Fabulous views of Mount Etna

Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina, Sicily - This beautiful hotel, which is part of the Orient-Express collection, is set high in the rock hills, overlooking the bay of Taormina. It’s an hour’s drive from Catania airport and it is well worth it for the stunning views across to Mount Etna and the setting next to the Greek Theatre which is surrounded by a six-acre park. During the film festival in Taormina in June 2010, Robert de Niro stayed here and film stars including Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor have stayed here too.

If it’s fit for an A-lister, then you can expect a very pleasant stay in one of the 47 rooms or 25 suites. Whichever you choose, you will find wine, bottled water and fresh flowers waiting for you on arrival, as well as air-conditioning, hairdryer, wireless internet connection, mini-bar cable and television as standard.

Rooms range from a Classic Room, to Premium Sea View Rooms and Deluxe Sea View Rooms. To Superior Junior Suites with a spacious balcony overlooking the sea, to spacious Deluxe Junior Suites with sitting room, terrace and sea views, Deluxe Suites with a large separate living room and a balcony or terrace with sea views, up to the Presidential Suite with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a lounge and dining area and a large terrace with sun loungers – this is great for families. In addition the Villa Flora Annex, (which will be completely refurbished by early 2011), located fifty metres from the main hotel, offers Single Rooms, Superior Sea View Rooms with a balcony and sea view, and Superior Suites with a partial sea view which are very large and ideal for families.

The hotel’s facilities include a Wellness Centre set in the gardens and offering beauty treatments, a small gym, an outdoor swimming pool and private parking,  as well as three wonderful restaurants which between them offer the options of indoor and outdoor dining, snacks such as pizzas and buffet salad bar, as well as more formal menus.

Location: Italy