Fondachelli-Fantina Hotels

"I really wanted to give this hotel 5 star, but I simply can’t! The majority of the hotel is perfection and it was an absolute luxury having three days there… the pool itself is a wonder with the view to mount Etna, and so is the restaurant next door to the pool which overlooks the water. One issue was the rooms. We were give a nice room but the electricity didn’t work. An electrician came and after 20 mins of waiting, it was back on. But then it broke again the next day and we were once again waiting for an electrician to come for c.30 mins. This delayed our evening plans. They decided to move us to another room - but it was smaller! They the moved us again to one of their newly refurbished rooms which although really lovely, the air-con didn’t work. I gave up trying by that point as we had to leave anyway. The inside of the hotel is quite dated and when we arrived we really weren’t sure what we were in for, but the pool is the attraction and rightly so. Another reason why I can’t give 5 star is because of the shuttle buses. Although its great that the hotel provides free shuttle buses to and from the town, they are not frequent and book up really quickly. If you miss out, you need to pay for a taxi to the town which is around 20 euro one way. More shuttles are needed. "

"Excellent hotel with a good b’fast, pool with beautiful views overlooking the sea and the hills. The sunrise was simply breathtaking. Staff were very willing to help. Best wishes! "

"Stunning property !"

"This was a great hotel with the perfect location. Breakfast was delicious and the view was a great start to the day. Bathrooms are a bit small, but otherwise no complaints. We also had a balcony facing the water which gave us additional opportunities to enjoy the beauty of of this cliff city!"

"We loved this hotel! It is in a fabulous location, right above the bus terminal, and a 5 minute walk from the Main Street. Hotel Ariston has a fabulous sea view. The hotel was spotless. All the staff were so friendly and helpful, always cheerful. Breakfast was amazing.. and plentiful. We loved the music in the evening . We enjoyed a few of evenings in the bar with Giuseppe the bar manager (his 39th year in Hotel Ariston! ) and Giovanni the hotel singer/pianist - he was fantastic!! Giovanni and Giuseppe sang a few duets together… just wonderful ! We will be back!"

"The staff is very nice. Our room smelled funny. It was pretty hot in the room one of the days. We thought maybe it was because it was hot. We tried to turn the air conditioning on, but they have the air-conditioning shut off. The only option was heat. They told us to open the window. We were right by the street so that really wasn’t great but it was the only option. We realized the problem is actually that the bathroom smelled funky. If we kept the bathroom door closed all the time the room did not smell bad but the bathroom smelled even worse. It must come from the drains because we noticed that the cleaning staff always closed the bathtub and sink drains. The location was okay. It’s a bit of a walk to the city center. There was no restaurant for dinner so had to leave the hotel. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold so that was kind of miserable. There are no amenities except a pool. "

"This is a very nice hotel and the staff is very helpful. It’s in a great location, close to everything in Taormina. Would stay here again. Breakfast was good with plenty of food. Do NOT use the ATM near the travel agency down the street, there is a pair of them. HUGE SCAM, they don’t provide receipts and ripped me off by 50 dollars. "

"Impressive views. Perfect location. Comfortable room. Parking! Unfortunately no electricity the day we were there so restaurant / bar were closed"

"The hotel is really nice , the buffet breakfast is really good, the service and staff are really good. Great swimming pool and area. "