Eurostars Monte Tauro

"I don’t like writing generally negative reviews, but it’s important to understand that there are several great things about this hotel but also many things that we did not like at all. On the plus side, the location is solid, the view spectacular, the included breakfast one of the best we’ve experienced in Europe. The pool area is great, the room size and room amenities adequate. On the negative side with the exception of the seventh floor (breakfast area) and the eighth floor (the lobby) the windows are dirty and with the exception of the pool area the outside is extremely unkempt and dirty. And the patio of our room was filthy with bird crap everywhere (be sure to see the photos) and our awning was disgustingly covered with bird crap (see photos). Also on the negative side there’s only one elevator for a nine story property and a steep and long road that you have to navigate to get in and out of the hotel. We stayed six nights with the first two on our own ahead of a tour. We paid $1000 for a “premier Seaview“ and when I made the reservation, I told them that if possible, we didn’t want to change rooms on the day we transitioned and became part of our tour group. On check-in I reminded them of my email and this request and could that they told us that it could “be a problem“ but “will work on it“ and later they gave us room 211 with a filthy balcony and a disgusting canopy (see photos) - the patio was so bad my wife wouldn’t use the outside patio area. And on this lower floor our “premium seaview”was partially obstructed. And one of the three window panels had moisture on the inside so you couldn’t see out of it. The first morning after checking in I went to the front desk and asked him to please clean the patio. When we returned to the hotel several hours later, there was no evidence that they had with the same disgusting pigeon crap on the patio wall and floors. And by the way, the patio furniture has seen better days! My wife said to mention that she thought the rooms needed some tender, loving care. I feel like Eurostar, the hotel owners, should shut this place down for a month and bring in some crews to do a major deep clean of the outside. I think the photos I will share capture the reason we were so terribly disappointed in this property. As I said there are amazing views, the pool area very nice and the included breakfast excellent but the rest of the hotel was a pretty sad sack situation. I did respond to the hotels request for a survey by asking for some consideration on the rate they charged us in view of the lower level floor (not to mention the general condition of the patio area). And we certainly did not get a “premium Seaview“. Still haven’t heard back from them. Check out the photos."

"This hotel is a very specific experience and you should know the pros and cons before choosing it. Pros: outstanding view from your balcony on most floors, quality comfortable beds, clean, quiet, very close location to the main part of Taormina, excellent breakfast buffet with fresh food, decent self serve espresso machines, friendly staff and great views, good water pressure and temperature, strong A/C when needed, ample free bottled water delivered to your room every day, strong wifi signal in our room. Cons: the access road to the hotel is short, but very steep and you will be walking up and down it every time you leave the hotel. Some taxis won't drive down. There is one small elevator for all floors so we climbed 5 flights of stairs quite a few times. The room decor is very dated: think cross between 80's dorm room and hostel. The extra mattresses in the hall didn't help the ambience. It also took us a minute to realize the rock decor on our hallway (floor 3) was actually the cliff side the hotel is built in to. There is no restaurant on site for evening meals. Limited closet/drawer space. The biggest con for us was a treacherous bathtub/ shower combo where the tub bottom is not wide enough for two normal size feet to stand on and it is slippery. Every shower felt like a dare. Still, for the price the location can't be beat. We would likely stay here again for all the pros, but only as long as everyone in our party was safely able to navigate the location."

"This hotel has good and not so good aspects. The rooms are okay - spacious with hanging & shelf space, balconies, and a dresser. Breakfast was plentiful, and the location within Taormina is very central. A special mention for Laura, the trainee receptionist and concierge for whom nothing was too much trouble - she organised restaurants, taxis, and tours. Unfortunately, access to the hotel is via a very steep slope, which is difficult to access even by car. One has to turn the car almost 360 degrees to enter the narrow slope. I wouldn't recommend bringing a car to Taormina!"