호텔 빌라 파라디소

This is a lovely, family run hotel providing clean and comfortable rooms in the centre of Taormina. We had a boxing room with views of Etna and the Bay, which was lovely. The staff are friendly and attentive and always there to help. The private beach club affiliated with the hotel is beautiful. The beach was quiet and the club house stunning. We also ate lunch there which was really nice with brilliant service. My only criticism is the hotel gets quite noisy from about 8am as the cleaning staff start work. The stone floors throughout mean that noise carries so there’s little chance of a lie in I’m afraid. But, you can get up and go to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast with its amazing views and lovely staff.

Honestly the worst stay of any hotel I've ever had without exception. We paid a basic price so weren’t expecting anything posh but the quality was way BELOW basic. Wifi wasn’t working for the entire stay. No amenities in the tiny, run down, outdated room. Old type AC unit making a noise like a freight train. The shower was teeny tiny and depressing. I had to leave the 1970s frosted doors open to avoid claustrophobia. Honestly it felt like a backpacker’s hotel without the excitement. No drinking water, water glasses, or tea/coffee making facilities. No iron…in a hotel…where people go to stay with all their clothes packed into suitcases. I asked at reception if they could provide an iron and the receptionist told me that the hotel doesn’t provide that service and directed me towards a local laundrette… The worst bit though was shortly after checking in, when we realised we were staying at a doggy hotel as a small yappy dog proceeded to bark loudly and incessantly right next to our room for several hours. When we alerted staff to the fact that there was a dog in their hotel, we were told ‘dogs are like children and need to stay somewhere too’. When I asked what their policy is on dogs staying in the hotel, the receptionist was very fuzzy about it and told me they're not allowed, but then changed her mind when we saw another guest walk by the reception area with her doggy in tow. I felt like I was in a sketch from a farcical hotel sitcom…ahem! Lo and behold, they were fully booked so couldn't move us to another room and when I asked for a refund for the booking so we could find a decent hotel without dogs, it was denied. Apparently, she was VERY clear on that part of the hotel’s policy! I honestly have no idea how on earth they've managed to maintain a 'very good' Google review rating. VERY DISAPPOINTING. I strongly recommend giving this one a miss unless you’re specifically looking for a dog friendly hotel and don’t mind it being a bit dreadful. AWFUL!