Hotel Villa Belvedere — Hotel in Taormina

We landed in Catania, rented a car and started the trip to the hotel. In Taormina it is very difficult to find the hotel with the waze application - the application does not recognize the location of the hotel (we were delayed for almost two hours) finally a passerby directed us with a map. When we arrived at the hotel, we discovered that the hotel does not have parking - there is a public parking lot at an unreasonable distance from the hotel, so we had to use the hotel's parking services (30 euros per day - an expense we did not plan that would make the trip very expensive). We arrived at the hotel around 18:30. The hotel employees are very nice and helped us acclimatize. The hotel is tastefully decorated (classic), very clean. The hotel has a pool and an orchard of lemon trees and a stunning garden - creating a romantic and picturesque atmosphere. When we entered the room, we discovered that the room does not have a balcony (as seen in the picture of the reservation) and does not face the view. We asked to change the room several times, but the hotel employees stated that it was not possible (due to computer problems, space, reservations, etc.). The room really hurt our experience of the hotel - we booked the room in the hotel based on the fact that there is a balcony and a view. The hotel is centrally located (close to an entertainment center, and about a 20-minute walk to Isola Bella).

I Can't add my response to the hotel owner, so I'll add my response here. I did not expect such a response from you, but I will probably have to refine my response: We made the reservation through the Holidayfinder website. A third party marketer that you have chosen to market your hotel through. Our reservation was for a basic room, and was based on the picture of the room (which included a sea view and a balcony). There was no detail for the actual location of the room. When we arrived at the hotel, and saw that the room did not match the published picture, we asked to change. It would be fair if the hotel employees were honest and said that the room cannot be changed instead of excuses like "the computer is not working", -We would paid the extra to get the room we wanted. Our reservation at your hotel was made based on the fact that we would have a sea view and a balcony, That's why the rating of the room we got was only 3 stars.

The parking is not indicated on the website/Google. Our car was not parked in the hotel, but in the parking lot outside the hotel. The hotel does have a small parking lot next to the entrance which is not enough. And if there was enough parking for the hotel, I don't think it's reasonable to pay 30 euros per day for parking at the hotel that should be part of the service.

The purpose of the review is to improve/inform the stay for future hotel guests. Part of the information was to avoid using the waze application - which is not accurate, and does not allow arriving at the hotel. I am glad that you offered to call the hotel for guidance, but unfortunately the communication company we chose was very bad, and did not allow us to make calls (the internet was also faulty - luckily the internet in the hotel was available...

Okay, so where do I begin? This was by far one of the best hotel experiences I've had to date. My partner and I were in desperate need of relaxation, beautiful sea views and quiet-oasis living and Hotel Villa Belvedere hit every mark. There are a couple of things that made this stay so worth it for us:

1 - We are partial to boutique hotels because we enjoy holidays with a personal touch. There are many options in Taormina, which can feel overwhelming at first. But while many other hotels in the area are 4-5 star rated, we found many of these hotels feel quite dated and musty inside. Villa Belvedere, on the other hand, perfectly preserves the "old world" feel of the belle-époque Sicilian architecture while still delivering airy modern luxury rooms.

2- The pool area was by far the best and most impressive of the boutique hotels in the area as well. It is a lush green oasis with beautiful views over the sea, and also of the hotel itself. And even when it gets "busy," the atmosphere is still relatively quiet and relaxed. The one other hotel in the area that we considered had their pool separate from the hotel (you have to cross a road to get to it) and deeper research showed us that hotel pools being separate from the hotel grounds isn't uncommon for the area (due to the hilly terrain). So Villa Belvedere made our pool days quite convenient and easy.

3 - Thirdly, the FOOD, omg. So for breakfast, the options are plentiful. Egg dishes, quiches, little pastries, meats, granita, cannolis (the BEST in Taormina), you name it, they have it! I wish I took more photos of the breakfast because that was one of my favorite times of the day. But also, the pool-side restaurant where they serve lunch is also fantastic. In the town of Taormina, there are MANY places to eat, but we ate lunch at the hotel nearly every day of our 8 night stay.

4 - Last, but certainly not least, every one knows that the STAFF can make or break your experience and at Villa Belvedere, they are just so lovely. The same familiar faces tended to us at breakfast, lunch, pool side - always in a good mood and always so friendly. When you first arrive at the hotel, the front desk will provide you with a map and tell you about all the attractions in the area as well as some of their recommendations. As I mentioned, we were there 8 nights and one of the staff who made our stay truly memorable was a woman named Grazia. She regularly checked in on us with a smile and an accommodating "do you need anything?" She was a big part of our stay and really made this a top experience for us!

Do take advantage of the lovely bar they have on the reception floor. I am forgetting the name of the gentleman with the wire-frame glasses who regularly staffed as bartender, but he is so fun and funny. The hotel itself has this regal feel but it also so cozy with many little nooks to just relax, read, or have a drink

All in all, Villa Belvedere was a dream. I am so happy to see that they are now ranked #1 in Taormina; they deserve every bit of it! I hope they continue to stay the lovely family managed boutique hotel they are. Next time I'm in Taormina, I know where I'm...

This property was in an excellent location within walking distance to the main town. However, very deceiving with how they market their rooms so I’d advise anyone who is looking to book here to really read the fine print (which is the only part they write in Italian) stating that the sea rooms with balconies are actually not rooms located in the hotel. You will be brought about 90 metres down the road to an Airbnb style apartment which was extremely disappointing. As much as we still had access to amenities, it’s definitely not the same feeling you’d get actually staying at the hotel. As we checked out, we witnessed many others dealing with the same issue. Clearly, the hotel knows that this causes confusion but they continue to market this way to lure in travellers. For the price we paid for 4 nights, I definitely wouldn’t rebook here knowing this. For a few extra dollars, I’d book somewhere that allows their guests to stay in their hotel and not act as if it was the guests fault for not reading the Italian font they so conveniently add to the end of the room choice.

In response to the “Manager”

I believe you must be the one who is confused so let’s clear some of your poor responses.

I was well aware of what I booked, and have also attached a photo of what I believed to be the appropriate room I paid for. As per the Expedia confirmation, it shows me an array of photos, including views from the actual hotel. Also, last time I checked I don’t believe one should be faulted for booking ahead of time to reserve the desired room.

The day of our check in, we mentioned we would like to be moved into the hotel and we were informed that the only accommodation that could be made was to move us the night before our check out due to no hotel rooms being available. We made mention that we did not care about having a balcony and we would take any room as long as it was inside the hotel. No solution was made there due to the inconvenience it would take to move our belongings and then pack up again.

A couple that was getting the debrief from your concierge made the exact same request we did by saying “Oh, we would like to be inside the hotel” and as your receptionist mentioned that “it’s a deluxe room with included breakfast, it’s still a great room but he will make all his efforts to check and see if there would be an appropriate room INSIDE the hotel.” So, please do not tell me I’m lying, this is a fact.

Your complimentary breakfast was at the very least mediocre. With little to no selection on most days, and the limited amount of breakfast available I wouldn’t call this something that I should be thanking you for. Your ignorance in your response shows your lack of customer service and your incredibly poor transparency amongst you & your staff.

Do not fault the customer for booking and paying for a room in advance and at the very least do not take this opportunity to try and make your shortcomings my...