Taormina Travel Guide
- Molly Brooks
- Sep 1, 2023
- 11 min read
Updated: Mar 14, 2024
Taormina is one of my most favourite places I've ever visited - it's up there with Mykonos, Ibiza, New York, Thailand, The French Riviera and Paris, and I would go as far as saying I preferred it even to the Amalfi Coast... The trip was so magical - from the views to the food to the beaches to the people to the piazzas, everything was pretty much perfection. I can't recommend it enough, although you may not need my recommendation after watching White Lotus. Either way, I've put together a little travel guide from our experience in Sicily to help you plan your trip.
Where We Stayed
Hotel Ariston
We really liked this hotel - it wasn't perfect but we were definitely happy with our choice. Not many hotels in Taormina have a pool, so that was a major selling point for us. It was really pretty with lots of flowers, cacti and palm trees but some parts were a little dated and basic. A lot of the rooms have balconies with a sea view, but I'm pretty sure we were given the worst room in the hotel (downstairs with a view of the courtyard where the bins were kept at the side). It was spacious and had everything we needed, it just wasn't the most glamorous - think beige blankets. I would definitely stay here again, I would just pay a little extra for a sea view. The staff were so nice and helpful, the breakfast buffet had lots of variety just not the highest quality (and again wasn't the most aesthetic room), but there was this one man working every day in particular who was just so sweet. The area around the pool is really nice with loads of sunbeds, we chose the ones on the little terrace which stayed in the sun all day. It wasn't too busy and there weren't that many kids, even in July. There's a really nice area with a view to have drinks in the evening and we didn't have supper at the hotel but the outdoor part of the restaurant looked like a really nice spot to eat (I didn't see the food though). It's about a 5-10 minute walk into the town which is perfect and 25 minutes (down lots and lots of steps) to the beach or you can get the bubble lift which is a 10-minute walk.
Other Hotels I've Seen Recommended:
Hotel Belvedere
Mazzàro Sea Palace
Unahotels Capotaormina
Hotel Continental
Atlantis Bay
Villa Sant'Andrea
La Plage Resort
Grand Hotel San Pietro
Grand Hotel Timeo
Restaurants
Mamma Rosa
Head to this little restaurant that's basically in the middle of the street for my personal favourite pizza of the trip and relaxed vibes. You might have to wait a few minutes for a table (but that's a good sign) - we went twice it was so good.
Al Saraceno
Make the trek up to this restaurant for the most stunning view of the other side of Taormina. We chose the scenic route (a 25-minute hike up hundreds and hundreds of steps resulting in a giant sweat patch on the back of my silk dress) however, in hindsight, the bus would have been a better option. If you book, ask for a table at the edge for the best view - we didn't but it was still beautiful and the atmosphere was just so special and romantic. The special was lobster pasta so obviously I went for that, and I think it was only 35 euros which is a lot cheaper than other places. Also, don't be scared of the litre jug of house white wine, it was actually really good.
Mazzàro Sea Palace - Armònia Restaurant
This is the most gorgeous hotel and it has an equally amazing restaurant. We went here for our anniversary and it was the only time we dined by the beach which was so beautiful. The hospitality was impeccable - they made it seem like they were put on this earth to make sure your meal was a memorable experience. Every member of staff we spoke to wished us a "Happy Anniversary" which was really sweet and just showed that they go above and beyond for their guests. We were greeted with complimentary bubbles to celebrate and our waiter was super attentive and charming. The focaccia in the bread basket blew our minds and there were lots of attentive little details like pouring the olive oil onto the side plates for us and topping up our water as soon as it was running low. We shared the tuna tartare for our starter which was so fresh and delicious. We both wanted the prawn pasta and the sesame-crusted tuna steak for our main courses so we split those as well - they were both fantastic but the tuna in particular was life-changing. And THE WINE was our favourite of the trip, I can't even explain it, it was just so delicious and unique. This was the only thing that ran a little late - our waiter took it off the bill and said it was an anniversary present but I suspect he might just have felt bad for us waiting too long for the wine which speaks volumes to their generosity. We had such a magical evening, I can't recommend it enough.
