We visited Taormina at the end of November 2011.

We had a double room & my father had the single room next door, both facing out over Taormina & with a stunning view of Etna.

On arrival as mentioned in many previous reviews, we were guided on to the sun terrace with a few nibbles & a glass of prosceco. The sun was setting over Taormina & the view was enough for us all to relax immediately. Alessia then came over with a map of Taormina & explained exactly where the walk way into town was located & where the free town shuttle drop off/pick up point was. Where we needed to head for shopping & walks etc.

The hotel is located high above the town but the free shuttle bus or main town buses were so easy it was no issue. Though if you are scared of heights, it may be wise to keep your eyes closed, drivers are mental & you feel very close to some impressively steep drops. The walk is not that bad if you are reasonably fit & not afraid of heights but do not consider otherwise.

Rooms were lovely. Quite spacious without being too big. Shower was gorgeous. Decorated traditionally but still modern & with all needs catered for. The mini bar was well stocked & they supplied free bottled water, replenished daily. Lovely terrace to sit out on. The stray cats can be an issue but this is nothing the hotel can control, the cleaning staff will remove any 'presents' they leave if you ask...I would suggest that you do not go out bare foot at night time!

The hotel breakfast was plentiful & enough to keep us going until after lunch time. The ladies serving drinks in the morning were very quick to learn what we wanted....tea with cold milk & keep it coming...we are british after all!

We prefered to eat out in the evening as we wanted to explore but ate on the terrace one evening. Paulo offered to get us anything from the market as long as we told him at breakfast what we wanted. I would recommend doing this, the selction they have on the main menu is small & can run out as it is all freshly made . Ordering in the morning guarantees you get what you wanted.

I cannot fault any of the staff. Service was polite & extremely helpful from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. All you have to do is ask!! We were leaving the day they were closing for the season & they were still enthusiastic!

If we were to come back to this region, we would definately book here again.

My husband and I spent a fabulous week here for the first part of our honeymoon.
From the moment we arrived (10.30pm!) we were made to feel extremely welcome. We were greeted by the most friendly staff and 2 large glasses of prosecco!! Our room was lovely - traditional in style but beautiful. The hotel had placed a bottle of prosecco in our room as it was our honeymoon and they kept this chilled for us to enjoy the next evening. The room was always immaculately clean, as were all areas of the hotel.
The staff really do make this place such a special place - they cannot do enough for you and are always keen to talk to you and help you in any way they can.
The food was AMAZING. Breakfast was a feast and with the views from the terrace being so spectacular it really felt like we were in the most special place possible! The only problem was the wasps that seemed to persist in bothering us whilst we ate, but I think it was bad timing on our case and a particualry bad year for wasps!! The staff were always on hand to try and get rid of them too!!
We ate at the hotel several times in the evening as the food was lovely - simple but very tasty homemade italian food that was very reasonable in price. The hotel has the best view in whole of Taormina so it made it hard to leave. Drinks were great too - and Ille the waiter was always happy to recommend a good wine/cocktail!
Although the hotel has no 'pool' it does have a lovely 'jacuzzi cool tub' surrounded by sun loungers - we spent quite a few hours here an it was always quiet and peaceful.
The walk down into town is nice - although hot when we went in August, and we did make full use of the hotels complimentary shuttle service - very easy to use but you must prebook as its gets busy.
i really cannot recommend this hotel enough. A perfect place - honeymoon holiday or even a short break!!! We cannot wait to return in the future (possibly during a slightly cooler month though!)

We picked this hotel after reading other reviews. and everything we had read proved to be true.
The staff and service were outstanding and the food was amazing. It was the first time we had used a half board service and had thought we would probably go into Taormina to eat in the evening a couple of times, we didn't bother why look for a first rate restaurant when you are already staying in one. Pool was beautiful warm and clean. Any requests were dealt with without any fuss, extra blankets and tea making equipment arrived immediately.

Me and my partner stayed here in August for a few days and saw Etna erupt from the hotels magnificent balcony. We enjoyed our stay but felt the hotel was overpriced and certain aspects didn't reflect the price charged (ie. the bathroom - some mould on the walls and dated fittings). The hotel felt quite stuffy despite attentive service and hospitality was a bit forced at times. However, we couldn't fault them for effort.