Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Ashbee, Taormina, Sicily
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location A few minutes’ walk from the main street, the Corso Umberto, and the Greek theatre.
Annual opening 22 March to 3 November
Closest airport Catania
Distance from airport About an hour from Catania
Closest railway station Taormina-Giardini
Distance from railway station About 10 minutes by car
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant (2 Michelin stars), roof terrace, bar, pool bar for light meals, swimming pool, gym, garden.
Out and about nearby
Taormina's Greek amphitheatre and public gardens, Mount Etna, Giardini Naxos and the Coast, Agrigento, Messina, Ragusa and Siracusa.
Sports nearby
Watersports, Tennis, Il Picciolo Golf Club (18 holes).
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic room for 7 nights
From about
£2,520 Low season 1 Oct-6 Nov
£2,950 High season 1 Apr-30 Sep
Holiday Code EXH989
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Ashbee, Taormina, Sicily
The Ashbee in Taormina started life as the Villa San Giorgio, a home commissioned by Colonel Shaw-Hellier and designed by the architect Charles Robert Ashbee. Inspired by a visit in 1907, Ashbee created a villa that sits comfortably as a fusion of traditional Sicilian architecture and the vernacular style so cherished by the Arts and Crafts Movement. The current hotel was created in 2011. As the inscription, Domus Pacis, over the entrance declares, you are entering a peaceful place, enhanced by the tranquillity of the terraced gardens, resplendent in majestic palm trees and graceful statuary. There are terraces and views at all levels, from the roof of the building down through levels of the garden to the pool area, and everywhere there are shady seating areas, whether created by the vegetation or wide canvas awnings. An infinity pool allows you to enjoy the vista of the sea and the coastline below. The hotel offers a range of dining possibilities from a Michelin-star experience to a light lunch in the garden. Enjoy breakfast on the rooftop where a choice of continental, healthy and traditional breakfasts are served. The two Michelin-star St George restaurant by Heinz Beck presents a refined approach to food, yet champions seasonal and local produce, served in an elegant setting. The Ashbee bar is furnished with comfortable armchairs and sofas and offers a convivial atmosphere to relax before or after dinner. Bedrooms vary in size and outlook, but they are all examples of understated luxury, light in tone and restful. Whilst enjoying a location with dramatic views and beautiful grounds, the Ashbee is only minutes’ walk from the heart of Taormina with its Greek theatre, the pedestrian Corso Umberto, the mediaeval quarter with the Duomo, and the charming public gardens of the Villa Communale.
Room descriptions
The Ashbee has rooms each with bath or shower and wc, with LED TV FHD with Sky TV, National & International Satellite Channels, Free Wi.Fi, Minibar, Robes/slippers, Climate controlled air conditioning, Bath Products, Hairdryer, Enlarger Mirror, Weighing scales, Down duvets & pillows, Complimentary digital newspaper app, Safe, Direct Dial Telephone, 24-hour Room Service
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic room for 7 nights
From about
£2,520 Low season 1 Oct-6 Nov
£2,950 High season 1 Apr-30 Sep
Holiday Code EXH989
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Ashbee, Taormina, Sicily
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Ashbee in Taormina, our clients fly to Catania and then have a pre-booked private car transfer or a hire-car for use during the holiday.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
Free Night Offers 2024 When staying in the Suite, Suite sea view or the Ashbee Suite, book 7 nights and receive the last 2 nights complimentary. When staying in the Suite, book 4 nights and get the last night complimentary. Offers valid all year.