What To Do
La Plage Resort Beach Club
We wanted a beach club day, which proved quite difficult as unlike other beach destinations The French Riviera, Greece, The Amalfi Coast and Ibiza, there aren't actually that many. I was recommended one called Tao but it was fully booked so I had to look around and most beaches are actually reserved by hotels - many of which are reserved for guests and completely private but some of which are available for others to rent a sunbed for the day. They're expensive, we chose La Plage because we wanted to spend a day on Isola Bella beach, (and because a pizza for lunch was included in the price). Part of the beach is public so you can bring a towel and lie down at one end, but to be honest, we're not the lying-on-stones type. You have to call up and book, and you can choose which package you want (it's a bit of a faff) but when you get there, unfortunately, you can't choose the front row of sunbeds as they're reserved for hotel guests. Nevertheless, it was the perfect first day in Taormina and I would definitely recommend, spending the day with Isola Bella as our view was so magical, the water was clear and the beach club had lovely service and felt like just the right amount of luxury.
Explore Isola Bella
For a few euros, you can buy a ticket to explore the island. You walk across the sandbar (sometimes even without getting your feet wet depending on the time of day) and queue for the ticket office. Then you can wander around and take in the views - it's super cute.
Mazzàro Sea Palace Beach Club
The same hotel as our anniversary supper the night before, we headed back to Mazzàro beach as a treat for our final day. You can't book in advance, you have to call in the morning to see if they have any space since hotel guests have priority. Full transparency, it'll set you back €100 per person. Much like the restaurant, the service was second to none - we were greeted in the lobby and taken down to the beach where we chose a sunbed in the front row and were offered complimentary granita (a Sicilian sorbet type thing), I had lemon and Toto had strawberry, as well as fancy bottled water (it's all in the little details). The sunbeds are like mini mattresses, the water is so refreshing and the view is perfection - it was just magical. In the afternoon, we lay by the pool for a little while because it's beautiful from up there plus we wanted to get our money's worth and I wanted pics. We also had lunch in the restaurant (I'm pretty sure we were at the same table as the night before) where we had a Caprese salad and a pizza which were both delicious. Throughout the day they brought around more refreshments like fruit skewers and lollies (we missed those as we were having lunch at the time) which just added such a special touch and made us feel important - always nice. We stayed as late as possible before we had to leave to get ready for our dinner reservation and it truly was the most stunning day and probably our favourite of the trip.
Atlantis Bay
This spot was an accident - I'd seen a place called "The Mermaid Bay" on TikTok which was meant to be a romantic hidden cove that I thought would be perfect for the morning of our anniversary before our boat day, but when we got there it was a tiny inlet in the shade that was literally just rocks, a pile of boats and a man in a speedo selling excursions. Incidentally, the Atlantis Bay Hotel (sister hotel of Mazzàro) was right next to it - we guessed it had the same €100/day price tag and it looked super exclusive, but we chanced it and took two sunbeds right in the corner. It's a unique little beach as there isn't actually any sand or pebbles - it's more like a platform and there are steps into the sea, but it was so peaceful and serene. We thought our non-hotel towels had given us away and that we were busted when we saw someone in uniform coming over to us, but they were actually offering us a complimentary mandarin-flavoured granita so we stayed non-descript for the morning, took a few dips in the sea and were very pleased with ourselves for getting away with it.
Public Gardens
The public gardens are just by the town and worth a wander - we walked through on the way to dinner and took in the views from the edge, it's just a pretty spot worth popping into.
Piazza IX Aprile
You kind of can't not visit the Piazza if you go into the town at all, but I have to make sure and recommend it anyway. It's so beautiful, especially the church and the clock tower, plus the trees have pink flowers! There's a stunning view of the bay and Mount Etna and whenever we walked through there were always live musicians which added to the atmosphere.
