Villa Esperia Hotel

We stayed at the Esperia for 2 weeks in early September 2006 and found it to be very poor.As the holiday was booked very close to departure date few hotel options were available.Having enjoyed a stay at the Esperia in 2004 we took a chance that the recent poor reviews may have been a little harsh - how wrong we were.We were promised that we would have the same room as per our first stay but on arrival were told that it was no longer possible.The alternative room was of a good size but was not very clean.Unfortunately the room and the hotels location were the the only good things to talk about. As has been mentioned by several others the evening meals were truly awful and the breakfast very average.This was coupled with very poor and unprofessional servce..As we had been pre-warned about this by Trip Advisor reviews we half expected to have to eat out but many people were very upset by the poor standard of food and did not have the money to keep eating out having already paid for half board. The rest of the hotel facilities fared no better.On arrival the swimming pool was very dirty with murky water.Although the water clarity improved over the first week the pool was never properly clean and my wife refused to get in fearing infection.The pool area and the bar / reception are very tatty and need refurbishing - as does the rest of the hotel.A lot of the problems were caused by a lack of staff who were being stretched too far.The overall feeling is that the management of the hotel are cutting far too many corners on maintanence,staff and food quality to maximise profits. I would strongly advise others not to stay at the Esperia unless it changes hands and is refurbished. Fortunately for my wife and i the problems encountered did not spoil our holiday as we love Taormina but it was a shame to see the hotel in such a poor way having had such a good stay there 2 years ago.

We stayed at the Villa Esperia in July, 2006. With previous criticisms of the food at this hotel in mind, we found that it was actually quite good. The rooms were clean, air-conditioned and generally okay. There is also a good view of the surrounding area and the sea from the hotel. The road outside the hotel is busy, but this is the same for all the other hotels in the area. The Vila Esperia does provide good value for money because Taormina is a very expensive area. On the negative side service at the bar was non-existent ,at times, therefore anyone who goes there expecting any kind of poolside drink could be disappointed.

We spent a week in Taormina Mare at the villa Esperia hotel in June 2006.We thought the hotel was generally ok but looked a bit jaded around the pool area.The staff were helpful and reasonably friendly.The room was reasonable for the price we payed as hotels in this area are quite pricey.Food was quite nice but not consistant, and after eating out a couple of times for a change we realised that there was better food out there and more of it! The location is near the beaches and a short walk to the cable car that takes you to Taormina which is wonderful. Overall it wasn't bad value for money but I wouldn't class it as a 4star hotel,more like a good 3 star. l Paul and Jenny from England

We have just returned from a week in the villa esteria. On arrival our room didn't have a sea view, which we had paid an extra £140 for and the staff did nothing to rectify this although we did have proof that we had paid the extra. The rooms are adequate but after having stayed 2 nights before our trip at the Marriot Manchester, also a 4 star hotel we were somewhat disappointed in our room. It was very clean as was the whole hotel but the food is nothing special and you have to choose your evening meal at breakfast time. Often the bar was unmanned and even in the evening you had to look for someone to attend to you. The staff are all very pleasant apart from the reception. We didn't like the position of the hotel which is on a corner and as the road has no pavements it is quite dangerous especially at night. The hotel isn't situated in a very good area as there is nothing to do as there is nowhere to go unless you take the cable car and that is not to everyone's taste. This is certainly not a 4 star hotel and we were quite disappointed.

Stayed at the Esperia in Sept 05, having foolishly booked it without consulting Trip Advisor first! I have to say that all of the negative reviews are correct. Our room was so small you couldn't open the wardrobe and get in the bathroom at the same time. The food was awful. On the first night the restaurant was full, but each day fewer and fewer of the guests who arrived with us could be found braving the hotel cuisine. I don't believe that they actually cook anything there, but buy it in and warm it up. We were walking a little further down the street one day and saw a huge kitchen several hundred yards from the hotel where they were cooking meatballs by the thousand. The doors were wide open to the dusty road and wandering dogs, cats and flies. Having had to cope with the bizarre "decide at 8am what you might fancy to eat at 8pm system", guess what was on the Esperia menu that night? Mmmm, meatballs - no thank you! I cannot comment on the Sicilian buffet as by Friday night we had lost the will to sample the unpalatable items served up by the Esperia and had grown accustomed to eating up in Taormina. I don't agree with those who have said that the staff were friendly either - a couple of them were pretty lecherous and seedy, so if this is what you mean by friendly, then each to his own... The only person who appeared to have a clue was the female receptionist who I believe was Scandinavian. However, her promises never appeared to be actioned by the lacksadaisical staff - for example, arranging an early breakfast when off on a day trip. The thing about this hotel is that it is not exactly cheap. We paid a considerable amount for a week there and certainly didn't feel as though we had got our money's worth from it. Taormina itself is an interesting place to visit, but if you do so I would advise you to find a different hotel.

