Taormina, January 28th 2012 – Hotel Villa Ducale was chosen again as a Best Luxury Hotel by TripAdvisor® in its 2012 Travelers’ Choice® awards. Now in its tenth year, the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

For reviews on the Hotel Villa Ducale go here .

Taormina Hotel Villa Ducale won an award Travellers’ Choice 2012 in the following categories:
Top 25 Hotels for Service in Europe
Top 25 Hotels for Service in Italy
Top 25 Hotels in Italy
Top 25 Hotels in Europe
Top 25 Hotels in the world

Villa Ducale staff is very proud of this fantastic award that truly wishes to share with all our guests and all the people involved directly and indirectly with our hotel. This will be considered only as a start to improve more and more our job in order to make this magical place always better and better.

Taormina Valentine’s day

Customer reviews:

Extract from Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report magazine:

“The boutique Taormina hotel VILLA DUCALE is run with warmth and personal style by the charming and elegant Rosaria Quartucci. Arriving on a sunny afternoon, we were ushered into the hotel lounge, where we were confronted by startling eagle’s nest views of both Mount Etna and the Mediterranean coastline. Minimal formalities dispensed with, Signora Quartucci explained our many options while in Taormina, including the various beach clubs, the hotel’s regular shutt le bus into town and her favorite restaurants.

The 11 rooms and six suites at the property are divided between the original villa, with west-facing inland views, and an annex across the road, which looks toward Calabria on the Italian mainland. We instantly fell in love with our suite in the annex, since it enjoyed afternoon shade and came with colorful faience tile floors, a large sitting room and a spacious bedroom. Both bedroom and sitting room had vaulted brick  ilings and topaz-painted walls adorned with gilt-framed red coral and pearl needlework, a local tradition.

The ample bath was equipped with a Jacuzzi tub, a shower unit with jet sprays, and toiletries from the wonderful organic herbalist Dr. Vranjes in Florence, plus several bottles of locally made cologne. With a long balcony overlooking the Strait of Messina, this was a setting in which to while away the entire day. And the attention to detail was admirable, from fresh flowers to a fruit bowl, a bottle of Prosecco on ice and a complimentary minibar stocked with snacks and Sicilianmade beverages, including liqueurs in chocolate, lemon, pistachio and mandarin flavors. After a light lunch of  Penne alla Norma- pasta with eggplant, a Sicilian specialty — that was pleasant if not exactly life-changing, we very happily spent the sweltering afternoon relaxing in our suite. The Hotel Villa Ducale has no pool, only an outdoor Jacuzzi, and there is no spa or fitness room. However, it was a consistent pleasure to stroll down to town each evening, a 25-minute walk with glorious views, and to return after dinner by way of the complimentary shuttle. Intimate, personal and stylish, this hotel is ideal for those who prefer smaller hideaways and who like to be at arm’s length from the madding crowds in a frequently busy destination.”

TAORMINA HOTEL HOTEL VILLA DUCALE
Double Superior Room, $455;  Suite Deluxe, $535.
Via Leonardo da Vinci 60, Taormina. Tel. (39) 0942-28-153.

Article source: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a944b56e

(CNN)

“Everyone aspires to have the best view in the house,” said Terry McCabe, national director of leisure for Altour.

“For some people, the [most important] experience is opening the drapes in the morning and looking at nature at its best. … It takes people out of their everyday life.” With that in mind, we’re taking you around the world to seven hotels where spectacular vistas rule. Just remember that with so many beautiful places dotting the globe, this list is just a small taste of the stunning views travelers can wake up to.

5. Hotel Villa Ducale, Sicily

This boutique hotel features just 11 double rooms and six suites, but there is nothing small about the sweeping views.

Each room has a private balcony or terrace that lets guests take in vistas of Giardini Naxos Bay, Mount Etna, Italy’s mainland coastline or the Strait of Messina.

The Hotel Villa Ducale was among the winners of TripAdvisor’s 2011 Travelers’ Choice awards — chosen by the site’s members as one of the top 10 luxury hotels in the world.

Rates start at about $285 a night in September.

Link:CNN

www.villaducale.com

This lovely Taormina Villa Hotel poses a problem. Where could you go for your next holiday break and not be continually feeling that it was not as good as Villa Ducale. Set in a beautiful position with views across Taormina bay and over towards Mt Etna, with comfortable bedrooms and a glorious dining area that makes the most of these views. Regular free shuttle into the main town but so nice to return to the tranquility of the hotel.

www.villaducale.com

All this would be wasted without one of the best team of staff that you could wish for. Always helpful, always smiling and offering intelligent tips on how to get the most out of your stay.
We could not recommend a hotel more highly and others in the business could learn a lot from this excellence in customer service.

We arrived at Villa Ducale tired and sore from our travels. We were met at the door with such kindness and warmth that our nerves were soothed and our excitement to explore Sicily returned. The hotel is beautiful with interesting rooms (we extended our stay so got to experience two of the bedrooms-great art, lovely furniture and bedding, very clean and spacious) and great views of the sea and Mount Etna.
The food was the absolute best we had on our trip. The breakfasts sumptuous and varied, and the dinners excellent. We were so happy to find the quality of preparation and presentation that we had not yet experienced on our trip that we chose to eat at the hotel every night. We were never disappointed.
So some thank yous….Paolo was informative and kind and very thoughtful, ( I arrived with a bad knee and he commiserated and offered ice). Antonio was charming. Francescia served breakfast with warmth and good humor, and Ilie, the evening waiter, was perfect in his attention to detail and made us smile.
Our favorite day was walking down into the town of Taomina after a hearty and exquisite Sicilian breakfast, touring the Greek theater, getting lost in the streets, having gelato and catching the free shuttle back to the hotel. We rested on our patio, read and looked at the ocean and at Mt. Etna. After an incredible dinner we went back to our patio and danced.
Thank You!!!
And if the hotel reads this… a suggestion. Please make a recipe book with illustrations by the icon artist!

Review by susquick on Tripadvisor

Special offer from Taormina hotel Villa Ducale. Category: Taormina hotel, Sicily march 2012

Syracuse Sicily

Syracuse Sicily offer starts from € 700,00

Special offer from Taormina hotel Villa Ducale. Category: Taormina hotel, Sicily march 2012

Things to do in Sicily

Things to do in Sicily offer starts from € 700,00

Taormina, Sicily -  January 2011. Villa Ducale was chosen as a Top 10 Luxury Hotels in the World, Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Europe and Top 25 Hotels in Italy chosen by Europeans by TripAdvisor® in its 2011 Travelers’ Choice® awards. Now in its ninth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

Unlike any other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web.

“With the help of millions of travelers around the globe, TripAdvisor is thrilled to recognize the world’s most outstanding hotels for the ninth year of the Travelers’ Choice Awards,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. “From the best bargain hotels to best luxury hotels, remarkable service, value and quality are the hallmarks of our Travelers’ Choice winners.”