Hotel Baia Azzurra

Sadly we were very disappointed with this hotel. We stayed in a standard room that was very small and desperately in need of refurbishment. Wallpaper peeling off the wall, rusty bin and mouldy sink in bathroom. Shutter blinds weren’t working on arrival but quickly fixed by maintenance. Similarly our sink tap wouldn’t drain and that was quickly fixed. Overall the room felt shabby and given we thought we had booked a 4 star hotel, this was not what we were expecting. There is no way this rating is correct, it is a very basic 3 star hotel. We also had the misfortune to be checked in by the most miserable and unhelpful male receptionist, whereby it was too much trouble for him to even provide basic information about the hotel, not a good ambassador for the hotel and not a good welcome. To be fair the other reception staff were much more helpful. Within the There are no covers on the quilts and zero sound proofing. Be prepared to hear your neighbours very clearly and also lots of outside noise from passing cars, trains, motorbikes and ambulances. The badly in need of replacing shabby veranda doors don’t really offer much of a barrier to the noise? You might as well be sleeping outside, Another caution is booking taxis via the hotel, we took one to the train station and he charged us 20 euros for just over a mile drive. When we returned later, a driver on the rank charged us 15 which is the standard price. Not sure why these inflated rates are being given to hotel guests. On a positive the hotel is well positioned for the local beach, but only a few rooms have these views, most are of the car park. Some nice restaurants and bars up the hill in Isola Bella but we spent most of our time up in Taormina town which was wonderful. We tried not to let the poor hotel spoil the holiday but if you are looking for a comfortable, good quality hotel, then please give this one a miss.

The Baia Azzurra is in a prime location with a fabulous view of Mazzaro bay. Shame so few of the rooms benefit. I’d say about 10 do, the premium rooms, but Easyjet Holidays – Gee, thanks - didn’t book us into one of those, instead we were sent to room 206, around the side, and which looked straight out to the hotel car park at headlight level. It was clean enough and, erm, well, that’s about it. It was very gloomy, with one French door style window, but no balcony, a steel shutter, and thin curtains. The furniture was basic in the extreme, one large wardrobe plonked oddly in the middle of the wall as if hiding a stain or something. The bed was comfortable, provided that like us you prefer a firm mattress. The tv was ok, the only British channel was, inevitably, BBC News 24 unless you count French TV news in English. Its always the same. WiFi just about ok, had to continually log in. Electrical outlets were scarce and awkward to use. The air-con unit worked well though. So the shower room. Weird. For one thing it was up half a step from the rest of the room, ensuring that you will either jamb your toe on the way in, or stumble out, in the night-time. No natural light, a daft shallow ‘modernist’ sink, which was chipped. Worst of all an over-complicated shower, which was also tiny - we are fairly slim and found it a squeeze, the sort of thing where you need to step out of it to turn around. How any of the more, shall we say, peckish type of person would cope. There is a lift to get you from street level, up past the bright and airy dining room and up to reception and the lounge and balcony – where most of the pictures you see are taken, showing off the impressive view, but there is a separate lift to get to the rooms. The staircase is at least shallow and easy to use. Up on the 5th floor roof is a ‘solarium’, a fairly scruffy terrance, with a few seats and a couple of sun-loungers. Its a bit of a shame, because it could be so much nicer up there. But that could sum up the entire hotel. Some of it is really nice, the dining room is fine, the lounge and main balcony are ok too, and I’m sure all of the good reviews you read are from those who are in the best rooms. I also get the impression that few of the reviews you read are recent. However, much of the rest of the hotel it is crying out for a bit of ‘tlc’ by the owners. There is nothing awful about it, just not nearly as good as it could be, and we are far from fussy. The good bits may be 4 star standard, but the rest of it only just 3 star, and that is being generous. Talking of comedy, on the first evening I wanted a cup of coffee, and spied the coffee machine by the un-manned bar in the un-occupied lounge. I approached the guy trying to hide and look busy on the reception desk intending to ask if I could have a coffee. After ignoring me for a little while, pretending to be madly occupied, he eventually gave in and looked up. I asked if I could get a coffee from that machine. ‘No w

My friend and I visited at the beginning of May for a few days for a girls trip. Room- had everything you may need, fridge, shower, it was lovely and clean ! Although we didn't have the sea view there was absolutely nothing I would change. Cleaning ladies worked really hard Service- everyone at the reception we spoke to was very helpful , friendly, nothing was too much trouble. We were always welcomed with a smile. Location- perfect !! Only a few steps away from. Beautiful beach (sunlounger is €15 ), love bar . A small shop is right outside of the hotel which has everything you may need- there are a few within a shirt walking distance from the hotel. We didn't eat at our hotel but there are a number of great restaurants again, within a very short walking distance. Cable car to taormina is only a few steps away. You can choose to walk to Taormina - which we had done a few times - bit remember to wear good footwear as its quite a few steps up a steep hill ( we certainly got our steps in) Summary- we had an amazing stay and I can highly recommend this hotel !!!