Hotel Villa Sonia

Try and book a superior Mount Etna view room as the views are out of this world. The staff from reception, and the girls in hospitality are unbelievably helpful and friendly, the pool area is also fabulous.. Breakfast is served in an area where the views are breathtaking. Yes there’s not a huge choice but it’s enough and plentiful. You may take the free hotel shuttle down into beautiful Taormina which runs three times per day or even catch the more frequent Interbus to the terminal. From there you may travel to nearby Giardini Naxos and various other places for €1.90 each. I would 100% recommend Hotel Villa Sonia and am so glad, (after extensive research,) that I chose for us to stay here. Absolutely wonderful and wouldn’t change a thing. Be sure to take the cable cars to the beach as this area too is just beautiful. If you want small and authentic Italian stay here, if you like flash then choose the option of staying in Taormina.

I will be fair to the hotel yet honest. Just to clarify we booked with love holidays & the room I booked was called a double room with breakfast. Not too complicated I’d suggest until we arrived. Good points: location is lovely. The views are amazing and it’s a very relaxing spot very little noise and peaceful for a break away. I’ve been to Italy quite a few times and I like the traditional settings of the hotels so that isn’t an issue for us. Walking up the hill you find a lovely little place to eat explore etc. The Restaurant up the hill is lovely too. Towels for pool always available. Other points: on arrival as we checked in the receptionist said to me you do know you’ve booked an “economy room with a French bed” Obviously I had no idea what he was referring to & i had to say I do not know what that is my booking doesn’t mention anything like that. I said ok let us see the room so We did & it was really dark (roadside) & quite depressing as far as rooms go. We asked to move & we were moved into another room which was at least lighter with a small balcony. The hotels OWN website doesn’t mention economy rooms OR French beds.(I obviously checked it) The room options are ‘classic’ & then the others are superior etc as you’d expect. Not sure what they are selling but the website didn’t match with the booking. The pool closed too early at 6.30 when it was still hot & a swim would have been nice after going out for a day. Pillows were not good mine were really uncomfortable. Breakfast is ok but egg machine just doesn’t work & the options are really limited. Definitely not 4 star material. Some of the hotel isn’t used and looks slightly derelict compared to other areas. Water should be in the room for free (just a bottle would be enough) & there are no facilities at all to make a drink in the room. Factual: Parking was €5 a day €50 to keep the room if you have a late flight.

I would give this hotel 3.5 if that was an option as we did actually have an enjoyable stay at Hotel Villa Sonja. There are many positives, the location (Castelmola is a beautiful little village), the grounds, the pool and the views. Also the reception staff were friendly and helpful. However we feel that this hotel relies heavily on its location and views and without those things it would just be a middle of the road very average hotel. For us it felt more like a 3 star hotel than a 4 star. The decor is definitely a bit dated but that actually didn't really bother me. However there were other things that i felt were just not up to par. For a price tag of over €300 a night, It would have been nice if the hotel had at least provided some shampoo in the room and maybe a free bottle of water. The breakfast was considerably below average compared to most other 4 star hotels that we've stayed in and it was ridiculous to have to pay extra just to have an expresso or any coffee that was actually drinkable. As I said we enjoyed our stay and Castlemola very much anyway. It's just a shame the hotel does not live up to its full potential.

Great Hotel. Staff fantastic, they cant do enough for you, helpful to the extreme. Rooms are a good size and perfect for your stay, the views from the balconies of the volcano and surrounding areas are very good. Breakfast is plentiful and very good. didn't have a evening meal as we ate out every night but Ive heard people who were staying at the same time they were good. The old town is about a 30 minute walk downhill and only for the physically able. They will arrange a pickup at certain times Parking is around 7 euros a day in the underground parking next to the hotel. you can get a bus from the old town easy enough but if you want to explore id get a car. There are plenty of restaurants and bars dotted around for the evening and you don't have to go to the old town to have a good meal. Nice swimming pool and catches lot and lots or sun if you just want to lounge around. Excellent location cant really fault it

We have just returned from a week at the villa Sonia. The last reviewer Teresa summed it up perfectly for us. The staff. David ,Raul and Francesco in reception. Maria and her staff in La Caverna and Antonio the Jet 2 rep were all fantastic and made sure our holiday went like clockwork and was very relaxing. Would certainly recommend.

Fabulous place. Very hospitable, charmingly and uniquely decorated, unsurpassable view of Etna (from the superior room). Breakfast was generous, with lots of choice and Sicilian specialties. Reception staff were all helpful and knowledgeable. Pool and terrace were great, with splendid views. Associated restaurant (La Caverna) is in a cave and worth a visit. Castelmola is a pretty village (bit touristy but not as much as Taormina). Only drawback is you definitely need a car, and it’s a bit of a (hairy) drive to go anywhere else. But we were much happier staying there than in Taormina, which is way too crowded (and more pretentious).

Lovely, relaxing and breathtaking hotel. All staff from reception to cleaners were friendly, helpful and did all they could to make our break memorable. Good room and a wow factor view of Mt Etna. Bedroom clean and very comfortable. Pool area and outside seating clean and tidy. The food at breakfast was superb with a wide range to choose from and I looked forward to it every day. I am glad we stayed at this special place and I really do hope we can return in the not too distant future.

Honest review: Hospitality 5/5 Room 3,5/5 View 6/5 Food 5/5 Location 4,5/5. This place is a gem! The town Castelmola is located in such a dreamy place on top of a huge hill and the view from the hotel is just from another world. You can't understand it unless you see it your self. The level of hospitality the hotel and the restaurant staff offers is worth 5 stars for sure. We spent our honeymoon in Villa Sonia and we could not be happier. Very highly recommended!