Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Belmond Hotel Villa Sant'Andrea, Taormina Mare, Sicily
Facts in brief
Location The hotel is a 30-minute walk to the centre of Taormina
Annual opening 28 March to 3 November
Closest airport Catania Airport
Distance from airport The hotel is about 1-hour's drive from Catania Airport
Closest railway station Taormina-Giardini
Distance from railway station The hotel is about 5-minutes' drive from Taormina-Giardini
Hotel facilities and services
Pool Restaurant and Bar, Restaurant Oliviero, Private Beach, Gardens, Panoramic Outdoor Swimming Pool, Spa and Wellness Centre, Gym, Shuttle Service to Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Boat Cruises along the coast, Diving Centre on private beach, Kids' Club, Babysitting, Parking (with supplement).
Complimentary
Freshly made lemonade upon arrival. Access to the private beach.
Chargeable watersports
Diving Centre on the private beach.
Out and about nearby
Taormina - Greek theatre and panoramas, Mount Etna, Giardini Naxos, Agrigento and Messina.
Sports nearby
Golf at 'Il Picciolo', Paddle Boarding and Diving.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,490
Holiday Code IE139
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 holidays and tours to Belmond Hotel Villa Sant'Andrea, Taormina Mare, Sicily
The Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea was originally built by an English family in a glorious location on the water's edge amidst sub-tropical gardens. The flavour of the family villa remains in the subtle and elegant decoration, the antique furniture and paintings and the style of the hotel, yet tasteful refurbishment has meant that the bedrooms of the Villa Sant'Andrea offer high standards of contemporary comfort. Oliviero's Restaurant has a good reputation locally and affords delightful views across the bay of Mazzaro. Service is in the garden terrace by the beach in the summer months. Clients have the use of the Villa Sant'Andrea's beach, a mixture of sand and shingle, equipped with sun loungers, umbrellas, towels, showers and changing facilities, all complimentary to hotel guests. The bedrooms are all of different sizes, aspects and decoration. Some face the sea, some the gardens, and some of the sea view rooms have balcony or terrace. The Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea is situated a couple of minutes' walk from the cable car to Taormina. A charming hotel in an excellent location the Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea is perfect for both relaxing and exploring Siciliy.
Room descriptions
Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea has 60 rooms and suites with air-conditioning, television, telephone and minibar.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,490
Holiday Code IE139
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 holidays and tours to Belmond Hotel Villa Sant'Andrea, Taormina Mare, Sicily
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea in Sicily, our clients usually fly to Catania airport. From the airport, we recommend a private car transfer which we would include in our holiday price, or we recommend that you use a hire-car for the duration of your holiday, especially if you want to tour the region. If you are staying at this hotel as part of a tailor-made touring holiday, we would include a hire-car for the itinerary.
Additional information
Children: All children are welcome at the hotel. Children 11 years and under stay free of charge on a B&B basis when sharing a room with 2 adults. Extra beds can be added in Junior Suites and Suites.
Other information: About one and a half hours' drive to Milazzo.
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.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double room for 7 nights
From about
£1,490
Holiday Code IE139
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 holidays and tours to Belmond Hotel Villa Sant'Andrea, Taormina Mare, 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.
