Hotel Elios

It's an older property with plenty of charm and grace left. Breakfast on the rooftop terrace was delicious and substantial, and the views from the room balconies were great. The beds were comfortable too. My room had a large shower stall, but it was stained and needs updating. Road traffic noise, especially from motorcycles, was bothersome at times.

For a visit in August, when we paid accordingly, the hotel was much better than I expected from the reviews. The sea-view room was really worth it, and came with a small balcony. It's ideally located, with a 10-minute walk to the cable car to the beach and 10 minutes to the city center. The simple room had everything we needed, and we had no noise issues. The upstairs terrace was great for an aperitif, and the receptionist lady was particularly friendly and helpful during our short stay. The only downside was parking: 6 min walk and €25 per day. I expect that's true of most budget accomodation in Taormina.

We chose an affordable hotel near the bus station. Since we hadn't booked a sea-view room, ours was quite dark. Breakfast was average, partly because other tourists had made a mess with the food.

The hotel is okay for the price, but many rooms have no view and face only a wall. Be very careful at breakfast. On more than one day, the ham was covered in mold. We told the staff, and they replaced the whole plate with one that had a little less mold. They didn't even bother cleaning the container in between.