Taormina Garden Hotel

The gardens were lovely and well kept, and we enjoyed the big room and its outdoor terrace. It’s quite basic, but had everything we needed. Breakfast and dinner were great, with singing Angelo making them even more fun. We were surprised by all the steps on arrival and the 130 steps down to the beach. The local bus to and from Taormina is very cheap, 2.5 euros return compared with 20 on the cable car.

I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. It’s an old home-style place, and despite what they say about the location, I didn’t find it especially appealing. There are stairs to a free section of beach, but it isn’t a hotel beach; people also get there another way, and the beach itself isn’t good. The rooms are old, with bad floors, tiny windows, and nowhere to put clothes. The bathroom has a strange sliding wooden door, and the shower lets water out so the whole floor ends up wet. The bed was smaller than standard twin beds at hotels and uncomfortable, so I didn’t rest at all. The lighting was awful, like a surgery room, and didn’t work properly. The door wouldn’t close normally because it was broken, leaving it almost open and the hotel grounds unsecured, so anyone could enter. Breakfast was poor too. The products were the cheapest, the eggs weren’t fresh, and the watermelon was bad a few times. They try to be nice, but that doesn’t solve all these problems. The price isn’t competitive and the hotel isn’t worth what they charge. I see that in the reviews they don’t accept their problems and say they give a lot to people who don’t appreciate it. That doesn’t feel professional, just like the rest of the service. Last year I stayed at a two-star hotel in Positano and it was brilliant. Compared with other two-star hotels in Italy, I can’t even give this one two stars.

Angelo is a wonderful host, really welcoming, and the breakfast is complete. Nothing here is luxury, but the price for what you get is very good. The place is close to the Funivie that takes you to Taormina and has direct access to the beach. An amazing place to stay!

We only spent one night at Taormina Garden Hotel and wished we’d stayed longer. The gondola and interbus station are right across the road. There’s private access to a public beach, where you don’t have to hire a sunbed and there are fewer beach salesmen. The service was outstanding. We had dinner at the hotel, and the chef, I think his name was David, did everything himself that evening: cooking, waiting, and bartending. He was charismatic and professional, and explained each dish when he brought it out. The food was amazing, authentic Sicilian cooking, exactly the kind of home-cooked meal you sometimes crave after travelling for a while. We loved how adorable and authentic the place felt, and we’re still talking about it. Our best to the lovely team at Taormina Garden Hotel!