La Plage Resort

Really love the view of this place and the location is amazing. For a 5 star hotel it misses a couple of things. I would see it as a 4 star. Sun beds are very close together and not comfortable. First night the wifi didn't work and for the price you are paying here that should not be the case. When we booked and confirmed a tour, it was forgotten. The rooms are nice, we were under the impression that we had a garden because of the pictures on booking.com but have a small balcony. Be aware with booking and maybe call to confirm. In summary the location makes it happen for the hotel. In my opinion too expensive for the quality delivered.

Great location, very friendly staff. We took two bungalows, one beside the other, one with a Jacuzzi that had beautiful see view. It worked really well for our family of four. Bungalows are small, so really good to have some private external area. Staff makes a huge difference on this hotel and the star goes to the beach bar team: Giulia, Vicenza, Maria, Antonelli- they make their best to make your vacation very pleasant. The reception team is a bit confusing and the concierge did not help us a lot- support was specially poor when they received many people from a fancy car sales convention. There were many events on the week I was there and I was happy to be on bungalows far from their wedding area due to the noise. Rail also cross the property so better to check your bungalows position in advance if possible. There is no pool, but the jacuzzis compensated by far.

The list is long...spectacular fail on all parts. - Private beach isn't private with public walkway through between beach bar and sun-loungers, frequented by thousands of others - Stony beach only; bring snorkel and beach shoes as the hotel won't provide any of these except at considerable purchase cost -Tiny and smelly rooms. For £600 a night an absolute shambles. Sewage smell would not go, staff unfazed and unbothered - 'Garden view' are the roofs of the cabins in front of you - Slow service in restaurant. Waited for wine for 30min, for it not to be correct year - Waiters forgetful, need prompting all the time, both evening and breakfast service - Water turned off at crucial 6/7pm get ready time due to 'issues' - Rooms adjacent to railway line, constant trains coming by during day time - Crammed location with beach sun loungers in typical Italian style on top of each other - The only way to get to your room, reception, spa, breakfast room or gym is to use a rather unattractive stone 'back alley' where the kitchen back doors and further room access is also located. Rather unglamorous... No value for your €€££.....location in front of little island being the only bonus, as well as beautifully clear water to snorkel in....

Location : this is the key point. The hotel is squeezed between the sea and the railway line (about 40 metres). This means the hotel is long and thin and a bit noisy. Also, it is difficult to get to the main road. Location: the hotel is a bus / taxi / cable-car ride away from Taormina town which is where the action is. So, better value is to stay in the town and come down to the beach for the cooler part of the day. Rooms: very small. Bathrooms are small and need complete updating and renewal. Air-con is not good enough. Best feature was the nice bed-linen. No tea or coffee facilities in room - so the only option is room service. Wi-fi: very, very slow. Breakfast : good coffee, nice atmosphere with choice of indoor or outdoor seating. No freshly squeezed juice but generally good quality food. Lounge area - none, unless you want to sit outside at the beach in the VIP area of the beach bar or at the restaurant. Restaurant: the main restaurant for lunch and dinner has nice sea views but spoilt by too bright lights in the restaurant. Food was good, good choice of wines by the glass and bottle. Fair pricing. Gym: usual equipment but clearly years old. Gym mats are pathetic and need renewing. Gym is just a separate area from the breakfast room with marble tiles, so not enough grip for some exercises. Air-con works to keep the gym cool. Staff: friendly, helpful, polite as to be expected. Pricing: this hotel is simply over-priced at about 340 euros a night for the entry level bungalow. It should be about 250-270 euros a night at the most. Would I go back? No. This hotel is a 4 star standard at best, and is overpriced for what it offers. The hotel does not offer a shuttle to/from Taormina town and has a lack of a relaxing sitting area except a couple of seats at reception.

I should begin by saying that we had a lovely and memorable stay, but probably would not book this hotel again. I will provide three sets of info in case you are considering it, to help you decide - negatives, positives, and things to be aware of. Negatives: 1. the room was billed as a "garden view bungalow" which turned out to be utterly inaccurate. It was not a bungalow, more like a yurt, a very cramped and small round room with an equally tiny bathroom. Not only was there no garden view, there was no view at all. A tiny window looked out on a wall with a mechanical device. There are bungalows with teensy private garden spaces attached but the price difference did not strike us as worth it. 2. the WIFI is a joke. If you want to be off radar during your stay, you won't mind this. But if staying on top of events with elderly family members and your office is part of your life, you will go crazy with the continuous connectivity issues and the need to constantly log in all over again, reboot, and call the (helpful and nice) hotel IT guys. 3. I don't like my hotel stay to begin with a rip-off. A hotel shuttle that brings you from the airport in nice cases is free, but in no case should it cost fully TWICE what the official transfer rate by private car otherwise is. Just go online and type in "Catania to Taormina airport transfer" and you will easily be able to book a nice, clean, reliable private car -- DO NOT get suckered into using the hotel shuttle. 4. you are on your own for planning dinner reservations or excursions. Luckily it's easy. Almost all the Taormina restaurants have online table reservations and Viator has great tour offerings. I ended up waiting half a day for information about a tour and when the (friendly) woman from the hotel concierge service finally called me it was with the wrong information, a ridiculously wrong price (she said 420 Euros, actual cost, 150 Euros), and too late to book if I had waited for her. I should not be able to do better calling directly myself, than the concierge can do with her native Italian and supposed knowledge. 5. To get hot water in our shower we were advised to turn it on and leave it running for ten minutes. That did eventually produce warm water and on some occasions, hot water, but as someone who comes from drought-aware cities it pained me to waste water like that. Why not buy a better system or an additional pump? Positive: 1. good breakfast with lovely views 2. beach lounges and towels and direct beach access from hotel 3. room is clean and fresh towels brought again in the afternoon, a/c works well 4. overall friendly staff 5. restaurant is quite nice, great views and quiet. Have the Murgo Spumante. Beware of the fresh fish they are pushing - super expensive by the gram Things to know: 1. You are not actually in Taormina. The town is a cable car ride (or a drive) uphill. You are down by the beach. Make this choice thoughtfully when booking. Do you want to be up in the town with great views, a pool, and all the town action and shopping and restaurants, or do you want to be right on the beach and travel up when you feel like it? We would choose to stay at the beach again, but there are strong arguments for the other choice. 2. The beach is all rocks. You must have, or buy upon arrival, beach shoes which are available everywhere for 10 Euros. Babies and little children may not have as much fun as they would on a sandy beach, but on the other hand the water is very calm with no waves and the temperature is great, so they will enjoy that. 3. The beach is extremely crowded, one of those European beaches where you are toe to toe with your neighbors. The hotel has direct beach access and its own area with lounges and umbrellas but it's not a private beach it's just a slice of the public beach and everyone can use it. 4. Access to nearby grocery shops, ice cream, restaurants etc. is either up a very steep driveway or a very long flight of stairs, not good for the elderly or anyone with a physical issue.