Taormina Hotel Villa Ducale

I can’t say enough about Villa Ducale. From the very moment we arrived the staff made us feel like family. They greeted us with Prosecco, showed us to our room, and literally catered to us from start to finish.The front desk staff (Santina, Giuliana, and Daniele) were so incredibly friendly and saw to our every need. Guiseppe, Francesco, and Max waited on us with impeccable manners. The accommodations were clean and comfortable and the view was stunning.. We even had our own little balcony. finally, chef Enrico prepared the most delicious dinner we have ever had! We will definitely come back!

Wonderful experience! Highly recommend this beautiful boutique hotel perched in the hills above Taormina that gives sweeping views of the sea and Mt Etna and gives impeccable, high quality service and hospitality. The new infinity pool is so perfect! Like a dream. Our private terrace was so beautiful! The staff, I can’t say enough about how warm and friendly they are- truly I felt like we were received like family. The breakfast offers delicious local fresh foods with great variety and the Incanto restaurant as well has creative cocktails, great wine list and gorgeous food with literally the best view in Taormina. Free shuttle to and from city center and beaches- this hotel is my home when I go to Taormina for so many reasons! Go visit them and you will discover another jewel in the crown of Taormina. Unforgettable experience!

What an incredible experience at Villa Ducale. EVERYTHING exceeded our expectations. ||||From the moment we arrived, their team made us feel so comfortable. The front desk ladies gave us a glass of champagne, gave us directions and let us check in early. ||||The hotel and rooms were beautiful and had the best views in all of Taormina. The restaurant, food and ambiance was divine!||||The staff knew it was my birthday, sang me happy birthday and gave me cannoli and tiramisu. ||||Overall, the experience was incredible. Thank you so much to the staff for making the such an amazing stay!

Our first time in Sicily with Taormina being our first stop. We arrived at hotel Villa Ducale and received the warmest welcome ever from Santina and Daniel. All the staff were amazing and helpful here including the dining staff but we had the most interaction with Santina and she made a lasting impression! We would go back just for that reason! The infinity pool overlooking the sea from high in the cliff is amazing. Breakfast was great with an equally amazing view. We had a welcome dinner that was exceptional, and the night view was also amazing. Rooms are kind of small but adequate, but the staff , the food, the complimentary shuttle to town, the food and the pool made the room size irrelevant. Our only concern was that we only planned 3 nights there but needed 5! We look forward to returning to Villa Ducale!

It was our first time to Taormina, so no comparison possible, but I genuinely find it very hard to believe there is a hotel better than Villa Ducale!|The view is fabulous, the hotel very charming. |We especially loved Villa Ducale for its boutique and intimate atmosphere, which suited us far better than the bustling, touristy center of Taormina.|The road to the hotel is not easy (narrow and curvy) but the hotel arranges a shuttle service to the centre, every hour.|Finally, special thanks to Giuliano and Daniel - the concierges - who were a tremendous help to plan our holiday! They suggested restaurants, activities, etc, and helped us to plan and book everything - never experienced service like this before!

I can’t say enough good things about this hotel! The staff is very friendly and helpful. The restaurant has a great menu with amazing views - the suckling pig was fantastic along with the breads, pasta, and super fresh tomato salad. They even provided binoculars for us to see the lava spewing from Mt. Etna! The modern, yet cozy decor of the entire property was thoughtfully curated, and detailed. Our room was bellissimo! The view is the cherry on top for this incredible boutique hotel - 10/10 recommend!!!

Beautiful hotel with beautiful rooms and views. Service was excellent- shout out to Max during breakfast for just being wonderfully attentive. The hotel also has a restaurant with a beautiful view where you can easily watch the sunset. The infinity pool was lovely as well

Absolutely wonderful experience here! The staff was phenomenal and made us feel right and home and well-cared for, and went above and beyond to make us feel special! The property itself is absolutely lovely as well! Amazing views, outstanding rooms, and the restaurant is lovely! Despite being high up in the hills, it’s still easy to get to the town. Would highly recommend staying here and I hope to be back sometime! Thanks for the lovely time!

