Hotel Isola Bella

“Isola Bella Sea View Room ❤️”

We had our room with a balcony facing exactly Isola Bella. The staff were very helpful, they also helped us to find parking. They gave us a brief of the surroundings and how to get to all the landmarks we wanted to visit while showed us how we can reach any basic shops just in case we needed someth… more

We had our room with a balcony facing exactly Isola Bella. The staff were very helpful, they also helped us to find parking. They gave us a brief of the surroundings and how to get to all the landmarks we wanted to visit while showed us how we can reach any basic shops just in case we needed something.

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“Lovely hotel with marvellous staff”

This hotel has wonderful staff, very helpful and friendly. The cleaners are marvellous and clean the room every day, fresh towels etc. The location is perfect, with restaurants, cafés a short walk away. Our room was opposite Isola Bella island so a fantastic view. Breakfast is delicious, rooms are … more

This hotel has wonderful staff, very helpful and friendly. The cleaners are marvellous and clean the room every day, fresh towels etc. The location is perfect, with restaurants, cafés a short walk away. Our room was opposite Isola Bella island so a fantastic view. Breakfast is delicious, rooms are pretty basic but perfectly adequate. Altogether a brilliant holiday

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“Great 3 star hotel above standard. ”

What a great little hotel. Small tidy clean rooms. Great view from the standard room with balcony. Great amenities. Excellent breakfast with variety of hot and cold foods. Left access and a short 5 minute walk down to Isola Bella and variety of shops and food. Pool was clean and temp was perfect.… more

What a great little hotel. Small tidy clean rooms. Great view from the standard room with balcony. Great amenities. Excellent breakfast with variety of hot and cold foods. Left access and a short 5 minute walk down to Isola Bella and variety of shops and food. Pool was clean and temp was perfect. Bus stop right out the front to take you to Giardini Naxos or to Tourmina centre The service was well above standard. So happy with this 3 star property will definitely stay here again.

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“Quaint, quintessential Sicilian experience”

Hotel Isola Bella from the outside invokes skepticism. When you look on it, isolated on a busy main road, paint peeling on the outside, with its dusty driveway, we initially thought “what have we gotten ourselves into?”. However, this skepticism was immediately punctured by the helpful and smiley g… more

Hotel Isola Bella from the outside invokes skepticism. When you look on it, isolated on a busy main road, paint peeling on the outside, with its dusty driveway, we initially thought “what have we gotten ourselves into?”. However, this skepticism was immediately punctured by the helpful and smiley gentleman behind the desk, despite the late hour. Providing us with our key (obviously), and a map pointing out the local amenities, the pattern of friendly staff never waned, with every member at the desk smiling and very happy to help, answering questions or collecting our keys. Their positivity was without a doubt a highlight of our hotel experience. The room itself is simple, and whilst some may say ‘dated’, we thought it was full of character. If you want to distance yourself from anything Sicilian, pick another whitewashed boring hotel; there are plenty. The room, whilst small, contains all necessary amenities (mini fridge, kettle etc) and ample storage (multiple drawers, wardrobe). Similarly, whilst the bathroom was not flashy, it was always clean, and certainly did the job. We stayed in a double bed (two singles stuck together) which was comfy enough to leave us struggling to get out of bed in the morning. Although we linked our room, the balcony situation was slightly disappointing. Asking for a sea view room is a must - the small space would be entirely forgotten if the view of Isola Bella was available at the same time. Otherwise, enjoy your view of the maintenance area and some steps. The swimming pool and sunbeds were faultless. It was a large pool with a shallow area for children or those wishing to sunbathe, as well as a spacious standard pool. We went in late July, the start of the summer holidays in Britain, and not once did we struggle to get a sun bed. They were comfortable, came with visors for shade if needed. By the pool were two seemingly recently renovated bathrooms, that were very clean and arguably nicer than the bathrooms in your room. On top of this, we were allowed to use the pool after our checkout at 11am. The view of the sea was nothing short of spectacular, as the pool was elevated and overlooked the aptly named Isola Bella (beautiful island). To expand on this, Isola Bella (the local beach) nearby is an enormous bonus. Whilst the road is quite treacherous with an almost literal painful lack of pavement, and the steps down to the beach are arduous, it is worth it to bask in such close proximity to the stunning island. Outside of Isola Bella, the options of genuine Sicilian cuisine are limited (we recommend AI Paladino, the little kiosk opposite it, and La Marina). If you don’t like seafood, you will probably struggle. If you are patient, you can take the cable car to Taormina, a roughly ten minute walk from the hotel (along that scary road!). Avoid the cable car any later than 6 o’clock, as it will be very busy for the rush hour. Instead, go around 5, or get an Uber/Taxi, and enjoy the scenic route. It is not difficult to get lost in time in Taormina, and leaving early will be worth it to see the streets before the hungry stampede arrives. The cable car is a €10 return ticket, or €6 each way. Overall, Hotel Isola Bella would definitely be recommended. Its quaint charm contributed massively to our search for a quintessential Sicilian experience. It is not a luxury 5 star resort - but why would you want that here anyway? The beds are comfy, the pool is lovely, and the views are stunning. The very few downsides lie almost entirely in its location rather than its service. The road can be quite daunting, and unless you are willing to pay for Ubers/taxis you may find yourself in some heart racing encounters with buses and cars. We managed with it for a week, and whilst it was certainly an issue, neither of us ended up in hospital and the holiday was still amazing. The charm and humility that the hotel provides is immersive, and you will find yourself waving goodbye to a genuine Sicilian service on your last day. We will be back!

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