only doors to keep open, so when there is nobody at home, everything is shut in and there is no air exchange. The smell went right through the furniture, linens, cupboards, dishes etc. Even at the end of our stay, after the doors had been kept open most of the time, it was still there. Due to this smell, we found it impossible to sleep in the bedroom. So we moved the beds and the couch out onto the covered porch, put up mosquito nets and sun shading, and spent the best part of our holiday there. There is a washing machine on the patio, so we washed all the sheets and that way it was OK.
The patio is very spacious and there was no problem at all with this solution, in fact we really enjoyed our nights outside.
The property is in a small village off a side street and does not have a view to speak of. There is a little garden with a stone wall behind it but you can see the sea if you go up onto the roof ;-) It is extremely quiet there but the house next door has got a bright light on at night, so not ideal for star gazing.
The supermarket is a little hike away, some 15 minutes on foot, and Lipari town is about 4 km down a bendy road. Hiring scooters makes life a lot easier.
We will be back at the islands but probably will look for different accommodation.
Thank you Gaetano!