For a supposed 4-star hotel the food was dreadful! The hotel was clean and the staff were friendly. Maybe it was because we were approaching the end of the season but the fare got worse every day. One cereal for breakfast, scrambled eggs every day, no variety, no toast only rolls for breakfast. Evening meal dreadful and served lukewarm. Very small wine list which got smaller as time went on, huge mark-up on ordinary table wine. How did this hotel get a 4star rating?

Just a quick review to comment along with most other reviews that this is not a 4* hotel. Although nice and clean etc... the food is of very poor quality. If you ate in the hotel everyday you were probably none the wiser but if you out out the standard of food at every other restaurant that we tried in taormina is 100% better than the Esperia. Therefore, if you place importance on food, do not stay at this hotel, either that or take extra money and eat out. If you are not bothered what you eat you will probably enjoy it!!!

I absolutely agree with some of the previous postings it is not a four-star hotel. Some of the staff have told me themselves that ir is not a four star but it's a three star hotel. The food was ok. I never had the same thing twice. The sicilian buffet was absolutely fantastic. The reception was nice and was willing to help you whenever they could. The bar was most of the time manned. I know from eleven clock in the morning through the whole day till the time they closed the bar there was almost all the time somebody there. When they weren't there they were or helping in the restaurant or getting stuff from behind. But you are on your holiday so I didn't care if I had to wait I had the time. The staff at the restaurant were abosulety great. They had a lot of fun in their job always joking around. The chefs were absolutely crazy and I mean this in a good way. The people who cleaned the hotel did a fabalous job the room was always clean and the pool was filtered every night. The hotel was indeed next to a busy road but that was every hotel in the neigbourhood. There just were any steps. You did have to walk some stairs to get to the entrace that is if you can't walk easily is a down-side. The rooms were clean and had enough room. If you pay extra you can get a room with a sea-view and a balcony which is fantastic the higher the room the better the view.

My wife and I have just returned from 2-weeks at the Esperia. Firstly, let me say where I agree with previous postings. This is not, in all honesty, a 4-star hotel but it is a very good 3-star. It doesn't offer much for kids or, it has to be said, vegetarians. Yes it is situated on a fairly busy road but it is not the death-trap some have suggested. There was, at times, a bit of a wait at the pool bar for service but, you've got to remember this is Italy and they don't share our anglo-saxon hang-up about time and punctuality and good for them, life's too short. I do disagree with a lot of the negative stuff posted previously. The staff were, t a man and woman, approachable, helpful and fun, from the lady cleaner who gently made fun of my attempts at italian to the bar/restaurant staff who were always unfailingly helpful and ready for a laugh and a joke. The food was excellent both in terms of choice - we never saw the same menu twice in 2 weeks - and quality. The evening meal is a standard 3-course affair and most nights we took just 2 courses, the pasta starter was usually enough! The hotel is well kept throughout with cleaning happening pretty much somewhere all the time. The pool is also very neat and clean with always plenty of sunbeds. The hotel is located at Mazzaro and you need to take a cable car up to Taormina- 3 euros return It is more than worth it. In terms of trips try Castelmola for simply awe-inspiring views of the island and the boat trip to Lipari was a memory we'll cherish (Vulcano is a bit limited unless you're into sulphur baths!). In short we'd go back to both this resort and this hotel - never said that before.

I am glad to hear you had a great holiday staying in The Hotel Villa Esperia We had a lovely holiday there in july.,We paid 1200euro for one week per person also we had a child of three with us, for witch we had to pay full adult price for also. There was no facilities there for children.I HAVE TO SAY THE STAFFWERE GREAT . THE FOOD WAS DREADFUL.THE ROOMS WERE BASIC AND WE FEEL WE WERE WAY OVER CHARGED FOR THIS HOTEL. For what we paid it was not worth it. Gena. [Ireland]