Hotel Villa Sonia

“Wonderful staff, amazing location, highly recommend”

We travelled to Villa Sonia as a couple in their mid 30’s, for 6 days in early April, bed and breakfast in a Superior Room (Room 410) Location It’s located centrally in Castelmola. The walk into Castelmola’s shops and bars is about 5 minutes - there’s plenty to do on your doorstep that if you wan… more

We travelled to Villa Sonia as a couple in their mid 30’s, for 6 days in early April, bed and breakfast in a Superior Room (Room 410) Location It’s located centrally in Castelmola. The walk into Castelmola’s shops and bars is about 5 minutes - there’s plenty to do on your doorstep that if you wanted a hotel day with a break at lunch and evenings to walk around, you wouldn’t feel bored. The walk into Taormina via the path near the hotel took around 30 minutes down and around 35minutes up for us. We’re moderately fit (hike regularly at home) and the weather was around 20 degrees all week - so others might feel differently. We would recommend the up hill hike in summer unless you were well stocked up on water. The bus stop is near the hotel and easy to find if you needed it (we never caught it) but we did get a taxi up from Taormina sea area, once at a cost of €40 (so be warned if you have a few too many wines like we did and can’t face a bus or walk!) We rented a car for our trip and used the car park at a cost of €7 euro per day. The car park felt very secure and safe for our rental. Staff: The staff at the hotel were all absolutely lovely. They’re the stand out part of our trip - every member of the reception team were so kind and approachable. We asked for recommendations on towns to visit in areas in the north east and south east and came away with well circled maps! We had fewer interactions with breakfast staff but all were smiley and attentive. Cleanliness Our room was cleaned daily and to a high standard. The bed always made exceptionally well. The pool area was always clean, as was shared areas around the hotel and the breakfast area. Facilities The hotel has an overall charming feel to it. Our Superior Room had a brilliant view of Mt Etna. Really faultless. Their balcony was huge, the bed was big (big enough for my 6’1 partner and me). No kettle in the room but we asked for one and it was provided the same day - we just needed to buy our own coffee and milk. We used the pool area / sun beds most days in the early evening. April is too cold to swim unless you pack a wet suit but we really enjoyed relaxing on the sun beds. One small note is that the pool bar isn’t open in April as it’s off season, but you can buy soft drinks / alcohol / crisps in the hotel lobby and I believe there are plastic cups available for any class bottles. Food and drink We went for breakfast every day and thought the food was nice. There was a small selection of cooked food (scrambled eggs, hot dog style sausage and bacon), meats, yogurts and fruit, breads and homemade cakes. A special shoutout to the apple cake and whoever makes this! We only went for our evening meal the first night (no reason, just wanted to explore the area restaurants!) but the wine, food and service were great and the price in line with other local restaurants. Value for money Very very very good value for money. We booked through hotels.com and also used a QuidCo cashback deal (not affiliated with the hotel but available in the UK). Overall: We would have no hesitation returning to Villa Sonia again. I imagine in May/June when the weather is hotter and the pool warmer that it is absolutely incredible!!

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“Pure Bliss”

We fell in love with Villa Sonia the minute we arrived, the staff were one big happy family, the rooms were large, spotless & the view looking directly at Etna took your breathe away! We had 4nights booked and a further week in the neighbouring beach resort Letojani - when we got to the new hotel i… more

We fell in love with Villa Sonia the minute we arrived, the staff were one big happy family, the rooms were large, spotless & the view looking directly at Etna took your breathe away! We had 4nights booked and a further week in the neighbouring beach resort Letojani - when we got to the new hotel it was a complete tourist package holiday including plastic cups for your evening drinks and nothing like the tranquility we had left! We phoned Villa Sonia & they were so helpful in finding us another stunning room & we finished our holiday back with them where we sunbathed watching birds of prey & listening to the silence - we loved our holiday so much we are already booked for July 2026 🤩

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“More 3 star than a 4”

I would say this hotel is more of a 3-star than a 4-star. Firstly, the staff are friendly, the views are beautiful, and although the hotel is situated quite high up in a village, it is in a lovely area with buses running every half hour down to Taormina. However, both the rooms and the hotel itse… more

I would say this hotel is more of a 3-star than a 4-star. Firstly, the staff are friendly, the views are beautiful, and although the hotel is situated quite high up in a village, it is in a lovely area with buses running every half hour down to Taormina. However, both the rooms and the hotel itself feel very dated. The bathrooms are old, the rugs appeared dirty, there are not enough plug sockets, and there is no kettle in the room. Guests also have to request both the safe key and lock, which feels inconvenient. While I understand the hotel is trying to maintain a traditional style, certain aspects really need updating to meet the standards expected of a 4-star hotel. The pool area was nice, but the sun loungers were very dirty and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the breakfast was also very poor and is not something I would recommend. Overall, I believe this hotel has great potential due to its location, views, and friendly staff, but it is in need of a significant refurbishment before it can truly be considered a 4-star hotel.

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“Very good hotel, but…….”

What a quirky hotel! Fantastic view from our room over Mount Etna! Very comfortable stay. Staff very friendly and welcoming. However, I do not think it warrants 4 stars unfortunately. We stayed B&B, and when we went for breakfast, around 9am, there were very limited supplies of fruit, shortag… more

What a quirky hotel! Fantastic view from our room over Mount Etna! Very comfortable stay. Staff very friendly and welcoming. However, I do not think it warrants 4 stars unfortunately. We stayed B&B, and when we went for breakfast, around 9am, there were very limited supplies of fruit, shortage of scrambled eggs etc and breakfast continued until 10.30! The breakfast room seemed to be managed on limited staff who did their absolute best to help and please everyone. My other complaint was the air conditioning, it came on at 10am and went off at 6pm, which caused many uncomfortable nights sleep even with the windows open! It appeared the air conditioning was on when customers/clients were out of their rooms. I did question this at reception and was told the receptionist would ask! Overall the hotel is great, but the boss needs to look at the broader picture for both staff and customers alike!

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