Thingorjus needs advice on Sicily
 

Keith and I may go to Sicily in July. He wants to go someplace hot. I thought we could do 4 days in Palermo (for me), and 3 days in Taormina (for him). The problem is that I am finding no info. on Sicily. No one I know has ever been there. How does one get from Palermo to Taormina? By train? By bus? I would rather not rent a car as we hate to drive whilst on holiday. But, we would if we had to. Could someone please recommend GOOD hotels in either city? How nice is the beach in Taormina??

I am hoping Patrick will help. :)

Thanks,
John G.

Hello ThinGorjus, you might want to buy the DK book "Sicily". I bought it for a friend whose parents came from Sicily. He was always hesitant about travelling to Siciy. He said that the book has tons of information.

I know that the DK Rome and Italy books do. Have fun planning your trip!

My husband and I traveled to Sicily for a portion of our honeymoon in May 2003. We took the train from Taormina to Milazzo (to catch a boat the the Aeolian Islands), and I am fairly certain the train continues on to Palermo. In Taormina we stayed at the Villa Ducale for 3 nights and the Grand Hotel Timeo for 1 night (a splurge!). The Villa Ducale is delightful and the staff is friendly, but the walk up the many, many flights of stairs to get there from the center of town was challenging.
Happy travels! I would love to go to Sicily again!

Stairs are out because I have a feeling my mother is going to attatch herself to our holiday when she finds out. She is a smoker. I forgot to mention that Keith MUST HAVE as swimming pool. It is the only way I can get him to go. (He is a cruise/Florida beach-type person.)

I am having a nervous breakdown. I wanted to go to Montreal, but Keith won't go. Now, I have to start my planning all over. There will be a divorce soon. :) And my mother will be another headache, and will want to go to Positano, too. Before all is said and done, my little holiday will last 21 days and cost $30,000.

Trains are between 4 and 5 hours. All require a change at Messina, but that's no big deal. Forget the car. You can even take a train out to Agrigento from Palermo, which I'd recommend.

The trains come into Taormina down by the beach Taormina-Giardini, then you take a taxi up to the town.
Taormina is way up on a hill with spectacular views. The beach areas are very tacky in my opinion. You can take either a bus or a taxi down to the main ones. There is a very small beach area that you can take a cable car down to. Somehow I just don't see ThinGorjus fitting in at the tacky beaches in Taormina! But sipping cocktails on the piazza and strolling in the evenings-- definitely!

Perhaps the fanciest place in town is the Grand Timeo -- a lovely old hotel.
We've stayed at the Villa Belvedere twice. It's smaller, old, a bit faded, but wonderful views, a superb staff, and just seems right in Taormina. You can request a room with private balcony. But I suspect the Grand Timeo is the place for you!

THE place in Palermo is out of town -- help someone, Villa Ag_____?

You're certainly on the right track if you want someplace HOT in July!

John, In Taormina, check out Villa Fabbiano www.villafabbiano.com A friend stayed there and has NOT stopped raving about it.

Although the Grand Timeo is posh, the most luxurious hotel in Taormina is the San Domenico. We enjoyed our stay there very much and it has a pool with gorgeous views of Etna. Keith would love the pool because it has a cabana for pampering massages and some very attractive bartenders to bring drinks and snacks to your chaise. The most luxurious hotel in Palermo (slightly outside of town) is the Villa Igea which also has a pool set in a jasmine scented garden.

I think Patrick is referring to Villa Igiea just north of the city towards Mondello. It was built by the Florio family who were known to be the first to can tuna.

Villa Igiea, that's it. I KNEW it started with an A! LOL.

I can also recommend the Villa Belvedere in Taormina. Agreed that it is a bit faded but the view and the pool are great. Be sure to get a room with the sea view. One note though, Taormina is a vertical city, so there will be some uphill walking through Taormina required. Same goes for Positano if your trip eventually takes you there.

Palermo is a fascinating town, with influences from many invading people over the centuries. It's definitely worth the trip to Monreale to see the cathedral with the mosaics. There is a morning bus tour of about 4 hours that takes you around Palermo and up to Monreale. It's worth it to gain some orientation on your first day there.

OK, thanks a lot. Just checked out Grand Villa Igiea. It looks nice, but how far outside of Palermo is it?? I don't want to have to cab it into town all the time. We like to walk outside my hotel and wander around. If isn't too far from major sites, we will stay at Igiea.

Can anyone recommend a more central hotel with a pool. We are willing to pay $300 a night per room.

How expensive/cheap is Palermo? For example, what would you pay for a typical cappuccino (sitting down) at a sidewalk cafe? How much is a 5-minute cab ride? We have no idea what to expect in Sicily.

Mimi, Jackie O says, "Thanks a ruff-ruff," for the website addresses you emailed to me.

Topping for John..I know someone here has the answers to his questions....

BC

The Villa Igiea is about a 10 minute bus ride to the center of Palermo and a five minute cab ride. The bus stops right in front of the hotel. We had a car during our stay there so I don't know how much a cab would cost but I can't imagine it would be very expensive. Generally, prices in restaurants were lower than Rome.

I can't quote prices on cappucino or taxis, but these items/services were always cheaper in Palermo and almost always cheaper in Taormina than say Rome or Venice.

They say the best beaches in Sicily are around the Noto and Ragusa areas. The beaches near Taormina were indeed rocky, but the water was very beautiful.

Thanks for the help. I was wondering about prices. The Villa Igiea's website states that the hotel opperates a shuttle to downtown Palermo every hour. That may be helpful.

Do cabbies in Palermo speak English? Would it be too difficult for them to find Villa Igeia? Or do you think all the drivers in Palermo know this hotel because it is famous??

The Villa Belvedere looks so nice. I really don't mind staying in a "faded" hotel as long as I have a view of the sea and a swimming pool. The rooms at San Domenico are $500 a night. That is a little too steap. (Plus, I don't want my husband around "attractive bartenders.") Although if my mother finds out about the hotel, she will want to stay there. I will have to keep it a secret.

Patrick, how is the food at Belvedere?

Anyone recommend any nice restaurants?

Thank you,
John G.

Goodmorning, the Jolly Hotel Del Foro Italico, a 4 star hotel with 277 rooms is located just south of the old harbor and across the beach to the water. It does have a pretty good little pool, Front rooms have a very good view and the ristorante is not at all bad... Have used it about four or five times over the years and found it
quite adequate, Good staff. For surfing
for information on Sicily, search Sicily or the specific town of which you are looking at. There is plenty of information out there....
Had a veryu good pool at the Jolly Hotel in Taormina, however that was a few years ago and beleive the hotel has
changed ownership....Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..

Hi Thin,

No adivce on Sicily I'm afraid, just wanted to wish you a great trip and good luck keeping everyone happy! Hope you get some R&R yourself in there :-)

What Richard doesn't mention is that the Jolly Hotel overlooks not only the main road along the coast but also an area that has been turned into a fun fair: merry-go-rounds, shoot-em-up booths, a ferris wheel (as I recall).

Not the most restful of places if your room faces the front.

But it IS on the edge of the most historic area of Palermo (and probably the one to be visited in a state of wary alert -- although I have to admit that even as an unaccompanied woman I never felt threatened during the day).

You might want to look at the Web site of this hotel that is more central than the Villa Igea:

http://www.centralepalacehotel.it/uk/index_uk.htm

But I cannot speak from personal experience of the hotel.

I don't know how it's possible that you're finding NO information on Sicily. Did you mean here on Fodors, or in bookstores, or just among your own friends?