Absolutely unforgettable! The view of Mt. Etna is beyond words--hands down the best I've seen anywhere. The food matched the scenery: fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Service was attentive without being overbearing. This isn't just a meal, it's an experience you'll remember long after you leave. A must-do and well worth going further into the hills...

Our experience was absolutely horrible from day one. We booked a trip through Luxury Link (now defunct). The package included the stay in an ocean view room breakfast and one dinner at a local restaurant. The staff was anything but friendly. We were put in a room across the street not ocean view, basically staff and travel agents. No a/c. The room was terrible and jacuzzi was non operational not disclosed. We would go the main hotel where we booked early and were shown into the back of the bus in the restaurant although many tables upfront were available. We were treated very badly although we went into this trip to Italy with high expectations and no attitude - all we got was bad attitude. When were ordered breakfast we ordered Italian expresso - the waitress slammed down our coffees and said American coffee not ordered. Inexcusable behavior. Our luggage was lost for 3 days on a 6 day trip and when the airline delivered it to the hotel. It was left on the sidewalk and not delivered to our room until they procured a tip. I will never go back the hoteliers were rude and we did nothing to deserve the horrible treatment we received. Don't go to this hotel if you are American.

Sicily was the last stop on our annual vacation and we decided on Taormina as the base for traveling during a 7 day period. But which hotel? After lots of research, we chose Villa Ducale. Pros: - Views are magnificent from the restaurant and patios of the individual rooms. You get a 180 degree panorama with Taormina and the Mediterranean down the hills to the east and Mt Etna to the west. - Great people on the reception desk. Very helpful with information, reservations and arrangements for luggage and keeping our car safe in their parking lots. - Very good food...especially at the included buffet breakfast which had lots of fresh ingredients...and the servers were quite personable - Bathroom was nice with excellent water pressure - Shuttle service to and from Taormina in the hotel van was an added convenience - A paved trail starting 3-4 blocks from Villa Ducale allows people to walk down to the shopping district (20-30 minutes) and climb back up (we didn't try). Vistas are amazing. - The mountain top town of Castelmora is a 5-7 minute drive up the road from Villa Ducale and offered charming shops and restaurants with "top of the world" views Cons: - We had a Junior Suite where the only difference from a "regular room" was some extra space for a large bench - Try as we might, there was no access to English language TV stations with current news. That was especially tough since the Middle East was thrown into turmoil on day #1 of our 7 day stay. - Housekeeping didn't seem to change the sheets more than every 3 days, but they cleaned the room each day - Toilet paper seemed to be single ply or verrrrry thin 2 ply Despite those few qualms, we're glad we chose Villa Ducale and recommend it to other travelers.

This was our second stay at Villa Ducale (May 2023 and September 2024). The hotel was recommended from friends that have stayed there in the past. Both stays left us with a desire to return. The accommodations were impeccable; the staff and cuisine were exceptional; and the views are breathtaking! Truly a "la dolce vita" experience that I recommend! Enza

My favorite place I've ever stayed, hands down! The perfect hotel for my daughter and me. Perfect location, perfect rooms, perfect food, perfect view and, above all, perfect staff who ended up feeling like family. What a special place! Spotlessly clean also. If I come to Sicily again, this is the only place I would stay. Also, Cheeccio (sp?), Massimo Snr., Francesco and the kind chef (forgot his name) went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and special. The chef even helped me celebrate my daughter's college graduation by creating a special dessert for her; he did this on his own accord! Kudos to the owner for hiring THE BEST, most professional and friendliest staff - I hope you pay them well!

