Quite a few mixed feelings here - the building itself is beautiful, wonderfully positioned to have a stunning view of Taormina and Giardini Naxos, and close to the main street, the ancient theatre and the public park (worth checking out!).
However, the hotel needs more investment to really take advantage of those strengths. Not all rooms are refurbished, so you may end up with one with malfunctioning aircon and noisy pipework; we asked to swap from one of these because it was just too noisy for us to sleep and the staff were helpful in making that happen. The new room was more modern with a lovely balcony, refurbished bathroom and digital aircon display (allowing you to set the temperature, unlike the old room) but you can see the speedy work they did. The shower was leaking, part of the door frame was held together with staples (yes!) and there was an overall need to love this hotel more. The rooftop breakfast was excellent and offered amazing views, but as a bar it felt lacking. It could be fabulous with just a bit more investment.
The arrangement they have with Nuova Spiaggia Paradiso is nice and provides quite a peaceful environment, but you are made aware you’re not as valuable clients as others who pay at the venue - you don’t have access to the pool, and you receive the cheaper and smaller sunbeds. The food is outrageously priced even for Taormina though.