We stayed at the end of a 2 week break traveling from Naples to Tropea then onto Sicily, first staying in Taormina and then mondello. Mondello is like the italian version of bognor regis. The hotel is like something out of Heidi Hi or Fawlty Tours. It looks and acts like it should be in the 1970s. When we were there I refused to go on the beach because it was so awful. The pool was being rennovated, which did bother me as I am a sea swimmer, but this still was annoying for other people. For food whilst sitting on the sun terrace you had to go round to the hotel round the corner!! On way to airport we deicded to search out better beaches...they do not exist in this area.

Our room was over looking the car park and was dark and unclean.

If you do have the unfortunate pleasure of staying at this hotel go for Pizza at the place across the round - so cheap and awesome!! Only good thing to an unfortunate end to an amazing holiday!

I want to start by saying that I've never really stayed in a true 4-star before. and after my stay at La Torre, i still don't think that i have.
The hotel is definitely nice. Spacious, clean lobby, slick bar, beautiful terrace, unparalleled views. But the rooms are less than stellar. Fine, the carpets in the hallways are a bit old and the common area furnishings on each floor are old and, well, ugly. But they were not dirty or disgusting and did not detract from my stay.
As for my room, my girlfriend and I had an oceanview room with wood floors and a balcony. Very nice room, BUT! There was no finish to this room. It looks like it was well on its way to being a luxurious room and then they had to scrap the plans and rush its completion. The hanging ceiling (in the bathroom and entrance) wasn't closed off and u could see straight through to the true ceiling (pipes, wires, dust, vents etc...). We felt like we were in a department store changing room. The bathroom was clean and spacious enough but poorly designed. The door couldn't even open 90 degrees because the bedet (sp?) was right behind it; and the shower leaked water onto the floor. It didn't cause a flood but u needed to waste a towel soaking it up.
Also, probably due to a language thing, we got a room with 2 single beds. The hotel was far from full but they couldn't offer us a similar room with 1 queen bed. We'd have to downgrade (without reimbursement), so we asked them to combine the singles and that was well done, and quickly. I have to say that this was the only hiccup regarding service, it was otherwise quite good.
Mondello itself was nice but due to August holidays the beach was packed, dirty (as were the streets) and generally unpleasant.
Thankfully there was the hotel pool. I want to finish this review on a positive note. The pool alone convinced us to stay an extra night. It's a bit too salty and can burn the eyes but poolside is the best place to relax. You're on a shelf right on the ocean with views of the entire beach and Monte Pellegrino. Beautiful. the pool made our stay and I'm not exaggerating.
Also the breakfast was quite satisfying.
For my money, i wouldn't return here, but that's not to say that I regret my choice. There are much nicer beachtowns to stay in that offer everything that Mondello does and much, much more.
For a nice pool stay here, for everything else: beach, vista, people, history, food; go to Cefalu

Mondello happened to be our last stay during lovely one week tour around Sicily. We decided to stay there at our last night because it seemed close to the airport, and the map showed there was a beach there. But it was a mistake. Mondello is one dirty , noisy, horrible place with all these people looking like homeless Gypsies. The beach is narrow and extramaly crowded and lousy.The hotel is old an ruined, and the stuff is extremaly rude to guests. Defenately not worth 150 euro for the cheapest room.Before 7 o clock you will not find any restaurant open, and even if you could you wouldnt like to eat because of dirt an bed atmosfhere. The only nice thing about the hotel is a safe parking and a nice terrace where you can have a drink at night.

Stayed for 2 nights at room 224 (for a congress). The view from the window was great. It overlooks the sea and a mountain to the right. Palermo is a few miles away and lies behind that mountain.
The food was good. The employees were nice. The room was modestly furnished but clean.
The remainder of the hotel is not very good. The hotel is separated from the water by a few steep rocks. It is located adjacent to a low-middle-class tourist area. The guests at breakfast were dressed more than casually. The floor carpets are worn off, the elevators are slow, shaky and have scratched walls. At the backside of the hotel we saw garbage and a delapidated children's play ground.
On the terrace, outside the room, there was loud music for most of the first night , making sleep impossible for far beyond midnight.
In summary: "Four stars" is okay. Next time, I would look for something with more style.