My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Villa Sonia for two nights during our recent week long driving tour of Sicily. The location of the hotel just below the small hill town of Castelmola is fantastic, and the hotel provides daily shuttle service both to and from the lovely hill town of Taormina.
The hotel room was spacious, comfortable and the view of Mt. Etna spectacular. Adriana at the Front Desk was most helpful with suggestions for excursions in the area as well as good restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, I would not recommend having dinner at the hotel restaurant as we found it to be overpriced and underwhelming. I suggest that you explore dining nearby in Castelmola or in Taormina as an alternative.
The hotel serves as a great base for touring the area including a "must see" trip to the south side of Mt. Etna which has all of the tourist services to really experience this unique volanic mountain. Skip visiting the north face of Mt. Etna as most of the tourist services were "relocated" due to a large lava flow several years ago. Also, the beach towns below Taormina are fun to visit and walk along the sidewalk adjacent to the beach.
The overnight parking at the hotel is easy and very convenient. The breakfast buffet was good, and the terrace overlooking the valley up to Mt. Etna was a great spot for an evening cocktail. I would highly recommend this hotel to any and all leisure travelers who want to spend a few days in the Taormina/Mt. Etna area.