What particularly impresses us each time we use your services is that ‘what we expect we get’ eg car hire, rooms selected, all with no hassle. Not sure how you do it!!Mr W, July 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic room for 7 nights
From about
£2,520 Low season 1 Oct-6 Nov
£2,950 High season 1 Apr-30 Sep
Holiday Code EXH989
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Ashbee, Taormina, Sicily
About Sicily
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Sicily allows visitors to discover a unique and captivating island. The rich tapestry of Mediterranean history can be witnessed on the southerly island of Sicily, fascinating not only for its amazing blend of cultures including Greek, Arab, Byzantine and Norman and its architectural treasures which reflect these influences but also for its breath-taking scenery of coast, parched mountains and fertile groves of almonds, oranges, lemons and olives. The people are proud and independent, reserved but sincere and helpful. Traditions thrive to an extent that the atmosphere of Sicily is unrecognisable in the context of other parts of Italy further north. The towns and villages are contrasting with picture postcard scenes of mediaeval labyrinthine alleyways adorned by wrought-iron balconies and baskets of flowers or severe dilapidation punctuated by grand Baroque or austere Norman cathedrals and churches. Additionally, there are of course some of the most important sites of the ancient Greek world such as the temples at Agrigento, the theatre at Taormina and numerous relics at Siracusa, reputedly one of the most beautiful cities of the Greek world. High above the island looms Mount Etna, one of the largest volcanoes in the world and an awe-inspiring sight. Off the north coast of Sicily, the beautiful Aeolian Islands offer escape and remoteness, natural scenery and a startling light, a sleepy way of life and romantic isolation. A holiday in Sicily appeals for those who want typical rest and relaxation with cultural activities at hand, and for those who want to be more adventurous and experience more of this captivating island.
Highlights of Sicily
An ascent of Mount Etna, partly by car and then further on foot (guides available) through the luxuriant vegetation which includes oranges and lemons, bougainvillaea and poinsettias and then higher up the groves of walnuts, cherries, almonds, pistachios and vines. Palermo is known for its street markets, especially Vucciria and Ballaro, where traders and hawkers, pickpockets and shoppers converge amongst narrow streets and stalls of wares. See the traditional costumes and dialect of Piana degli Albanesi, where Albanians settled in the 15th Century. Revel in the splendid site of Taormina above the sea with views to Etna. Local crafts include cork, ceramics, honey, embroidery, raffia. Enjoy the calm and remoteness of the Aeolian Islands with their clear waters, beautiful scenery and peaceful way of life. Enjoy the gardens of the Villa Giulia in Palermo and the Public Gardens in Taormina.
Cultural highlights of Sicily
Palermo contains some of the greatest Arab-Norman buildings in existence - San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Palazzo Reale with its striking Cappella Palatina and La Martorana. Monreale outside Palermo is the greatest work of Norman architecture in Sicily and contains beautiful 12th and 13th Century mosaics and cloisters. The Doric temples of the 5th Century BC in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Cefalu has the `Portrait of a Man` by Antonello da Messina, dating from 1465 in its Museo Mandralisca.
Festivals in Sicily
Many Sicilian local festivals are linked to Saints’ Days. A few of the most well-known festivals generally include Carnival celebrations in Taormina and Acireale. Easter is celebrated especially in Trapani, Marsala and Piana degli Albanesi. Messina celebrates Ferragosto on the 15th August with a firework display over the Straits. The Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore takes place in Agrigento in the first and second weeks of February to celebrate the almond blossom. Taormina Arte is a summer festival of music, cinema, ballet and theatre, held in the Greek theatre. The Palio dei Normanni takes place in Piazza Armeria in August.
Gastronomy in Sicily
The gastronomy of Sicily, like much of the culture of the island, has been heavily influenced by its history. Cuscus is a Sicilian version of couscous, and marzipan features heavily in sweets. Local produce includes citrus fruits, almonds, capers, olives, peppers and fish. Local specialities include Maccheroni con le sarde (pasta with sardines, fennel, raisins, pine nuts and saffron), Pesce spada (grilled sword fish), 'alla Siciliana' with capers, red peppers and herbs. Cassata is a popular dessert made with ricotta, candied fruit and pistachios and Cannoli are almond biscuits stuffed with ricotta. Sicily produces a variety of red and white wines including Corvo di Salaparuta and Etna, Marsala and Malvasia.
