“Lovely, authentic, but remote!”

In recent years I've taken to holidaying in places where I can understand and be understood so then I choose Sicily! We're all complicated and contradictory! This hotel is really lovely and aesthetically Sicilian. My only quibble on the aesthetic side is that the inside dining area is a bit bland. … more

In recent years I've taken to holidaying in places where I can understand and be understood so then I choose Sicily! We're all complicated and contradictory! This hotel is really lovely and aesthetically Sicilian. My only quibble on the aesthetic side is that the inside dining area is a bit bland. We avoided it for that reason - choosing instead to either dine out or walk about 1 min up the road to a very pretty restaurant ('Margherita' - I think) and equally reasonable prices - worth knowing as Taormina is not cheap. Consider how you get about before booking, this hotel has a free shuttle to/from Taormina but it's limited and you have to book ahead. The hotel is set on a cliff side so you will need to walk uphill at some point, some other guests with walking aids were not happy with their respective travel agents! The airy atrium is nice as is the inside seating area. Bar staff are very good and the cocktails done professionally. Everything is charged to your room so factor in and keep a rough tally would be my advice. The rooms are fine, bathrooms could do with a makeover in my view - especially the showers as it is highly likely that your bathroom floor will be soaked afterwards! Not all rooms have a safe, ours did but my daughter's didn't. Might be useful to specify when booking. The beds are huge and comfy, TV will let you access your own streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Apple). All electrical points are two prong so bring enough converters for your electric needs. Staff are all great and will try and help you. English is not their first language (naturally) so communication can be difficult at times, just be clear about what you are asking. There is a Gym, though it's not brilliant TBF, the treadmills weren't working and the weights only go as high as 10kg. The pools are freshwater (not chlorinated) but are a joy to swim in and are cleaned regularly. There are two pools, the lower one you can stand up in, the higher one is 3M deep all around. There are towels available. There is also a Wellness Centre on the 4th floor with a range of treatments available. There is entertainment on an evening -- a lovely singer who interpreted lots of very well known tunes into a jazz style, it was almost a case of guess the tune, she has a great vocal range and is very personable. My wife and daughter (typically) led the dancing!! The hotel entertain travelling parties as well (folk who are touring the island) so to us it was really busy one night then quieter the next etc. Breakfast is mostly a selection of croissants, cakes and fruits/salads with cereal and yoghurts available. There is also lots of breads and bacon and scrambled eggs. On the whole, a beautiful Sicilian hotel, very helpful staff, authentic with views to die for over the Ionian Sea. It is set into a cliff and you do need to think about getting about due to it's location. Would highly recommend.

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“Views, views, views!”

We’re just back from a very relaxing and enjoyable week. I largely agree with the detailed review by ‘Jacmac’ one week ago. I would add the following: Recommend paying for a Luxury Sea View Room with Terrace. Ours was on the 4th floor of the new building. Huge room, bathroom and stunning views. Lou… more

We’re just back from a very relaxing and enjoyable week. I largely agree with the detailed review by ‘Jacmac’ one week ago. I would add the following: Recommend paying for a Luxury Sea View Room with Terrace. Ours was on the 4th floor of the new building. Huge room, bathroom and stunning views. Loungers and table/chairs on the terrace. Very comfortable bed. Pool area was excellent. 2 large pools, one deep and one normal but both with stunning views. Pretty quiet most days with plenty of loungers available. Fabian does a fantastic job and is very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable about the area. He is a real asset to the hotel. The shuttle service to Taormina was reliable and worked well. We usually booked a day in advance and never had a problem. Breakfast and the buffet dinner can both be taken on the restaurant terrace which also has stunning views of the bay. Good idea to be there at 7:30. The food is good but I would advise eating out in Taormina at least every other night. My only criticism is the misleading descriptions of the ‘hotel beach’ and the ‘free shuttle to the nearby beach club’. Fortunately the hotel pools were so good that it didn’t matter. I would definitely return to Baia Taormina.

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“Almost 5 stars”

I hardly ever write reviews but there have been a few quite damning comments on here which worried me after booking/before arriving so thought I could offer some reassurance! We’ve just returned from a wonderfully relaxing week at Baia Taormina. The hotel is a typically Italian beach hotel - warm a… more

