Last Updated on May 1, 2025
Luxury hotel overlooking the Pearl of the Ionian Sea
Arriving in Taormina is a dramatic affair. A series of hairpin bends rise up a precipitously steep mountainside while magnificent vistas of the bay appear and disappear with every twist and turn. It cannot fail to impress. Far below lie Taormina’s beaches, while up above, the town centre clings to the cliffs of Mount Tauro, steep stone staircases connecting one street to the next. Corso Umberto I, the main street that stretches east to west, is bookended by the ancient stone arches of Porta Messina and Porta Catania. It is glamorous and lined with high-end brands jostling for space with luxury hotels. There are restaurants aplenty, many with outdoor terraces on honey-hued piazzas. Taormina has been described as picture-postcard perfect, which it is. I felt as if I was on a film set. Located one street above the constant buzz of Corso Umberto, I found a quiet haven at NH Collection Taormina.
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Accomodation at NH Collection Taormina
NH Collection Taormina has 63 rooms overlooking the town with the Teatro Antico to the left and Mount Etna to the right. The building has two architectural styles – many rooms are located in a 7-floor, early 20th-century building. In contrast, some further rooms, the Spa, restaurant, and pool deck, are in a contemporary, glass-fronted extension. Our Premium room was one of several with private terraces and a jacuzzi, which can be filled with hot or cold water on request. It was tempting to spend the day enjoying the view and privacy, but Taormina has a lot to see and is also well situated for exciting daytrips to Mount Etna and beyond.
Our room was elegantly decorated in shades of sage and cream. A floor-to-ceiling, textured headboard was framed in wood, matching the wood panelling elsewhere in the room. The wallpaper had an attractive botanical design in sage and cream. Velveteen curtains draped the glass door leading out onto the terrace. Here, there was a table and chairs for dining, and an outdoor sofa. Another sofa was found alongside the jacuzzi, sheltered from the sun by a gazebo.
The bedroom was cleverly designed with the large ensuite running the length of the room behind glass panels with frosted sections for privacy. The area was divided into a wet room with a rain shower and large bath, a dressing room with his and hers basins and generous hanging space, and lastly, behind a glass door, there was a loo and bidet.
Facilities at NH Collection Taormina
A large, square swimming pool occupied the central courtyard of the NH Collection Taormina. It is located directly above the lobby, and large glass panels are fitted into the bottom of the pool so that one can see through to the lobby below. Equally, it allows a lot of light into the lobby itself. The pool deck had plenty of loungers and a pool bar and restaurant serving Sicilian street-food meals. Behind the deck, we found the Fusion Spa, which has two treatment rooms along with a steam room and sauna. There was also a well-fitted-out gym. We were treated to a couple’s massage and enjoyed excellent treatments from Lucia and Laura. The Spa has a menu of treatments that can be selected.
Dining
The hotel was gearing up for the season when we stayed. From mid-May, the hotel’s Zefiro restaurant opens on the 7th floor rooftop – an expansive space with outstanding 360-degree views. We watched the sun set from this vantage point, and our only disappointment was that Mount Etna was covered in a thick shroud of cloud for the duration of our stay. All the more reason to return.
We were invited to enjoy a dinner of dishes prepared by the chef of Zeferino restaurant, served poolside during the low season. We sampled several Sicilian dishes along with a wine pairing that showcased local wines. We began with a selection of home-baked breads with a bottle of olive oil from the slopes of Mount Etna. This was accompanied by a sparkling wine, Terraze Dell’Etna Rosé Brut. Next came a plate of deep-fried Parmesan balls, one filled with seafood and the other with Parmesan. Served on a cream of Parmesan and thin slices of guanciale, it was like a Sicilian riff on bacon and eggs. A white wine –Terraze Del Vulcano Ciuri, IGT 2023i – had a sulphuric back note.
The next course also involved fried items – Sicilians are extremely fond of deep-fried foods. In many restaurants, one can order an antipasto of frittura, a variety of hot, crispy bites. Here we had two offerings, both hot and crispy. One was like a polpette of aubergine, potato and paprika with basil olive oil. The other was a cannolo made from aubergine, ricotta, and anchovies. I had never had this combination before, and it was very full-flavoured, the salty notes tempered by the ricotta.
