More about Hotel Villa Ducale
Fantastic New Suites at Villa Ducale
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned from our second trip to Taormina and the Villa Ducale. Our first trip to Villa Ducale was such a delight, we were excited to return and stay in one of their new suites. After exploring the area we relaxed in the great jacuzzi tub. You can tell the owners took time to create comfortable but lovely suites with beautiful replicas of antique furniture. We felt the price for our stay was really reasonable compared to other hotels of Taormina; ambiance, comfort and service was flawless. Taormina and Villa Ducale have become synonymous for us. We will be returning soon!
Great Tour of Etna from Taormina with Sicilylife
by alex_brayman
We've been to Sicily several times and typically choose to explore independently, but on our last trip, upon searching the internet I found the company "SicilyLife.com" which caters to personalized service for tours of Sicily, including all my transportation and tours by a deluxe-private minivan.
Sicilylife is run by a couple of extremely knowledgeable and charming locals, and our Etna tour proved to be a highlight of our vacation. We were picked up at our hotel (Villa Ducale) by Alessandro and Sebastiano, with whom we spent the day exploring Etna (amazing!) and the surrounding villages by way of the area's "red wine route." We stopped at a winery on the way which gave us a great vantage point to see the top line of Etna(with smoking cones) and take excellent photos. We walked on the volcanic stones of the famous lava flows of Mt Etna and on the way back to Taormina stopped at a seaside restaurant for a delicious meal of fresh fish.
There is no better way to get "inside" a region than to do so with a native, and our entire day was guided beautifully by Alessandro and Sebastiano. We highly recommend Sicilylife for Etna tours, as well as for many other local activities.
We loved experiencing Sicily with SicilyLife
by alex_brayman
We've been to Sicily several times and typically choose to explore independently, but on our last trip, upon searching the internet I found the company "SicilyLife.com" which caters to personalized service for tours of Sicily, including all my transportation and tours by a deluxe-private minivan.
Sicilylife is run by a couple of extremely knowledgeable and charming locals, and our Etna tour proved to be a highlight of our vacation. We were picked up at our hotel (Villa Ducale) by Alessandro and Sebastiano, with whom we spent the day exploring Etna (amazing!) and the surrounding villages by way of the area's "red wine route." We stopped at a winery on the way which gave us a great vantage point to see the top line of Etna(with smoking cones) and take excellent photos. We walked on the volcanic stones of the famous lava flows of Mt Etna and on the way back to Taormina stopped at a seaside restaurant for a delicious meal of fresh fish.
There is no better way to get "inside" a region than to do so with a native, and our entire day was guided beautifully by Alessandro and Sebastiano. We highly recommend Sicilylife for Etna tours, as well as for many other local activities.
Wonderfully Romantic
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at Hotel Villa Ducale in mid-May 2004. After a stressful plane trip from Rome, being picked up by Alessandro at the airport, was just the begining of the fantastic service we would experience at Hotel Villa Ducale. Upon arriving, we were welcomed by Ajith and offered a glass of champaigne to enjoy on the terrace. The views of Mt Etna, the sea and all the wonderful flowers and lemon trees just take your breath away. I knew we had made the right choice.
The walk down to Taormina Center isn’t bad, but the walk up at night is long and not well lit in some areas. Taxi’s are very pricey at 15 Euros. The good news is the ristorante’s on the hill near the hotel are fabulous. Ajith made reservations nightly for us. We had the most amazing meal and attentive service at both of these ristarante’s. As everyone has said the breakfast is wonderful, mostly for the views in the morning of Mt Etna smoking. The breakfast food is selective Sicilian, with fresh meats, veggies, cakes and pie tarts. Delicious. Additionally, they helped us arrange an automatic rental car for the rest of our trip. I have many warm memories of my stay at Hotel Villa Ducale.
Very nice, small resort
by TripAdvisor Member dbus85
We stayed at the Villa Ducale after several hectic days touring Rome and Pompeii/Naples.
The Villa Ducale is just what we needed to start our Sicily portion of our Italian Vacation.