I hardly ever write reviews but there have been a few quite damning comments on here which worried me after booking/before arriving so thought I could offer some reassurance! We’ve just returned from a wonderfully relaxing week at Baia Taormina. The hotel is a typically Italian beach hotel - warm and welcoming, very picturesque, quirky and slightly old fashioned. It’s mostly fabulous but there are a few flaws which could easily be addressed to make the experience even better. First the good things. The absolute stars of the place are the staff - in particular on reception, in the main bar and the pool guy/lifeguard - helpful, genuinely friendly and very smiley. The views from everywhere, including the rooms, are amazing. The pools are lovely with plenty of well spaced sun beds (in September) and again glorious views of Taormina and the sea. The “private” beach is quite difficult to access (steep rickety steps) and is tiny. You could swim in the sea from the rocks but probably wouldn’t want to spend much time there. However if you’re prepared to climb over some not especially challenging rocks you can get to a longer stretch of beach and a decent walk along the coastline. There’s another beach further along with which the hotel has an arrangement for sunloungers/umbrellas and a shuttle bus service. Lots of reviews have complained about the accommodation. Maybe we were lucky but our room (in the main building) was spacious and clean with a large terrace. The bathroom was similarly large and clean although with old fittings which could maybe do with some limescale remover. The shower was over the bath with no screen or curtain or handrail. There was a mini fridge/bar with the usual overpriced soft drinks and beers (but plenty of room to store your own) and a kettle with coffee and tea. As several reviewers have pointed out there are no glasses, only flimsy plastic cups but its easy enough to “borrow” proper glasses from the restaurant so not really a problem. There was a very tiny safe in the wall - hard to spot and need to request a key from reception. It held a couple of phones and passports not really room for much else. The only real issue with our room was that the only mirror was above the sink in the bathroom. No full length mirror so needed to check reflection in the glass terrace door or in the lift on the way out 🫣 Food was fine if a little ordinary. Breakfast was a typical continental spread of cold meats and cheeses plus (mostly cold) scrambled eggs and bacon. Lots of really delicious pastries. A coffee machine and a barista. Prosecco and fresh juices. We had dinner at the hotel twice (€35 pp plus drinks). It was a buffet with cold antipasti and side dishes and two or three hot primi/main dishes. A pasta station and a grill station for fish and meat. It was fine but very similar on both nights. Tables outside with fabulous views and lots of less atmospheric seating indoors. The pool bar was nice but the menu is a bit limited - basically toasted sandwiches and salads. Evening entertainment was very low key (which we liked). A wonderful vocalist, Federica, sang most evenings. There was a Sicilian folk music night on the day we left. Good cocktail list and the barman makes a good negroni. Finally the biggest drawback, in my view at least, and one that could easily be addressed - access to Taormina. The hotel is very isolated. In a way this is a positive because it’s an oasis of calm to return to after a day’s sightseeing. But it can also mean you’re trapped in the hotel. It’s on a reasonably busy main carriageway with no pavement. There are no shops within walking distance and there is no hotel shop. There is one small restaurant a 5 minute walk away but we didn’t risk being squashed by an italian lorry. The hotel runs a free shuttle bus service but it’s not nearly adequate. It’s scheduled to run hourly into Taormina and back. However it only takes 8 people and has to be booked in advance either on the day (limited availability) or one day ahead. So you have to plan and can’t easily change your allotted time if you decide to do something different. Even more frustrating - if a coach party arrives at the hotel (there were at least three during our week there…) they seem to take priority and the shuttle bus is out of action for most of the day. So you’re stuck at the hotel or need to book a taxi which is €35 each way! A public bus (Interbus) has a bus stop directly outside the hotel and takes 20-30 minutes into Taormina for €2.50. It doesn’t run very frequently (less than hourly and there are big gaps in the schedule) but it takes you into the centre of Taormina. You can pay onboard or book tickets online. The hotel has a timetable (if you ask). So many guests were complaining about the shuttle service I find it hard to believe that the hotel is doing nothing to address the problem. It should be relatively simple (if expensive) to lay on another bus and run every 30 minutes during peak periods. And maybe guarantee that the bus runs for all guests every day with no exceptions. It would make a huge difference. Baia Taormina is a lovely hotel with lots of positives. A few tweaks here and there and an overhaul of the shuttle bus service would make it excellent. Nb. There is scaffolding/refurbishment work on a large building immediately adjacent to the hotel. There was no activity/noise from the site while we were there and it’s possible that work is suspended during the tourist season- but might be worth checking before booking…

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“Isolated hotel with poor service”

Pros and cons of this hotel: Pros - clean room with good facilities Good quality food Good views Some polite and helpful staff at pool and pool bar Cons - Every few nights the hotel takes in coach parties and from early evening until after breakfast the next day these guests are the priority- th… more

Pros and cons of this hotel: Pros - clean room with good facilities Good quality food Good views Some polite and helpful staff at pool and pool bar Cons - Every few nights the hotel takes in coach parties and from early evening until after breakfast the next day these guests are the priority- the restaurant manager even called away our waiter mid- order to attend to someone else ! At dinner and breakfast the coach guests eat so much that there is hardly anything left and desserts are then replaced with frozen options. There is even a sign asking guests not to steal food. The coach party arrivals also impact on the availability of the shuttle to Taormina which only takes 8 guests at a time, as there are not enough staff to accommodate every service. There are several hotel lifts but they are often out of service, if you are on the top floor it’s 3 lifts to reach your room. Is also a lift to the pool which is intermittently available so not suitable for those with limited mobility. There are no restaurants nearby and so if you don’t want to eat at the hotel then you will need a car or taxi - walking is not an option as the main road is busy. Customer service at reception is very poor- our pre booked taxi did not arrive (booked for a time during the arrival of a coach party) and we were told that it wasn’t the hotel’s fault. We couldn’t trust them to book our airport transfer for this reason. We had to ask for excursion details and then were just given a leaflet- no offer of help or suggestions about where to go. Despite all this we did have a great time, but sadly this hotel just wasn’t what we expected.

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