Diana P.
Google
We stayed four nights at Hotel Metropole Taormina and were generously upgraded to a beautiful oceanfront suite, the view was absolutely breathtaking.
The staff were the highlight: Lucia and Angelique at the front desk, Maria (tours), Enza at the bar, Peppino (Giuseppe Russo) in the restaurant, and Sebastiano from breakfast and (another) Sebastiano at dinner service all made us feel truly welcome. Maria’s complimentary tour is a must – thoughtful and full of fascinating history.
However, this did not feel like a true luxury stay. Our room had a strong sewerage smell for the first two days, and the infinity pool, while stunning, is unheated and too cold to enjoy in late September. Breakfast was very stressful with my gluten- and dairy-free requirements. I was told incorrectly on Day 1 that our package didn’t include à la carte, re-explained my dietaries daily, and one morning waited over an hour for eggs (I appreciated Peppino’s attentiveness in trying to resolve!)
Taormina itself was so crowded on the weekend it was almost impossible to walk the streets, and the noise made sleeping difficult. Do not expect a restful sleep. The charm of the city feels lost to over-tourism, I completely acknowledge I am part of that as a tourist myself. If, like us though, luxury 5 star vacations are something you have saved a long time and planned carefully expecting it to be a certain way… we’d recommend visiting for a day trip rather than staying multiple nights. Taormina is breathtakingly beautiful, but it is not relaxing. The Metropole is central and has some wonderful 5-star staff (named in this review), but the organisation/ establishment itself is not a 5 star experience.
Overall, the views and the staff named are excellent, but the stay didn’t justify the very high price tag. If you go, book an ocean-view room, that’s the one thing that makes it worthwhile!