Alessandro was great picking us up in Catania as was Agipth (sorry if my spelling is incorrect) with pointing out restaurants, making reservations, getting us a car, etc......
We stayed in the main portion of the hotel and had a fantastic view daily of the sea, town and snow capped mt. etna.....
Food was very good....with a different sicilian specialty each morning....
Rooms were large, quiet and entire property spotless and full of cacti, flowers and more flowers....only complaint was the hot tub was not warm across the street.....
to those that complained earlier .....about climbing and walking..... Please realize it is a cliffside city!!!!!...
the steps to town will work off the pasta and wine!
We had a great time.........
Paradise in Sicily
by A TripAdvisor Member
Hotel Villa Ducale is not only our favorite hotel in Sicily, but one of our favorites in all of Italy. The views of the Bay of Naxos and Mt. Etna from the terrace are stunning, the rooms are comfortable with beautifully hand-painted oranges and lemons decorating the walls, the breakfasts are inviting and delicious, and the service is impeccable. After a trip to the beach or a day of sightseeing, a dip in the hotel’s hot tub is a welcome treat. The staff is extremely friendly, helpful, and professional. At the end of our first visit, these new friends were our most treasured souvenir. We have been fortunate to stay at this marvelous hotel on three occasions and hope to return for many more visits. When visiting Taormina, do not pass on the opportunity to stay at Villa Ducale for a larger hotel in the center of town – you will miss an exciting and most enjoyable travel experience.
Diana and Gene Narragon
A Glimpse of Heaven
by A TripAdvisor Member
Just returned from Hotel Villa Ducale in Taormina with my 24 year old daughter. A glimpse of heaven, we found such a peacefulness and warm welcome there. The whole package was wonderful from friendly staff, the food, the views, the rooms. Walking and shopping in the area was a delight as well. Both of us will return to share this dream haven with our husbands!!!
Bring Your Walking Shoes
by A TripAdvisor Member
After reading the many reviews of the Hotel Villa Ducale, I share most of the contributors opinions that the service at the hotel is very good. I recommend staying more than three days to ensure a good siting of Mt. Etna. We were there for a week and had two days with beautiful views of the volcano. I also recommend packing comfortable walking shoes because the walk to the center is down several sets of uneven stairs and the bus service is infrequent. A taxi to the center is 12 euros and can get quite costly over time.The hotel staff was very helpful in securing dinner reservations and excursions. And we especially enjoyed the excursion to Panarea/Stromboli.
New love of my life
by A TripAdvisor Member
I have fallen completely, totally in love with this hotel ! My husband & I went there (on suggestion from our friends) for our 18th anniversary. It was instead our 18th honeymoon. The view out our window was breathtaking, the room was unbelievably beautiful, spotless, the airconditioning strong, the bathrooms were huge, the staff very helpful & the buffet had delicious sicilian food. It is a charming town & we will be back and stay at Villa Ducale. As others have mentioned, you have to be willing to climb up and down stairs to get to the hotel, but it is definitely worth it and it is not that bad. This is an excellent value for Taormina - Strongly recommended.
What else can I say...perfection!
by A TripAdvisor Member
Priceless could easily discribe the reception, the room, the view & the staff, but all I could think was how did I get so lucky to find this place!!!! Andrea & his staff made us feel so welcomed as if we came to see family-even though we were only there 2 days (I would have stayed longer, but they were booked)! I was on a mother daughter trip & even we thought about just staying in our room it was so magical! I will bring my husband back as soon as we get a chance and stay at least a week if not londer. I am now a complete loyalist to Villa Ducale & hopefully will see it many more times in my life!
Photos
Greek theatre in Taormina
trembling bay view at night :)
road up to Taormina and Castelmola
Corso Umberto
Forum Posts
taormina weather
by kennytb
hello. i was thinking of planning a trip to taormina in early november. does anyone know what the typical weather is like then? thanks.
Re: taormina weather
by CourtneyLyn
The weather in all of Sicily is pretty mild into November. I went to Agrigento, Palermo, and Catania around Nov 8-13 of 2001. While I was there it was 60s and 70s (about 17-24 celsius). Have fun, Sicily is soooooo beautiful!!!!
