Villa Sant'Andrea, a Belmond Hotel Taormina Mare

Villa Sant'Andrea, a Belmond Hotel Taormina Mare

Taormina is really two places. The town sits high on the cliff with its Greek theatre and aperitivo bars and the usual tourist infrastructure, and then there's the waterfront below, quieter and more local in feeling. Villa Sant'Andrea is down there on the Bay of Mazzarò, in a 1919 villa originally built by the Cornish Trewhella family, with subtropical gardens running down to a private pebble beach and Alessandro Florio's paintings lining the walls inside, vivid work referencing the colours of traditional Sicilian carts. Belmond bought it in 2010 and luckily have kept the feel of a private home intact. Rooms have sea-view balconies, marble bathrooms stocked with Acqua di Parma, and antique furniture that suits the building. Request a direct bay view when you book. Ristorante Sant'Andrea handles the Sicilian classics: local swordfish, cannoli made with sheep's milk ricotta from nearby farms, a wine list that covers the island's producers properly. The restaurant to book first, though, is Brizza, right at the water's edge, working with rare Sicilian labels and serious local sourcing. It's the place people who've been to Taormina mention first when you tell them you're going, and tables go well before anyone arrives. In summer the hotel runs complimentary daily boat tours along the coast, with a route through the Grotta Azzurra, a sea cave that has been confounding travel photographers for decades. The infinity pool is heated and sits at the edge of the bay. A free shuttle runs up to the historic centre when you want a change of scene, and Belmond's sister property Grand Hotel Timeo is up there with a terrace that earns its reputation at sunset. Guests of both hotels have access to both. The short version: The right base if you came to Sicily for the sea rather than the sightseeing. Late spring or early September gives you the best of the weather and enough room to actually enjoy it.