Let's start with the positives. The hotel has an unbeatable location/view, the grounds and gardens are beautiful, the swimming pool area is very relaxing, and the breakfast is delicious, with great-quality ingredients.
Now the negatives: the actual hotel is falling apart, very old and even the refurbished parts are done in the cheapest way possible, making it look and feel off. I would have given this property three stars as I think it's a passable accommodation in the expensive Taormina, but I have to stick with two since on our first night the lamp USB in the room started smoking and was about to catch fire. Luckily, we were not fully asleep yet and able to catch it. Once we flagged it and followed up, the actual light switch/usb charger was replaced, but the melted lamp USB was plugged back in, making us question how seriously the issue was taken. The staff was apologetic and confirmed all the proper checks were made, but the fact that the melted USB was plugged back in didn't feel us with confidence. We've decided to drop it, not plug the lamps or any of our powerful chargers/hair tools and be happy it was our last night.
This property has great potential, but it's far away from luxurious and definitely not a four star property.
Shuttle service (additional charge)