"We travelled to Villa Sonia as a couple in their mid 30’s, for 6 days in early April, bed and breakfast in a Superior Room (Room 410)
Location
It’s located centrally in Castelmola. The walk into Castelmola’s shops and bars is about 5 minutes - there’s plenty to do on your doorstep that if you wanted a hotel day with a break at lunch and evenings to walk around, you wouldn’t feel bored.
The walk into Taormina via the path near the hotel took around 30 minutes down and around 35minutes up for us. We’re moderately fit (hike regularly at home) and the weather was around 20 degrees all week - so others might feel differently. We would recommend the up hill hike in summer unless you were well stocked up on water.
The bus stop is near the hotel and easy to find if you needed it (we never caught it) but we did get a taxi up from Taormina sea area, once at a cost of €40 (so be warned if you have a few too many wines like we did and can’t face a bus or walk!)
We rented a car for our trip and used the car park at a cost of €7 euro per day. The car park felt very secure and safe for our rental.
Staff:
The staff at the hotel were all absolutely lovely. They’re the stand out part of our trip - every member of the reception team were so kind and approachable. We asked for recommendations on towns to visit in areas in the north east and south east and came away with well circled maps! We had fewer interactions with breakfast staff but all were smiley and attentive.
Cleanliness
Our room was cleaned daily and to a high standard. The bed always made exceptionally well. The pool area was always clean, as was shared areas around the hotel and the breakfast area.
Facilities
The hotel has an overall charming feel to it.
Our Superior Room had a brilliant view of Mt Etna. Really faultless. Their balcony was huge, the bed was big (big enough for my 6’1 partner and me). No kettle in the room but we asked for one and it was provided the same day - we just needed to buy our own coffee and milk.
We used the pool area / sun beds most days in the early evening. April is too cold to swim unless you pack a wet suit but we really enjoyed relaxing on the sun beds. One small note is that the pool bar isn’t open in April as it’s off season, but you can buy soft drinks / alcohol / crisps in the hotel lobby and I believe there are plastic cups available for any class bottles.
Food and drink
We went for breakfast every day and thought the food was nice. There was a small selection of cooked food (scrambled eggs, hot dog style sausage and bacon), meats, yogurts and fruit, breads and homemade cakes. A special shoutout to the apple cake and whoever makes this!
We only went for our evening meal the first night (no reason, just wanted to explore the area restaurants!) but the wine, food and service were great and the price in line with other local restaurants.
Value for money
Very very very good value for money. We booked through hotels.com and also used a QuidCo cashback deal (not affiliated with the hotel but available in the UK).
Overall:
We would have no hesitation returning to Villa Sonia again. I imagine in May/June when the weather is hotter and the pool warmer that it is absolutely incredible!!"
