Hotel Mediterranee

“Traditional hotel , clean with friendly staff.”

I stayed here for 4 nights and only have praise The staff were all helpful and friendly The rooms were clean and I had a stunning view with. A terrace. Breakfast was also on a terrace with great views The hotel could do with a refurbishment but I still enjoyed my stay

“An absolute retro gem of a find!”

We are really into collecting & mid century design so this place blew us away. It’s a beautifully preserved gem. We felt like we were staying in a well loved time capsule with bags of character. Just loved all the original, cared for fixtures & fittings - from the wardrobe, bathroom & traditional... more

We are really into collecting & mid century design so this place blew us away. It’s a beautifully preserved gem. We felt like we were staying in a well loved time capsule with bags of character. Just loved all the original, cared for fixtures & fittings - from the wardrobe, bathroom & traditional blinds. There are a few modern updates like hairdryer & fridge in the room- we had a garden view from our room & could see mount etna from our bed! The windows totally folded open to let the outside in on waking which was stunning. All comfortable & lots of storage & power points - my favourite was the bathroom - original taps, bath, shower but in full working order. The terrace where you take breakfast is stunning with unrivalled views in Taomina - there’s an inside area to eat as well as a bar area with lots of original couches - the bar was really retro cool & instagramable - I think the owners are missing a trick not promoting this angle - I note some reviewers say it needs updating but that’s what we loved about it - it was scrupulously clean, faded grandeur! The pool was a unique experience with more amazing views & lots of sun loungers & a waiter came up regularly to take drinks orders. Breakfast is the same daily - scrambled or boiled eggs, hot dog sausages, bacon, continental cheeses, ham, salami, bread, fresh fruit, yoghurts, pastries & flans. There was also muesli & cornflakes. If you like a proper brew take your own bags as like many international places - the teabags don’t cut it. Coffee is proper strong! It all suited us fine. Definitely take up the shuttle offer to the sister hotel for just €7 per trip - another time capsule with its own private beach! We also took the open top bus tours & cable car to the beach. We walked everywhere - it’s about 5-10 minutes from the action & there are LOTS of steps & it’s very hilly walking back to the hotel but taxis are available if mobility is an issue. All in all we felt like we were in proper Sicily - thanks to all the team for delivering a fantastic experience.

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“Old School Charm and Five Star Views”

This hotel was built in 1960 and not much has changed since then. It's well kept, for the most part. The guys at the front desk are super helpful and friendly. The breakfast is pretty good...standard hotel spread with fruit, yogurt, cereal, scrambled eggs, etc. The beautiful pool is at the top of... more

This hotel was built in 1960 and not much has changed since then. It's well kept, for the most part. The guys at the front desk are super helpful and friendly. The breakfast is pretty good...standard hotel spread with fruit, yogurt, cereal, scrambled eggs, etc. The beautiful pool is at the top of the hotel and has amazing views. Do splurge for an ocean view. It has to be one of the best views in town. If you have an ocean view room on the second, third or fourth floor your terrace will be large and essentially shared with your neighbors...no separation except for low planters with dead plants, so no privacy even in your room unless your shut the curtains. On these floors the terrace is not covered, no protection from sun or rain. I recommend asking for a room on the fifth or sixth floor. You will get a private terrace with a divider between you and your neighbor, it is also covered. Location...you are just a few minutes walk (there are some steps) from Puerta Catania and the main street, so excellent except for walking a bit up hill. A comfy chair in the room would be an improvement. Bottom line...would I stay here again? Absolutely, it's great value for your money.

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“Great location and pool but falls short in some areas”

This could be a fantastic hotel but it seems no one can be bothered to make it so. The all male compliment of staff (bar housekeeping) could do with some hospitality training. Where are the smiles and how are yous? Maybe the extreme heat dampened their enthusiasm on our visit. Only Enrico and S... more

This could be a fantastic hotel but it seems no one can be bothered to make it so. The all male compliment of staff (bar housekeeping) could do with some hospitality training. Where are the smiles and how are yous? Maybe the extreme heat dampened their enthusiasm on our visit. Only Enrico and Salvo showed any personality. The rooms are clean, though as many have stated, in need of refurbishment. The door to our bathroom didn’t fully open due to the bidet taking up 1/4 of the space and if you’re of a larger build, there’s no way you could get into the old wobbly plastic shower cubicle. On occasion, a toxic overpowering smell kept permeating from the bathroom too. Breakfast is a sorry state of affairs. The same spread each day of mechanically-removed-meat frankfurters, flaccid undercooked bacon (not sure if it’s actually bacon) and badly cooked scrambled eggs. Breads are all white and if you ask for toast, apparently this isn’t possible. A few days into our stay I spotted a toaster on top of a fridge behind the bar. Maybe we should have let them know where it was! Lots of poor quality sugary pastries and cakes were available with a good selection of fruits and yogurts. Tip - if you want a semi-decent coffee, ask for espresso otherwise you get vile brown coloured water. The ‘lunch’ offer really isn’t worth bothering with and they don’t do a dinner service. The pool is the highlight of the hotel. Immaculately clean, warm and plenty of loungers and shaded garden. The pool service is sporadic and grumpy for the most part, but if the staff actually asked guests if they’d like a drink, they may even make more money and tips. Instead they walk around the pool with a face and don’t say anything unless you stop them to ask for a beverage. If you’re lucky you may get some snacks with your drinks but there’s no consistency in that department. TV in the rooms are barely audible as they’ve limited the volume so it was quite difficult to hear the only English Channel over the drone of the aircon. Could definitely improve the options available for other nationalities and allow the guests to decide on the audio level. Balcony was fabulous with great views over Etna and the shoreline. Beds are firm so maybe not for everyone and the much needed aircon is quite loud and not that powerful. Shame there’s no tea/coffee facilities in the room as these days it’s usually a given and if you ask for a pot of hot water to brew your own tea, that’ll cost you €7!!! Wtf? The fridge has its own set of rules that we’ve not seen before. You are not allowed to put anything in there that’s not from the hotel and it threatens you that any such items will be taken away! We took our chances with this fridges’ bad attitude and found that the water, chocolates and fruits were still there the next day! Phew! Overall we liked the hotel despite its shortcomings. A bathroom update, friendlier staff, improved breakfast and the ability to make tea and coffee in the room would have given rise to a 5 star review.

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