Taormina

Advantages: Beautiful Culture and Scenery
Disadvantages: Mad Drivers in traffic choked streets!

...Taormina - Undeniably special, a very pretty hillside town and one of our favourite Sicilian holiday locations. Although expensive to stay here it is well worth coming here. Taormina is high on Monte Tauro so you have to travel downwards to the two bays below if you wish to visit the beach, Giardini-Naxos. We stayed in Villa Belevdere, via Bagnoli Croce, situated in the cliff, views absolutley stunning of the Bay of Naxos. We stayed here in early September, and loved the gardens and pool. Although there is no restaurant in the evening here, the local trattorias are only a few minutes stroll away. Very busy place during June and September, very crowded with tourists in the main street Corso Umberto, but what an atmosphere! Music everywhere, and street entertainers! Absolutely fantastic. You walk alot here, as it is the best way...

MoiraAnn 21.04.2004 (22.04.2004) · Read review
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Review of Taormina, Sicily

Taormina, Sicily

Advantages: historicaly interesting, prety town, great views
Disadvantages: long train journet from Palermo

...Taormina is a very pretty town on the Eastern coast of Sicily. We took a very slow train journey from Palermo along the North coast, which took the best part of a day, having to change and wait in Messina. When you get to Taormina station you will find yourself at the bottom of the hill so you would need to hire a taxi or wait for a local bus to take you up to the town. The buses didn't seem too predictable but then we were arriving on a Sunday. All other information pointed to the weekday service being somewhat more reliable. However, when you get up into the town you will realise that the journey is well worth it. Taormina is a very pretty historic town. Visit the amphitheatre for fantastic views of Mount Etna. A walk up a steep path behind the town affords more spectacular vies of Etna and the coast The town can basically be...

Leveritt 09.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Taormina, Sicily

Taormina what a treat

Advantages: Lovely Scenery
Disadvantages: Bit on the steep side

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djs89uk 05.09.2006 (06.09.2006) · Read review
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Review of Ariston Hotel, Taormina

Hidden Mediterranean Treat

Advantages: Beautiful place
Disadvantages: Uphill climbs in some places.

...I visited Sicily in July 2005 and it reache temperatures of about 38 degrees. To get to Taormina from the airport we got on the Thomson Bus, so we could find out useful information from our holiday rep. To get to Taormina itself includes a lot of hair raising bends and turns. At one point near the top the back of the bus actually went slightly over the cliff because the roads are that tight and bendy. Once we got to Taormina we unpacked our suitcases at the hotel then went to explore the village. The village is beautiful. The main street in Taormina includes a number of bars, restaurants and shops. There is a posh boutique on this street which sells clothes such as Prada,D&G, Gucci and Dior all at cheaper prices than in the UK. There is a main square in Taormina with a church in that overlooks the mediterranean sea and you can...

djs89uk 05.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Taormina, Sicily

Memories of Sicily

Advantages: Beautiful, Unique and great value for money
Disadvantages: None, in my view, the prettiest place in the world!

...Memories of Sicily The island of Sicily lies off the south coast of Italy in the Mediterranean sea. It is famous for its vast coastline, historic landmarks and for homing the biggest volcano in Europe. This was my third visit to Sicily and we were staying in the small coastal town of Taormina. I sat, my head buried in my English book, writing a piece of coursework on 'An Inspector Calls'. I gazed up and cast my eyes over the rails that circled my balcony. I dropped my pen on the table. It slowly rolled off and cluttered through a small gap in the floor of the balcony. The view I was confronted with was staggering. My eyes weaved through the tangled city of chimneys. Their weathered terracotta tops balancing precariously on the tips of the hand made towers. Chimneys tangled up with archways of stone and exotic roof top...

Jackasssurfing 28.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Taormina, Sicily

Simply stunning - a jewel in the crown of Sicily

Advantages: Location, location, location!
Disadvantages: No good for people with restricted mobility

...I first encountered this hotel when I got married in Taormina's town hall in 2002. The hotel is simply beautiful and the location is breathtaking. It's a short walk into the centre of this wonderful town with so many good restaurants and bars that I need to go back to make sure I haven't missed any! I would definitely recommend going for a sea view room wherever possible - the small, but perfectly adequate balconies look out across the bay and towards the majestic peak of Mount Etna, which can occasionally be seen smouldering. Rooms are typically Italian - not particularly spacious, but tasefully decorated and maintained to a high standard. I have read a number of reviews on other web sites criticising the food at this hotel - I can only wonder what sort of people these reviewers are! We found the food, and the staff wonderful...

alleycat01 01.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Villa Diodoro Hotel, Taormina

Great Location - Shame about the Hotel (Basil!)

Advantages: Stunning views, well located.
Disadvantages: Poorly run, shabby and poorly maintained

...My wife and I returned on 09/09/2007, from a wonderful week in Taormina on the beautiful Island of Sicily. A wonderful week marred by one thing - The Hotel Bristol Park! We paid around £800 each for a weeks B & B at this establishment, provided through Thompsons. This Hotel passes itself off as a Four Star Hotel. *** LOCATION *** One of the greatest assets of this Hotel is its fabulous location. If you want a well located Hotel in Taormina, with great views of Mount Etna (the main reason we booked this Hotel), there won't be many better in Taormina. We had a room on the third floor with a 180 degree view of the sea, the town of Guarding Naxos below Taormina, and the town of Taormina itself. By far the most imposing part of the view though was Mount Etna - the view of this 10,000 feet active Volcano was magnificent. Most...

klofron 12.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bristol Park Hotel, Taormina

Taormina Sicilia

Advantages: Well worth the effort of getting there - a real Jewel!
Disadvantages: pricey for those on a tight budget

...I cannot extol Taormina enough and this is a second review from me about it. I have travelled to Sicily four times for holidays, each time taking a "package deal" as it is the only way to get there without spending a complete fortune for the sake of your independence! Taormina is not really for the disabled person, as it is an ancient town full of many deep stone steps which terrace the hill side on which it stands, but depending on your needs as a disabled person, and if you have lots of helpers on holiday with you, you could still find this a wonderful experience. As the hotels are a bit pricey on the whole, unless you decide to go out of season of course, then the prices are almost halved! Value for money is different here. There are a few bargains in Taormina, alot of restaurants offer a limited choice which is...

MoiraAnn 22.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Taormine (Italy)

Sublime, chilled, Sicily!

Advantages: Staff, rooms, convenience.
Disadvantages: Heat can sometimes cause uncomfort.

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creamofthecrop6 30.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Riviera, Taormina

Best Western Hotel Mediterraneo, Catania

Advantages: Very comfortable beds
Disadvantages: Location, Poor room service

...almost deserted in the evening once everyone had come home from work. I think in hindsight I would have been better staying in Taormina as walking round Catania wasn't that pleasant, as it seems to spend most of the day gridlocked with traffic belching out fumes....

bindie 09.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Hotel Mediterraneo, Catania