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!

We spent 3 nights in this hotel and booked a classic and deluxe room, the latter of which was upgraded to a design luxury suite. Staff was very friendly and we appreciated the well served welcome drink. The suite had a nice view on the strait of messina and a comfortable bathroom with huge shower. The classic room for our daughters was rather small but had a very large terrace area with sunbeds and a view on the Etna.|The existing pool is rather small but very soon (still in August we were told) they will open an additional inviting infinity pool which will offer a much nicer view too as they are expanding the hotel with additiinal rooms. A pity it was not open yet when we arrived! It is the sister hotel of downtown villa Carlotta (same owners). Main difference is the location as Ducale is situated much higher offering a great view on the city. There is a staircase road from the Santa madonna dell rocca church nearby which takes you to the center of Taormina in less than ten minutes. The shuttle service from the hotel every hour of the day till 22:30 is a welcome service as taking the uphill road back to the hotel is a bit of an exercise in the heat but in the end we did it a couple of times as we enjoyed a small work-out. (The road is featured in the White Lotus filmed in Taormina when one of the guests goes for a morning run). Breakfast is served on the terrace with views on Mount Etna. Oh and the nearby Sarracena restaurant offers great food and views on the city at night! Overall we have very good memories of this hotel!

This is a magical place we drove from Catania to Taormina and getting up to the hotel was so exciting. We will welcome by a team of very caring people went through all of the amenities with us breakfast with served every day with lovely waiters and waitresses. There is a community area that you can sit down and have a cocktail at and look out at the Mediterranean. Housekeeping was wonderful as was old is that I highly recommend this hotel. The rooms were extremely spacious looting the bathroom the water pressure was outstanding which is unusual in my experience. Again I recommend this place very highly

We had a fantastic stay at this hotel. We had a room (design suite) which overlooked the bay and it was really quiet with absolutely stunning views. |We used the hotel shuttle to get in to town every day and this was a really easy process using their WhatsApp messaging system . |All of the staff were extremely polite, friendly and helpful . They expertly arranged for us to go up in a helicopter over Etna - even arranging a taxi to take us there. It was seamless service. They also booked a taxi to nearby Castelmola which was a beautiful place for a couple of hours to have lunch and a stroll. |The breakfast every day was really good. A lovely selection of fruits yoghurt, pastries, salmon, some hot meat and eggs etc. The view from the hotel over Mount Etna is absolutely perfect.|We would definitely stay at this hotel again!

This hotel was perfect. The rooms were big and had a wonderful terrace. The AC in the room worked well. The bathroom was okay because the toilet is separate from the sinks and shower, which is nice so people can use them at the same time. However, it would be more convenient if a sink was added with the toilet.|The new pool area opened recently. The book in the room says it opens at 9, but it actually opened at 10 every day. It should open earlier. The lobby and dining area are very good. Dinner was amazing, and breakfast had a great selection.|The staff are all so kind. They also have a private shuttle that takes you to and from the town and hotel.|Overall, the hotel is perfect. The view and location are amazing.

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!!!

The hotel has spectacular views and lovely common spaces. The staff is friendly and professional. Unfortunately, our Deluxe Room was a big disappointment. It was very small, even by European standards (barely room for the bed and two nightstands; not even room for a chair). Odors vented into our room from the adjacent kitchen. In addition, we were awakened early in the morning when the kitchen/dining staff went to work. (Notably, Deluxe is Not the lowest room category.) ||The room had a lovely terrace, but unfortunately there was construction going on in the building next door with workers hammering, etc all day long (even Saturday). Once they left, the terrace was peaceful and offered gorgeous views. We asked if we could move to another Deluxe room, but were informed the only other one available received even more guest complaints:(||The hotel is in a peaceful area of Taormina. There's a shuttle that takes you into town, or you can walk. We used the shuttle in the evenings.||Restaurant food is good.||Maybe we were just unlucky in our room assignment, but given our experience, I would not recommend.

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!

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