Hotel Villa Esperia

“A wonderful first experience in Taormina”

This is an excellent hotel ! Rooms are very clean & spacious , staff are v friendly & helpful in every way . Pool area is spacious, relaxing with wonderful views . We were given a gorgeous room on 4th floor. With a huge terrace, very private & stunning views . Would highly recommend this delightf… more

This is an excellent hotel ! Rooms are very clean & spacious , staff are v friendly & helpful in every way . Pool area is spacious, relaxing with wonderful views . We were given a gorgeous room on 4th floor. With a huge terrace, very private & stunning views . Would highly recommend this delightful hotel .

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“If you like peas cauliflower and wet eggs for breakfast then keep reading, if you don’t, keep reading anyway …”

Hello, this is a balanced and honest review of our time at the villa esperia. The location of this hotel is definitely a plus – close to the cable cars and beaches – and the view from the pool was lovely. We didn’t have a balcony, ( We were under the impression that we had paid for a balcony with … more

Hello, this is a balanced and honest review of our time at the villa esperia. The location of this hotel is definitely a plus – close to the cable cars and beaches – and the view from the pool was lovely. We didn’t have a balcony, ( We were under the impression that we had paid for a balcony with a garden view but instead overlooked someone’s house, with only a tiny bit of sea in sight ) but we did find a terrace on the 4th floor which was a nice spot to sit out. Also, the hot chocolates at the bar were lovely! Unfortunately, for us personally as the younger customers the negatives outweighed the positives. At checkout we were surprised with a €58 city tax that hadn’t been mentioned. The lift to reception was slow and shaky, and the staff on reception never seemed welcoming.The room felt very basic, with no amenities at all. One of the plug sockets next to the bed didn’t work and the bed was so hard it aggravated my back problems. There was no duvet, just a thin sheet, and although extra blankets were provided, the ones in the drawers had hair all over them. The shower leaked badly, and behind the toilet seat looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks, which was off-putting. Also, I had an uncomfortable and unwelcoming interaction with one of the cleaners when I entered the lift with them as they had grunted/scoffed at me. The breakfast was also not what we expected, with soggy fruit, unappealing hot food. There were only 4 hot options every day consisting of wet eggs, cold, chopped up hotdogs and boiled cauliflower peas and green beans. It was an interesting choice to say the least. Not sure what Italians I think us brits eat for breakfast but it’s certainly not that… alongside a dining hall that felt more like a community centre. However some of the cakes were lovely (plus the bowl of tomatoes and the mozzerella balls!) If you wanted a table for two, you were stuck in the conservatory which was boiling hot with no blinds. Around the pool, towels cost €5, about half the loungers were broken, and the pool made a constant loud gurgling noise made it hard to relax. Overall, while the location and pool view were good, the hotel felt dated and uncomfortable. We feel it’s more geared towards the older generation, which we weren’t aware of when booking, so wanted to share our experience to help others make a more informed choice.

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“Okay hotel”

We just got back from 10 days at the hotel, The hotel was nice, when we first arrived our room smelled damp and was in a dark corner of the hotel. My husband spoke to the staff, and the first lady wasn't very helpful. She called another girl over and she then changed us to another room which was mu… more

We just got back from 10 days at the hotel, The hotel was nice, when we first arrived our room smelled damp and was in a dark corner of the hotel. My husband spoke to the staff, and the first lady wasn't very helpful. She called another girl over and she then changed us to another room which was much nice and didn't smell like damp. The room itself was nice and was cleaned daily. We did b&b, and honestly, the food was terrible. The scrambled eggs were, either rock hard or runny, they had hot dog sausages and bacon. They had a selection of meat and cheese and pastrys. If you went down later than 9 , the pastry selection wasn't great and wasn't topped up. There was one guy at breakfast who made you feel like a criminal for being there and asked us three times one morning for our room number. It's a family run hotel, and besides the blonde girl on reception, they were all really nice. The pool is lovely and big with great views. The drinks are on the pricey side and I recommend if you get an aperol by the pool you go inside and have it as I think its €10 whether it's in a small plastic cup or a large wine glass. They do bring your drinks to you, which is good, and they also have a bar menu, we stuck to ham and cheese toasties. The dinner menu is put up every day, but to be honest, because of the quality of breakfast, we didn't try it. The location is fantastic. You are 5 minutes from isobella and the cable car to go up into taormina. The cable car is €10 return or €20pp to go up and down all day. You get picked up for trips right near the cable car. We checked out and had a few hours by the pool and the staff came over and asked about a stain on the wall, asked where the stain was and they just kept repeating the wall but didn't clarify which one. I said I hadn't noticed a stain and had no idea where it was. I think they wanted to charge us for repainting the wall, but, as stated, the room was cleaned daily, and they hadn't mentioned it before check out. The girl was a bit stand offish with me after that, when I went to pay for some food. Overall I would recommend the hotel for the location and how the staff were at the beginning but it is definitely a 3 star hotel. Please make sure you bring good shoes as there are no foot paths to the hotel from the cable car/ beach, and I did sprain my ankle on the uneven road walking up. It is also slightly uphill, with steps then up to the hotel, so if you struggle to walk, it may not be the hotel for you. The staff did get me ice and where really helpful once I got back to the hotel.

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