Hotel Taodomus

Hotel Taodomus

Morning at Hotel Taodomus starts with a coffee on the rooftop terrace, Mount Etna visible on one side and the Ionian Bay on the other, before the breakfast tables clear and the same spot turns into a bar for the evening aperitif. Ten rooms, individually decorated, soundproofed, sit above Corso Umberto in the center of Taormina, a minute's walk from Piazza del Duomo and about twelve minutes on foot from the ancient Greek Theatre. Every room has air conditioning and free Wi-Fi, and a few add a balcony or a partial sea view. The staff take care of the logistics, arranging transfers, car rental, dry cleaning and laundry, and running a tour desk that will book an excursion, in English, Italian, German or French. Spisone Beach, the Metropolitan Theater and Bellini Gardens are all within walking distance. What separates this address from the boutique competition nearby is that rooftop's double life, panoramic breakfast spot by morning, proper bar by night, rather than one terrace forced to do both. It suits a couple or a solo traveller who wants a small, quiet base inside the old town and doesn't need a resort's worth of facilities to feel looked after. It is the wrong pick for a group that needs many rooms at once, since there are only ten in total, or anyone thrown by a fixed check-in at 3:30pm. A cleaning tax is charged locally and sits outside the room rate, and an airport transfer through the hotel runs 130 EUR each way. Pets are not allowed. For a hotel this size, in this location, the terrace and what it becomes after dark is reason enough on its own. Ten rooms above Corso Umberto, a minute from Piazza del Duomo, built around a rooftop that serves breakfast facing Mount Etna and turns into a bar by night. It suits a couple or solo traveller after a quiet, central base, not a large group needing many rooms at once.