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Sicily is a gorgeous island just off the coast of Italy with stunning beaches, rich history, charming hilltop towns and is home to Europe’s highest active volcano, Mount Etna. After spending a week on the beautiful island of Malta, we realized how close we were to Sicily (which is the largest island in the Mediterranean!) so we decided to plan a quick weekend getaway to the town of Taormina after leaving Malta.
Taormina is a lovely medieval hilltop town with views of both Mount Etna and the sea. And, it’s home to two Belmond hotel properties: Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo and Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea.
Belmond is one of my absolute favorite hotel chains. I love how each of their properties is unique but equally as enchanting with an old world charm.
While planning our trip to Taormina, I looked into both Belmond hotels in Taormina but had a difficult time deciding which Belmond hotel would be best for us — it was Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea vs. Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo. We eventually booked the Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea but also visited and dined at Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo during our time in Sicily.
So, here’s my experience at both the Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea and the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo to help you decide which Belmond hotel in Sicily is right for you!
– Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea –
The Property
Situated on the Mazzarò Bay, this 5-star hotel has views of the Mediterranean Sea from almost every angle. And even though the hotel has 71 rooms and suites, it feels much more intimate than a hotel of that size. At times, it felt like we had the place to ourselves!
The Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea has it’s own private beach with sun loungers and cabanas available for guests as well as beach bar service. The bay is shared with a few other hotels so there was quite a few kids swimming and jumping from the rocks in the bay — but it didn’t deter from our experience at all, in fact we had fun watching them!
The beach and bay area is just stunning and feels almost like you are transported back in time or dropped right into an old Sicilian postcard. We had such a relaxing day in the warm summer sun watching the Mediterranean Sea glisten.
In addition to the beach, the hotel also has an infinity swimming pool and pool bar. Although not too large in size, the pool has spectacular views of the bay and provides for a nice swimming opportunity away from the beach.
As for the rooms, we had the opportunity to stay in two different rooms — one with a sea view and balcony and one with a garden view. While both were lovely and elegantly decorated, the one of the with sea view balcony was really special for us. We dined on our private balcony for breakfasts with the waves splashing below and slept with the doors open to hear the sound of the sea at night.
Dining
Restaurant Oliviero sits above the beach club so it has spectacular ocean views while feeling more upscale than a typical ‘beach restaurant.’ We dined here for both lunch and dinner and had wonderful experiences each time. The service was excellent, our wait staff were friendly, helpful and attentive!
The menu features regional Italian dishes like caponata and Maccheroni alla Norma as well as many fresh seafood options including lobster, Sicilian grilled prawns and seafood risotto.
During the summer months, there is a special Sunday barbecue dinner each week featuring buffet style options.
Activities
If you can peel yourself away from the gorgeous property, Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea offers some amazing experiences! Taormina is just minutes up the hill via the complimentary hotel shuttle and during the summer months, there is a complimentary boat tour of the coastline each day as well as water sports available.
Or if you prefer, the hotel will organize a private boat tour — which I highly recommend if you aren’t able to do the complimentary boat tour or would prefer to explore the coast privately.
The coastline is dramatic and beautiful, and our boat tour guide showed us secret grottos and pointed out different highlights along the coast.
Other excursions offered include private sailing experiences, trips to Mount Etna and helicopter tours.
On property, there is both a spa wellness center and gym. We enjoyed some services at the spa which is located in a beautiful garden setting. The spa is quite small but we enjoyed our services and the staff was wonderful. If we were to have gotten massages, I would definitely consider an in-room massage treatment so I could enjoy the sound of the waves from my balcony!
– Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo –
The Property
Perched on a hilltop in the center of Taormina, Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo overlooks both the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Etna. Arriving at the hotel, the driveway winds through stunning terraced gardens — and at the top is the beautiful and glamorous looking 5-star hotel!
Entering the hotel and walking out onto the terrace, I was taken aback by the incredible views of Mount Etna — I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a volcano so close!
The Literary Terrace bar is the perfect place to take in the views over a cocktail and watch the sun go down. And they have nightly live piano music which really sets a romantic and magical tone for the evening.
Nestled in the garden is the outdoor swimming pool with sun loungers, umbrellas and a poolside bar. The pool is not much bigger than the one at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea and features peekaboo sea views.
While we didn’t get to enjoy staying in the room at the hotel, it does seem that the decor is very similar to that of the rooms at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea — elegant and with an old world charm. And it’s the same size — with 71 rooms and suites as well. In perusing their website, it also looks like they have a mix of garden view rooms and rooms with balconies overlooking Mount Etna and the sea in the distance.
Dining
Along with the pool bar and the Literary Terrace bar, there are two restaurants at the hotel: Otto Geleng Restaurant and Timeo Restaurant. The restaurants are on either side of the Literary Terrace with both providing panoramic views of the sea, the volcano and the terraced gardens below.
Otto Geleng accommodates just 16 guests per evening and boasts a Michelin star. Executive Chef Roberto Toro has created a menu that gives his personal twist on delicious Sicilian classics.
Timeo Restaurant is quite a bit larger but also offers al fresco dining, beautiful views and an upscale vibe. The menu offers regional Italian classics with an emphasis on fresh seafood — similar to the delicious dishes at Restaurant Oliviero at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea.
Activities
Most (if not all) of the activities available at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea are also available at Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo! After you’ve enjoyed the expansive hotel grounds and wandered around beautiful Taormina, you can book an excursion to Mount Etna, go on a Godfather themed tour of Savoca (just 20 minutes north) in a Fiat, visit the Greek theatre or nearby wineries.
And you are welcome to take the complimentary shuttle to the other hotel by the sea to enjoy a boat tour of the coastline or enjoy a sailing excursion.
The hotel also features a gym and spa wellness center for all your relaxation needs.
– Overall Thoughts –
Both the Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea and the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo are absolutely stunning properties perfect for exploring Taormina. Each has a glamorous old world feel with the Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea feeling more intimate and secluded and the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo feeling more, well, grand. And they both have unique features — Sant’Andrea has an excellent location right on the sea with a private beach and Timeo has absolutely magnificent volcano views and is located right in Taormina.
If I visited again, I would absolutely love to spend a few nights at both properties! You really can’t go wrong staying at either property, they are both absolutely stunning.
But for my first visit, I just loved being so close to the sea and I’m glad we stayed at Sant’Andrea. The sound of the gentle waves lapping at night was just magical! And seeing the views of Mount Etna at sunset while at Timeo for dinner was a perfect and romantic evening. I hope to visit both properties again soon!
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