Boat Day
We hired a boat for one of the afternoons via Click & Boat. We got it with a skipper because I may or may not have crashed the boat last year and had to pay for a new propellor (I actually have a boat licence but I took the test when I was 14 and I don't remember it at all), but it was also just nice to relax and be driven around rather than having to focus or worry. We went around all the caves and coves and our skipper told us about all the history and culture. We stopped to jump off the boat, swim and snorkel and it was just the best way to spend an afternoon - we always make sure to do a boat day on holiday. It went from the nearby port called Giardini Naxos which is about 20 minutes on the bus and it was super easy to get to, but we asked to be dropped back off in Taormina which meant we didn't have to make the journey back.
Vineyard
We went to a vineyard for a wine-tasting afternoon which was so much fun - there are loads to choose from but we went to Scilio Winery which it turned out nobody had heard of. It ended up being really beautiful - it was a really small family-run vineyard so we were the only people there and had a private tour! We tried 4 wines and were given lots of meat, cheese, olives and bread - they were super accommodating when I told them I don't eat meat and brought more food like sun-dried tomatoes and extra cheese. It was only about 35 euros each but the taxis are like €150 return because all the vineyards are about 45 mins away - I think some tours you can book include transport so maybe look into those.
Drinks
Grand Hotel Timeo
I'm recommending this for just drinks retrospectively, but we actually came here for dinner on our last night and it was the most expensive yet most disappointing meal of the trip. Basically, don't go to eat but it's an absolutely beautiful hotel, so go to the bar for a yummy cocktail with a beautiful view and some really stunning live music.
Now, I want to keep this post positive because I loved Taormina so much, but I just had to write a scathing review of the dining experience, so head to the end if you want to read my rant about the restaurant.
The Piazza
Lots of little restaurants are dotted around the beautiful piazza and they're the perfect spot to stop for a drink and watch the world go by. We didn't eat at any of them but we had a glass of wine and a Sicilian beer on our first night and it was the perfect introduction to our trip.
The Hotels
If you've picked a hotel with a view, a nice bar or a pretty pool area, make the most of it and stay there for a drink! If not, take a look at some other hotels because you can walk into pretty much any of them and have a cocktail at their bar. Our hotel had a really nice spot to have an evening drink before heading out to dinner, but there were plenty of others we could have explored too.
For more content from my trip, take a look at my "Sicily" Instagram story highlights and feel free to DM me with any more questions!
*rant incoming*
Ristorante Timeo was the most expensive yet most disappointing meal of the trip which was such a shame. I'd been so excited for this evening and after walking through the hotel gardens and being seated at our table with the most stunning view, I had high hopes. However, the good impressions ended there and I'm now faced with the dilemma of trying to work out which was worse: the service or the food. I sound like such an ungrateful brat, wow - I promise I'm not. While I will admit to being a diva I'm also a chronic optimist who always wants to make the most of things (especially occasions, things I had high expectations for or expensive things) and despises complaining or being negative. On this occasion, not even my "Oh but portions are always small at places like this" or "the wine is actually pretty good it's just a bit different" or "at least they gave us a really nice table" could salvage the experience. The waiters gave the impression of petulant children who had been forced to stay and work at their parents' diner on the weekend when all their friends were going water-skiing - basically, it was as if they'd rather be anywhere else and made no effort to disguise their disdain. The portions were minuscule which is to be expected at fine dining restaurants, but the trade-off is meant to be that they're delicious. Toto's tortellini was pretty good, but the spinach and ricotta tortellini from M&S is also pretty good. Mine, on the other hand, was a tiny bowl of suspicious green disgustingness (I promise I'm not usually like this). I've just realised I've written a huge, negative paragraph and I feel bad because that's probably not enjoyable to read and I want this to be a positive space, but I just need to emphasise this to make sure you don't eat here. I NEVER send food back, I find it so awkward and I feel so rude, but after force-feeding myself a few mouthfuls, I couldn't go on. I was met with "So what do you want me to do about it?" and was eventually (reluctantly) offered the option of swapping for another dish - I chose the cod arancini which was delicious (also comically tiny) but I felt like I was in trouble for doing so. Oh, and the wine didn't arrive until well after the mains. Basically, it's an absolutely beautiful hotel, so go to the bar for a yummy cocktail with a beautiful view and some really stunning live music, but go literally anywhere else for dinner.
Comments