Hotel Ariston & Palazzo Santa Caterina

The rooms are a little dated but they are clean, the location of this hotel is perfect, about 10 minute walk to the main part, 15 minute walk to Isola Bella (all up hill the way back). The hotel pool and grounds were beautiful. The hotel breakfast was amazing and our favourite of all the hotels we stayed at on our trip in Sicily

Well-located and functional, but not a hidden gem The location is definitely a plus — it’s very convenient for exploring Taormina. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot inside the hotel area (for an additional fee). Just note that once you park, you can’t take the car out again, as the gate remains closed. But honestly, you won’t want to drive in Taormina anyway 😉. If no on-site space is available, the hotel offers access to a nearby parking area. The hotel has rooms spread across different buildings, and I imagine the standard varies quite a bit. We stayed in one of the older buildings. The room wasn’t in the best shape maintenance-wise, but it was clean and had everything we needed: a comfortable bed, a fridge with a minibar, basic toiletries, and even plenty of toilet paper 😉, which, surprisingly, isn’t always guaranteed in Sicily. Breakfast was clearly catered toward British and American tourists, with a wide variety of options, though the quality was average and quite far from the Italian way of doing breakfast. We didn’t use the pool — other guests had less-than-glowing things to say about it, so we decided to skip it. Overall, based on our 16-day trip around Sicily staying in various places, I’d say Hotel Ariston is not a cozy or particularly charming place — but given how difficult it is to find a “hidden gem” in Taormina at a still kind of reasonable price, it’s hard to complain too much. It does the job. Just don’t expect boutique hotel vibes or a personal touch. The staff seemed stressed and not very warm or humorous. You’ll get what you need — but without that little extra something that makes a stay feel special.

Not a bad hotel but not a great one either. On the plus side my room was good, nicely sized with a big, comfy bed and a private terrace to sit on. The reception staff were helpful and accommodating in the main. One of the bar staff, however, needs to learn to smile or find another job, he was not helpful at all and the drinks service was painfully slow. There were only 2 choices of snacks on the snack menu and no nuts with drinks. The breakfast was a bit basic and lacking in variety and the coffee was disappointing. As others have mentioned, you need to be aware of the hilly nature of the site and be prepared to get sore calf muscles from doing all the climbing. At least it is close to the bus terminal and not too far from the town centre.