San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel

The property is gorgeous, super spacious, meticulously maintained & stunning with amazing views, beautiful manicured gardens & pool area. We were transported in time walking around the old monastery part of the hotel & the gardens. But what made the place so special were the people working there. We have stayed at different four seasons properties but this was a very special experience for our family. Our family of 5 was met at the airport & transferred by a van to the hotel. The driver spoke to us about the history of Catania & Taormina, pointed out sights & it was a very pleasant ride. The chk in process was very smooth with Gabrielle & team. They made sure that we were very comfortable. The Concierge team at San Dominico is absolutely fabulous. They have the best recommendations & can arrange the most complex tours. The entire team is awesome & would specially like to mention Roberta & Dhabia here. They helped to make this trip exceptional. Our beautifully decorated spotless rooms with all modern amenities & plunge pools in the balcony has stunning views. The hotel is very generous with little touches of treats & gifts that warm the heart. We loved breakfast time at the hotel. The staff are some of the most kind & lovely people we have ever met. Gisela. Alysa, Ariana. Adriano, Vera, Andrea, Alberto, I wish I remembered all the names - each and everyone made our day brighter. They also gave great suggestions for tours & restaurants. We loved lounging at the bar- garden at the hotel. Where they have live music in the evening. With the restaurants, spa, the gardens, architecture, decor. the hotel is like a jewel in Taormina. And it is minutes away from the main Street. Would like to mention Giovanni here who drove us to some of the tours. A true gentleman & a knowledgeable guide. He made the tours fun, made us comfortable and we learnt a lot from him. We had a lovely tour to the Planeta vineyard with Tizziano also. Many thanks to the incredible team at this hotel.

Visited on two occasions during our trip to Taormina. Drinks in the courtyard and dinner at Anciovi. Both times were wonderful and staff were so kind in acknowledging my special birthday. Would definitely return.

It was a dream come true. Excellent in every way and exceeded our expectations. The location, the view, the staff have been extremely accommodating and friendly.

Visited the Four Seasons Hotel for dinner, and it did not disappoint! There was a great singer in the court yard which just set a great vibe for the evening. The little canapés given with the wine were tasty. Lovely wine, amazing views & tasty food. The setting of the hotel is unbelievably pristine

Important to note we were not staying at San Domenico but visited for drinks and dinner at Anciovi. Our evening was plagued from start to finish with bad services and food. I of course understand the hotel has to prioritise their in house guests and they are in high demand from outside visitors given white lotus, but this doesn’t mean they should treat those visiting with a reservation as second class citizens. We arrived one hour early for our dinner reservation thinking we could enjoy a nice drink at the bar ahead of time. We were told by an exasperated front of house that we were way to early and they had no room for us at the bar so please come back in 30 minutes. Fine if you don’t have room, but at least be apologetic and then when we come back in 30 minutes try to remember us not ask for our details again and act like never seen us before. Drinks in the courtyard in lovely setting and ok service. Negroni with a bunch of tiny ice cubes so melts quickly in the drink. Any bar worth their salts would have one big ice cube. Drink left to sit melting while they slowly get my wife’s champagne. One drink took 45 minutes so now 15 minutes late for our dinner. I guess we should have arrived an hour early to fit one drink in… No connectivity between having a drink and restaurant. Just shooed off to restaurant. Host and waiter perfectly ok at restaurant. Food beyond average. Worst meal we had four days in Taormina. Very plain tuna tartar and seafood salad. The ‘special’ pasta dish of ravioli with white fish in it tasted like fish came from a tin. The lobster pasta very fishy with zero presentation. The sommelier was terrible. Took forever to come. Have really enjoyed discovering Sicilian wines at other restaurants. Asked for ‘Chardonnay/burgundy like options. Was given two choices. One for 180 that said very good then on pressing was suggested a 120 bottle that he described as very ‘ordinary/basic’. I get that prices will be elevated at such an in demand hotel but don’t describe to a guest a EUR 120 option as very basic. Doesn’t make them fell great about what they are getting. We stayed at Mazzarò sea palace and had an amazing experience for half the price. And you are on the beach at Mazzaro. Had dinner at Belmond Grand Timeo and got impeccable food and service. Choose either over San Domenico. You’ll only be able to live off the white lotus name for so long with service and food like this. From an otherwise loyal Four Seasons customer.