Taormina and its three houses
Taormina sits two hundred meters above the Ionian Sea on the shoulder of Monte Tauro, with Etna filling the south-western sky.
Luxury hotels in Sicily · Taormina & the east coast
3 hotels
Taormina sits two hundred meters above the Ionian Sea on the shoulder of Monte Tauro, with Etna filling the south-western sky. It is a town of one long street, Corso Umberto, between two medieval gates, with a Greek theater that the Romans rebuilt with the volcano and the bay in its frame, and cable cars down to the beaches of Mazzarò and the islet of Isola Bella. Its hotels have taken the best of both levels: the convent and the grand hotel on the terraces of the old town, and the villa on the water below. We looked at every serious address on the east coast of Sicily and kept only those whose service holds up to the view. Three made the cut – one holds five-star standing and two hold four-star standing, and the copy says which is which.
Taormina, Centro Storico
The town on the terraces of Monte Tauro sits two hundred meters above the sea and holds two of the three hotels. It takes in Corso Umberto from Porta Messina to Porta Catania, the ancient theater with Etna and the bay in its frame, Piazza IX Aprile and its belvedere, the Villa Comunale gardens and the convent on Piazza San Domenico at the western end.
The neighborhoods
Taormina, Centro Storico
The town on the terraces of Monte Tauro sits two hundred meters above the sea and holds two of the three hotels. It takes in Corso Umberto from Porta Messina to Porta Catania, the ancient theater with Etna and the bay in its frame, Piazza IX Aprile and its belvedere, the Villa Comunale gardens and the convent on Piazza San Domenico at the western end.
Taormina Mare & Isola Bella
The coast at the foot of the town holds one of the three hotels, with the bay of Mazzarò and the islet of Isola Bella. The bay of Mazzarò has its pebble beaches and the cable car up to Taormina. Isola Bella is tied to the shore by a strip of sand and kept as a nature reserve. The beaches of Spisone and Letojanni lie to the north and the long strand of Giardini Naxos to the south.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Taormina & eastern Sicily?
One. The five-star hotel we list in Taormina & eastern Sicily is San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, on Piazza San Domenico in the old town. Alongside it we keep two four-star addresses that hold four-star standing and are never called five-star: Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina, beside the ancient theater; and Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare, on the bay of Mazzarò. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Taormina should I stay in?
The old town holds two of the three – San Domenico Palace on Piazza San Domenico at the western end of Corso Umberto, and Grand Hotel Timeo on Via Teatro Greco, at the gate of the ancient theater – with the corso, Piazza IX Aprile and the gardens of the Villa Comunale on foot and the sea two hundred meters below. Taormina Mare holds the other: Villa Sant'Andrea on the bay of Mazzarò, at the water, with Isola Bella around the point and the cable car up to the town from Via Pirandello in a few minutes. Choose the old town for the theater, the corso and the terraces; the bay for the sea at the door.
When is the best season for Taormina – and when do the hotels close?
April to June and September to October are the weeks the east coast does best – warm days, the sea already or still warm enough to swim, Etna clear in the morning and the town at its most civilized in the evening. July and August are hot, and the corso and the beaches of Mazzarò and Isola Bella are at their fullest; the concerts and festivals in the ancient theater fill the summer evenings. Winter is mild and quiet, with snow on Etna above the orange groves. The two Belmond houses keep a seasonal calendar and San Domenico Palace stays open through the year; the concierge confirms each hotel's dates for the year before you book.
How do you get to Taormina – and do I need a car?
Catania's airport, Fontanarossa, is the gateway – about an hour by road to Taormina along the coast, with flights from the Italian cities and most of Europe. The train from Catania or Messina stops at Taormina-Giardini, on the water below the town, and Messina's port and its ferries to the mainland are under an hour away. In Taormina itself a car is a burden: the old town is pedestrian, the hotels send a car to the airport or the station, and the cable car and the local buses link the town to the beaches. A car or a driver earns its keep for the day trips – Etna and its slopes, Syracuse and Ortigia about two hours to the south, Noto and the baroque towns of the Val di Noto beyond. The hotel arranges the driver with your booking.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
