Hotel Villa Sonia

Beautiful views nice large spacious room very friendly

Me and my husband stayed in this hotel for four nights. Although this hotel comes under 4star ratings but we felt it was not the case. Hotel was situated far from Taormina in a place called Caselmola. Cons- Location not near Taormina, walking to Taormina and back involved a very strenuous 40 min walk up and down big parts of which were very steep, definitely not for the faint hearted. Hotel provided a shuttle bus, which very disappointingly only did three trips to Taormina and two back. The first bus at 10am was always fully booked and it took only 6 people at a time The next bus after that was after 4pm. Considering the hotel is so far from the Taormina , there should be more frequent shuttle service to give people flexibility, at least every hour at peak times. Hotels overall look was very dated, from the curtains, table cloths and the bedcovers could have been done with a fresh clean look. The beds were very basic and seemed old and very uncomfortable to sleep in. We were on fourth floor and there was a constant noise from the people upstairs,which kept us awake at night. Therefore the sleep quality for us both was very poor during our four night stay. Drinking water apart from the first day was not complimentary, Considering the hotel was situated on a hill and there was not a grocery store close by. Breakfast provided was very basic and did not provide any fresh hot stuff. It always felt that they were under staffed. There were no sockets in the rooms? but only USB charging points to charge the phones, which meant if we were out all day, our phones would not charge quickly when we came back to the room. There was only one socket point and that was in the bathroom, which meant, we took turns to charge our phones. Being only one socket in the bathroom also meant, we could only use our hair appliances in the bathroom and not in the room, which made doing everything together and getting ready not easy. To book a sauna you had to book in advance and pay, which again is not a norm for a 4 star hotel. The only pro of the hotel? was the view from our room balcony which we had thankfully requested for at the time of booking. Although the reception staff were very helpful but our overall experience of our stay in this hotel was very disappointing, considering it was not cheap.

Views

Breakfast is ridiculous they charge for capuccino , eggs , and a lot of products

The location was perfect, hotel was very clean with big rooms and balcony. Also it was very comfortable.

The breakfast was poor and staff wasn’t friendly.

We had originally booked to stay in June 2025 but unfortunately my husband had to go into hospital. I contacted the hotel and despite the booking being non-refundable they very kindly issued a voucher to the amount we paid to use later in the year. We finally went at the beginning of September and the hotel more than exceeded our expectations. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly, our room was so comfortable had the most wonderful view of Etna from our balcony. We loved the quirkiness of the interior furnishings and fittings of the hotel. Breakfast was plentiful and for us had lots of choice. The swimming pool was lovely and there were always free sunbeds. It was nice to have a bar at the pool. We ate in the restuarant a couple of times, the food was delicious and lots of it, my husband in particular loved the Panna Cotta and they give a 10% discount on the main course. We loved the location of the hotel, it was a five minute walk to the hill top village of Castlemola where there were numerous cafes and restuarants and again spectaular views of Taormina and the surrounding area. We particularly loved the square in Castlemola where the church is located. The hotel have a shuttle bus 3 times a day to Taormina (and back) which is complimentary to its' guests. It drops you off and picks you up at Porta Catania, which is just a few minutes walk to the start of Corso Umberto. You can also use the local bus service to Taormina and back, the bus stop is opposite the entrance to the hotel and only costs €1.90 each way.

Clean room. Staff friendly and helpful. 15mins drive out from Taormina centre but there are bus once an hour.

Most wonderful experience we were treated to an upgraded room to celebrate our 40 years of marriage. We highly suggest adding this breath taking experience the most perfect stay

The hotel lives on its view and setting, which are both stunning. You are basically paying a high premium for this. The hotel is located high up following winding hairpin bend roads. The valley overlooks Mount Etna. There is a small open public car park opposite, which we used and paid €10 for overnight parking, rather than risk the car being damaged outsids the hotel.

What we paid for - a classic double room, as show on the Booking.com website illustration, we don't believe we received. The room was small, dark and did not overlook a garden. Worse, there was no socket near the bed (as per the details) and we needed this for my husband to plug in his cpap machine. One double socket in the whole room, by the door, and one plug used already for the fridge. The two phone sockets either side of the bed didnt work either. We spoke to the hotel, but there answer was to give us a huge trailing extension cable that ran around the room, even though they knew we were unhappy. We ended up having this behind our heads in the bed (dangeous) . The sink in the bathroom is also too big, so the door doesnt close properly. The hotel might be full of old classic furniture but totally lacks modern amenities and needs money to bring it up to date. A small dated shower cubicle could easily be changed to a good walk in shower and proper electrics and modern door electronic card openers. If staying in a classic double, ensure you email and request that it is NOT Room 401. Breakfast was very good. We felt altogether it was very poor value up against the previous four hotels we had stayed in whilst travelling Sicily, most of which were cheaper too! We would like a partial refund, but doubt this will be given?

Totally relaxing, quiet close to Serrento and Pasitano parking convenient, staff helpful breakfast wast perfect!

options for drinks and food at the pool area but we made do and nothing was bad just more choices would would have been nice