A red wine, Alto Mora, Etna Rosso 2021, was served with the primi course of two pasta dishes. My husband was presented with rigatoni with ragu di vitello, the knife-chopped veal was well-flavoured and juicy. I had a memorable dish – spaghetti with gamberi rossa and pistachio montecato. This was a beautifully presented dish of spaghettini rolled in a prawn and pistachio sauce, topped with raw red prawns and chopped nuts. These prawns are very popular in Sicily and are fabulously sweet served raw. The combination of prawn and pistachio was sweet and well-textured.
For dessert, my husband had a chocolate brownie with almond ice cream while I enjoyed a deconstructed cannolo, very colourful and, in truth, not the first cannolo I had eaten that day. Taormina has a bakery famous for its cannoli, and we had enjoyed these earlier. Dessert was accompanied by Marsala – Florio Targa Marsala Superiore Semisecco, 2019 – a drink that has gone in and out of fashion over the centuries, but has become popular once again.
The next morning, breakfast was served on a mezzanine gallery overlooking the lobby. Here we found a generous buffet that is a hallmark of NH hotels around the world. There were platters of fresh fruit, breads, charcuterie and cheese, pots of yoghurts, nuts and seeds, fresh fruit juices and eggs to order. Service was swift. I enjoyed poached eggs with a side of spinach, while my husband had a tasty omelette. At NH Hotels, the breakfast buffet always includes a selection of local specialities. This being Sicily, a table was laden with cakes, brioche and biscuits all served in ceramic dishes. Taormina has numerous ceramics shops displaying its distinctive style of decoration, examples of which were on show in the public areas of the hotel.
What to see in Taormina
Taormina is renowned for the Teatro Antico, an ancient Greek theatre built in the third century BC. It is a short walk from the hotel. We visited right after breakfast, before the heat of the day and the multitude of day trippers and tour parties.
We took time to stroll around the small alleys and cobbled streets of town, where there were surprises around every corner – ancient walls, old churches, plants cascading down from ornate balconies decorated with pottery heads, known as teste de moro. We took a cable car down to the beach far below, and while it was not yet swimming weather, we had a fun time clambering across a sandbank, in thigh-high water, to reach the bijoux island of Isola Bella. Here we wandered through a hillside garden of Mediterranean plants and trees, with an extraordinary maze-type folly built by an Englishwoman, Florence Trevelyan, in the late 19th century.
The following day, we spent a morning in Castelmola, a village 5km above Taormina, so high up that one feels on top of the world. There are wonderful views down onto Taormina and the coastline of the Ionian Sea that stretches into the distance. From here, one should have an unimpeded view of Mount Etna. But for the clouds, we would have done. We had a delicious lunch at Bistrot A’Ficaredda, where we enjoyed traditional Sicilian dishes including local cheese and charcuterie, a pistachio and zucchini lasagna, and a fabulously herby, slow-cooked pork shank. Don’t miss the Bar Turisi, a most unusual place with a phallic theme – it is amusing, not seedy – and well known in these parts for its homemade almond wine and cantuccini-type biscuits. It also has stunning views from its rooftop terrace.
Many visitors to Taormina take boat trips around the coast or day trips to Mount Etna. These will be on my list for my next visit to this picturesque town.
Service at NH Collection Taormina
You can expect excellent service at a five-star hotel – the NH Collection Taormina provided it. The front of house and guest relations staff who were on duty during our stay – Gabriele and Giovanni – were helpful, interested, friendly, and facilitated our transport arrangements with care. While we did not have time for tours and daytrips during our short stay, they had all the information at their fingertips. On leaving, we received a lovely postcard with a drawing of Taormina and a personal note of thanks for our visit. This is the level of service on offer at NH Collection Taormina.
NH Collection Taormina
Via Circonvallazione
11 Taormina,
Sicily, Italy
