Bristol Park Hotel

SHORT REVIEW. Crumbling façade. Stale cigarette smoke. 30 to 40 year old furnishings and decorations, poorly maintained. Two star hotel masquerading as a four. LONG REVIEW. I decided to go to the Bristol Park partially because of the current reviews posted on this website and partially because I could find no other hotels in Taormina which had a pool and a view for a moderate price (by Taormina standards). There maybe others, I did not have time to check. 30 to 40 years ago, I am sure that this was a very beautiful hotel. Someone of taste in that era spent a fortune on Italian marble, classic oil paintings and tile. In that era, I would guess this was one of the top hotels in the area. Today however it is a crumbling monument. Decay is everywhere – in the furnishings, on the walls and ceilings, in the restaurant and pool (see pictures). Imagine a fine ox blood colored marble floor – the type you would see in the most ornate of Catholic churchs in Italy – and on the walls adjacent wood paneling your parents or grandparents might have put up in their basement in 1970. We were on the top floor of the hotel. On each terrace there is a wrought iron light. Two of the nine have the original glass and wrought iron – and yes they were lovely. The rest have been replaced with whatever could be found really regardless of esthetic. Now I don’t want to be-labor the point, but every inch of this hotel has been treated that way. And simply put, it is hard not to notice despite the view. In fact some of the decay looks just this side of dangerous (Stay clear of the railing on the circular staircase. Some of the glass is held in place with picture wire). Yes your balcony will have a beautiful view. But remember, this is Taormina. The whole city has a beautiful view – other hotels will have it also. I had taken my children to Amalfi, Tuscany, Venice, Austria, the Rhine, Paris and London on this trip. All places where views can be fantastic. I had spent roughly the same (within $100 per night for two rooms at each) in each city. The Bristol park was the worst hotel of them. It seems to use its slick website pictures to lure you into believing it is truly spectacular. When you get here, the main entrance has the same effect. But upon closer review, you see that what the ownership has done is dazzle to get you in and then not spent another cent. The place is just this side of a dump and the food is very poor (I was going to use the term bizarre – the orange drink is a mystery for sure). One way to gauge this is to look closely at the “rooms” section pictures on the website. About three pictures in you’ll see a fantastic patio with two chairs, a table with gorgeous sunflower tile and a small freestanding white lamp. Man it looks nice. It should as it is the owner’s apartment on the top floor. Almost everything else is a deception too. Stay away. There are much better places for less $$ in Taormina

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Bristol Park. As mentioned in another review it would probably rate a 3-star in other places. However seasoned travellers to Italy will be aware that the star ratings all over the country tend to be one star higher than in other parts of Europe. That aside we though the hotel was great and it's slightly faded elegance only added to it's charm. The rooms were big, spotlessly clean and the views second to none. The staff were very friendly, and helpful, and the hotel is in a superb position, convenient for everything but located on a quiet road. Breakfast was fairly standard Italian fare, but we thought the dinners were wonderful. There were usually 3 choices for starter and main course and the menu included alot of traditional Sicilian food, and the portions were huge. I would recommend the Bristol Park if you want to stay in a real Italian hotel. It's not a place to stay if you want burger and chips!!

The hotel is very dated and definately not four star. The pool was filthy and never cleaned during our two weeks stay. The breakfast was adequate but never changed during our stay. Dinner was very limited and not very good at all. The owner is not interested in complaints. He penny pinches all the time - not replacing light bulbs, turning air conditioning off, never opening the bar etc. The hotel however is in a great location with excellent views of Etna. The reception staff are very helpful especially towards the end of your stay when they are expecting a tip from you. During our two weeks stay there were at least nine other couples who were not happy with the hotel.

We have recently returned from Bristol Park Hotel and in light of previous reviews, wanted to share our experience. The hotel is in an ideal location, with restaurants and Taormina centre. within easy walking distance. It is worthwhile paying a little extra for the sea view, which looks across Naxos bay to Etna. As previous guests have commented, the hotel may be in need of a little renovation, but certainly does not detract from its charm. We only had bed and breakfast, so cannot comment on evening meal. However, breakfasts were more than adequate and staff very friendly and attentive.

We have just returned from the Bristol Park and it was interesting to read the previous review. I have to agree about the star rating. It is definitely not a 4-star but is more a 3-star. The common parts are very tired looking and in need of some updating but the room we had was really lovely. We overlooked the sea and the pool and it was very clean and was a fairly decent size. The balcony was small but, luckily, we had a double balcony which was a result! The staff are lovely at the hotel and the breakfast is the usual cold buffet but ample. The location of the hotel is supberb. It is 5 minutes away from everything and 10 mins in the other direction to the cable car to take you to the beach (not sand but fine shingle). You can then walk along the beach for 5 mins to get to the beautiful Isolla Bella. Lots of lovely places to eat in Taormina too - I can highly recommend the al Giardino and the Bouganville which are both 3 minutes walk from the Bristol Park. All in all a fantastic holiday.

We have just returned from a weeks stay at the Bristol Park Hotel and could not believe this hotel has a 4 star rating. Although clean the furnishings were dated and the hotel is in need of a complete refurbishment. The bedrooms were large with antiquated furniture as was the rest of the hotel. The pool was deep even at the shallow end and definitely not for the inexperienced swimmer. The one outstanding feature of this hotel was the stunning view (from the tiny balcony) of Mount Etna and the bay. The town of Taormina was only a short walk from the hotel and was a bustling place day and night. Wonderful restaurants. Would definitely go back but certainly not to the Bristol Park Hotel.

The Bristol Park was a huge improvement over the Hotel Diodoro across the street.(We checked out of that) Our rooms were large, clean and the balcony had a fabulous view of the bay and Mt. Etna. The decor is a bit gaudy, kind of goes with old world Italian. Th estaff was very friendly and helpful. We did not eat in the hotel because ther are many great reataurants within walking distance.

Stopped at the bristol park sept 2004. Breafast juice.. awful! what was it? Hotel in a poor state of repair, was once very elegant but now, it needs many repairs. It does have stunning views (if you argue with the manager long enough) to get a good room. Oh and yes, it's like faulty towers.

I stayed here with my wife in July 2004 for a week half board. Walking into the hotel you could be stepping back in time to the 1930's. It has an elegance uncommon nowadays and they obviously try to make the service match that of a bygone age, but don't quite manage. The quality of room servicing varied from day to day though the hotel did seem clean. The views from the rooms with balconies is stunning and the pool is clean but would be a bit too deep for the inexperienced even at the shallow end. The weak point is the meals and this really lets the hotel down. Breakfast is well below average with the fruit juice quite apalling! Dinner is a bit iffy especially if you are vegetarian and the choices limited and not well described for a predominantly non-Italian clientelle. This hotel is nearly excellent and with greater attention to detail and quality in the restaurant could be a real gem indeed.

Faded elegance is how I would describe the building i.e needs a lot of money spent on it especially lightbulbs. The manager does not show concern about complaints, some staff were unfriendly especially being abruptly told to wait until the room was ready and having to wait half an hour for the menu in the restuarant one night. Definitely not a three star hotel. Single rooms do not share the same elegance of the rest of the hotel. If you want to stay, as it is an ideal location with wonderful views over the sea and across to Mount Etna, I recommend a sea view on the third or fourth floor. The alternative is a cliff face and/or a smaller room.