Stayed there quite a few years ago and was treated so terribly felt compelled to share my experience. I purchased a 5 day stay through the then site luxury link; I only reserved 4 days by mistake and hotel did not speak to me about mistake just took the money and shorted me 1 day. I booked a room in the main hotel with all amenities. When we arrived we were greeted by a very lackluster hotel staff and told our room was across the street in the adjunct hotel no views. The hotel was not full and there were no other people that we saw in this inferior room. Every day when we went for breakfast, with only a few other couples there we were given the last table not oceanfront view and treated so poorly by wait staff. We ordered expresso and the waitress shoved a cup of coffee in front of us and said very loudly American coffee which we didn't order. The airline lost our luggage and when it was finally delivered 1 day before we left we found it left on the sidewalk and we had to lug it over to our miserable room. They didn't even have the courtesy to take it to our room. Altogether a very terrible stay. We came in with high hopes not "ugly American" attitude and were treated with reverse discrimination. The excellent reviews maybe reflect new ownership and a new improved demeanor. Went up the hill to another town and found a perfectly lovely restaurant and were treated well, ate there several times and the owner was a great friendly person.

Amazing views, amazing staff, fresh food, fantastic rooms, superb service and the shuttle service up and down the mountain was a game changer. Daniel, one of the members of management, will make sure you stay is superb. He was a wonderful and kind person. The Owners should make sure to never lose him. If you want to wake up eating breakfast over looking the bay above the cliffs, walk down the stairs into town and hop a ride back with the courtesy shuttle - this is the hotel for you.

Small boutique hotel located on the road to Castlemola, up-mountain from Taormina. The staff is among the friendliest I've every experienced and they will go out of their way to ensure your every need is met. They offer a great happy hour and free shuttle service into downtown Taormina, although my wife and I preferred to walk during daylight hours. The jacuzzi was not open in March, but they offered the use of a nearby spa. I would definitely stay there again.

There are good hotels and great hotels but this one is Superlative! From the moment you arrive you are treated like family. We were welcomed by the charming Manila who gave us a detailed orientation of the surrounding locales. All the rooms with balconies are idyllic, The views breathtaking and the shuttle to and from town is prompt and efficient. The little touches like afternoon tea make it feel like home. Like every other charming guest I've met, I will plan on coming back soon!

Beautiful view of the coast of Sicily and the Greek area of Naxos. There was a lot to offer in the area and the hotel was a nice walk to the downtown spot. Entire staff was very friendly and willing to help us set up tours, transportation, dinner reservations, etc. Nice, small hotel with a friendly neighborhood feel to it. Would definitely recommend!

My wife and I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Sicily. The trip was perfect except for our stay at the Hotel Villa Ducale in Taormina, where we stayed for 4 nights. Taormina was even more beautiful that we expected, however the Villa Ducale was a disappointing experience. When we arrived at Hotel Villa Ducale, we were greeted by Santi who asked us for our car keys. Even though we are not comfortable handing our car to valet, we felt the need to comply since it is the policy of the hotel. Big mistake!!! After admiring the view from the terrace, we were excited to go see our "Suite-De-Luxe". We had the first of what was to be a series of disappointments at the Hotel Villa Ducale. We followed Santi to a building accross the street where the view was a dirt mountain with a small peek of the ocean. When we expressed our unhapiness, Santi conducted us to a room half the size in the main building. Given our choices, we decided to keep the first. Trying to make the best of our stay, we decided to try the restaurant. Second mistake, the fish that my wife ordered was inedible!! After a tiring car trip and a horrible dinner we went to sleep hoping that the next day will be better. Well, it had rained during the night and was still raining which made it impossible to cross the street to the main building for breakfast without getting our shoes drenched because of the river that the street becomes when it rains ( they provided no help with this issue). The day that we left was still raining. Our third disappointment came when we got to Siracusa. After parking the car, we noticed a series of new scratches (still with pieces of the wall where it was parked next to) on the rental-car. We were mortified but trusted that Sra. Rosaria Quartucha (the friendly owner of Hotel Villa Ducale) will respond to the matter. After waiting a couple of days for her response to our email, we got a letter from a Manager denying any responsibility for the damage of the car. This was ridiculous since the scratches clearly showed that they were made by parking. He even sent us a video of the time we left where as he thought there was no visible damage. It turns out his video came in very handy, because when you zoom it, it clearly shows the damage is there. We are now stuck with a €840 Euro bill from Enterprise!!! What a frustrating experience we had at the Hotel Villa Ducale. If you really want to enjoy Taormina, stay close to the tiny beautiful town not far away from everything on the side of a mountain. Stayed November 2014