Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina

The Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo is a spectacular retreat in Taormina and well worth the splurge if you are visiting Sicily. The location of this property is unbeatable and the views are spectacular all around. We stayed in a bi-level sea view room in the Villa Flora building, behind the main building, and loved it. The Villa Flora building seemed a bit quieter and more private but is only steps away from the main building. It also has a lawn area of its own, where the hotel hosted afternoon aperitivo daily and an extended wine pairing demonstration on our first afternoon. Our room was very generous in size and had two bathrooms, which was a very nice perk of that room style. The only downside to our room was the lack of storage space for clothing (just one smallish armoire), and no space for long hanging. This building has its own staff, as well, and they were very attentive to all requests. The main building is beautiful, of course, and has fantastic views of the city as well as Mt. Etna in the distance. We enjoyed breakfast on the hotel's grand terrace most mornings, which lived up to the Belmond breakfast reputation. We enjoyed Ristorante Timeo one night, as well as Bar Timeo on a couple of occasions during our visit. We had friends staying at the sister property down the hill at the beach, Villa 'Sant Andrea, so we were able to enjoy breakfast and dinner there, as well. A nice perk of having twin Belmond locations is the ability to enjoy the amenities at both properties. We spent one full day at the beach at 'Sant Andrea, which has its own section of beach with plenty of lawn chairs, a great pool bar, and all of the amenities you might want (sunscreen, magazines, water, and even a do-not-disturb sign that they put on your lounger when you are clearly taking a nap - which many people were!). For this trip we booked a package that included transportation, which made everything seamless and quite easy. The hotel is about 45 minutes to an hour from the airport in Catania, so this extra convenience was well worth it. Our package also included a credit that I used at the spa one day. Aside from the beauty of the hotel and the location, the best thing about the property is of course the staff. Everyone was warm and inviting throughout our stay. You see the same staff members throughout the day and evening around the property and they clearly work very hard to provide a great stay for the guests. Their efforts did not go unnoticed by us. I would love a return trip to this fabulous hotel while my husband fell in love with 'Sant Andrea, so we might have to split that difference on a return to lovely Taormina!

Amazing views, food, staff, and location Beautiful interiors and so classy. Restaurant and drinks are fantastic. Felt like the value was great for the price. Every single member of staff exceptional. We now try to stay in Belmonds anywhere we travel