Riis Villa

After reading some of the latest reviews of this hotel I was concerned about the quality of the hotel and the friendlyness of the staff. After staying a week at the hotel I must say that all my concerns diminished. We had a wonderfull time in Taormina. The hotel is close to the mian street with wonderfull views of the sea and /or mount Etna. We read the introduction pack that was written by Thompsons about hotels in Italy in general and would agree that this hotel does have some of the problems suffered by most Italian hotels (even 4... more

After reading some of the reviews, I was a bit concerned. The hotel is in a great location. We had a room on the 4th floor which gave us a small terrace but a nice view. The bathroom was dark. So if you are going to stay here, I would suggest asking for a corner rooom--they seem to have an extra window in the bathroom. Breakfast buffet was acceptable--yogurts, cereal, breads, ham, cheese, etc. No hot foods.

Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Villa Riis for 1 week in September. Having read the reviews by other guests I was a bit hesitant but I have to say over all it was ok. We had a room in the sidebuilding, not the main one, with private little terrace and a wonderful sea view but unfortunately no Etna view. The room was brand new with a nice huge bed, new furniture and brand new bathroom (yes, we had the marble floor!). Breakfast was ok but I was surprised coffee came from one of those office machine ... being italian myself but... more

A terrible disappointment. We booked from the 9th till the 16th September 2006 through Expedia. Being a bit nervous after reading the views of other visitors, we upfront called the hotel directly to check whether we had a see-view room with a balcony. Occasionally we were re-booked to a see-view room with balcony because according to the reception lady when you book through Expedia only standard rooms are available (I was not able to find out how “standard” a standard room was). It came across to me that Internet bookers are second-class... more

Having stayed in Taormina before at many good hotels it was a disapointment to stay at this hotel which is rated as a four star -but clearly is not. The Hotel is well located and has fabulous views of the bay - but it is old and tired. I had booked a single room - but at 120 Euros a night I wasn't expecting the dreary little room which was a single. It would have been acceptable if it had been clean - which it was not- [---] on the toilet seat and blood on the phone. When I pointed out the state of the room to reception - they... more

We stayed at the Villa Riis Hotel for 6 nights - 2 adults and a young baby and it was just fabulous.We arrived at the hotel after a long car journey from the Amalfi Coast and as you can imagine were exhausted and when we arrived at the Villa Riis were greeted by a very pleaseant lady Theresa at reception who was extremely helpful. The bedroom was very spacious with very elegant theme - bathroom was very small though.The view from the bedroom overlooking the Bay of Naxos was breathtaking. Rooms were cleaned very day with fresh towels and... more

Its very hard to beat the position of this hotel only steps from the heart of Taormina hanging off the edge of the mountain overlooking the sea. Rooms are very spacious, ours was traditionally decorated and offered an incredible view of the sea (from the third floor - 302). Our room also had an extra large balcony. Air conditioning worked very well. Notions offered were ok. Towels were not particularly 'plush' but were adequate. The front desk staff were efficient - but not overly extroverted/welcoming nor proactive with... more

We booked our holiday in Taormina as our friends were getting married here. After reading the reviews posted, we had a few reservations. However, on arrival we were taken back by the beautiful villa and upon entering our room were left speachless by the views. Breakfast on the terrace was wonderful, consisted of the usual Italian offerings, breads, cheeses etc - (and the grapefruit juice was lovely - not a hint of powder!) The bedroom was a little on the compact size, but we had ample room for all our clothes (and we took a lot!) and the... more

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Villa Riis. The location is great. The views wonderful from the balconies - all balconies seem to face the sea. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The breakfast is fine - if a vending machine bothers you it is still there - but wasn't really a problem for us. The juice doesn't appear to be powdered - OK, but Tropicana it isn't. The pool area is delightful and was never crowded and is reached via a scenic lift. The gardens along the cliff are lovely and there is a well equipped gym and a tennis court... more

We arrived at the last moment having left another hotel (crystal sea, dont bother). We were aware that the hotel had just spent a lot of money on redevelopment and were very happy with the results. The location is superb with views of the sea and mount Etna, the room was stylishly decorated and up to scratch, the front desk couldnt be more helpfull helping us with all our enquiries of the hotel and area. A lovely swimming pool and tennis court in lovely grounds. The breakfast was adequate but the staff excellent. They have 2 or 3 Indian... more