Hotel Villa Ducale

Hotel Villa Ducale

At Hotel Villa Ducale in Taormina, the Superior Rooms open onto private balconies facing the Bay of Giardini Naxos and Mount Etna, and Corso Umberto, the Cathedral of Calabria and the Metropolitan Theater are an easy walk rather than a taxi ride. The hotel holds only 17 rooms across three floors, so the 24-hour reception and concierge tend to know guests by more than a room number. What separates it from other addresses in town is the Prestige Suite with Mini Pool, a 38 sqm terrace with its own hydromassage pool and the same bay-and-Etna view, built for anyone who wants that scenery without sharing it. Elsewhere there is a heated outdoor pool with its own pool bar, the Incanto Restaurant and terrace for breakfast with a view, a small library and sun deck, and staff who work in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Concierge, tour assistance, transfer services and car rental cover the logistics of exploring the coast beyond the hotel. Families can add a bed for 70 EUR a night depending on room category, though anyone travelling with a pet should look elsewhere, and membership in Small Luxury Hotels of the World reflects a service style built around 17 rooms, not a resort's worth of them. A cleaning tax and, on occasion, a mandatory gala dinner charge are settled locally rather than at booking, worth asking about at check-in. This suits a couple or solo traveller who wants Taormina's center on foot and a view worth sitting still for, less so anyone chasing a full-scale resort pool scene. Few hotels in this town let you soak in your own hydromassage pool with Etna on the horizon. Seventeen rooms, a Small Luxury Hotels of the World listing, and a private mini pool suite facing Mount Etna set this Taormina hotel apart from bigger resorts nearby. The center, Cathedral of Calabria and Metropolitan Theater are walkable. Pet owners should look elsewhere.