Villa Bianca Hotel

I arrived at the hotel late and was directed to my room. 5 minutes later the bedroom phone rang. I answered and it was Antonio from reception saying that although the restaurant had closed, they had prepared a plate of food for me! Off I went to be presented with a gorgeous plate of various foods including pizza, chicken brest, fish, sald, eggs. Delicious and excellent service. Throught my week long stay, the staff were very courteous and supplied great service. The food was delicious and varied. At breakfast, there was a great deal of choice from cereals and yoghurts to eggs, cheese, ham and breads. Fruit juice and water was available along with coffees and tea. The hotel itself is Sicilian in style, clean and confortable (especially the bed). It sits adjacent to the cable car which takes you up into Taormina. I was a bit dubious about going on it at first because I was very nervous but I actually enjoyed the journey (I went on it three times to see the quaint town of Taormina). This preetty town has loads of history and I highly recommend the gardens and the ancient theatre. As a female solo traveller, there were no issues - Sicilians are the friendliest of people - and I was totally comfortable sitting in a bar sampling one of the local wines and dining by myself. Villa hotel Bianca is the ideal place from which to explore. Isola Bella is a few hundred metres up the road. I did it early in the morning but be aware that there are 140 steps down, which means 140 steps back up! Luckilly, there is a bar opposite where you can grab something to quench the inevitable thirst! A bit further down the bay, you can hire a boat - Davide was the skipper when I went. It was amazing and he anchors the boat so you can jump in for a swim. A beautiful part of the world.#I also ventured to Siracusa and Ortigia where you can see both Apollo's Temple and Athena's Temple (now a cathedral). I had lunch in Ortigia, which was fantastic. All in all, this hotel was perfect. Antonio on reception was fabulous, along with the whole staff and it is a great location, whether you want to lounge around on the beaches or whether you want to go further afield to explore the surrounding areas. Also, you can easuily get to Messina from here to get the ferry across to Calabria. I would definitely go back to this hotel. Thank you Hotel Billa Bianca.