MARINELLA SUITE - Apartment in the center of Taormina

The property couldn't have been in a more perfect location on the main drag of Taormina city centre, in the hub bub of stores, hotels, historic structures, restaurants, amazing views....BUT you must be able to tolerate music (great soft-style tunes mostly from 60s 70s with wonderful male singer and guitar playing etc) from about 8 to 11:30 pm every night w a happy crowd listening, drinking, dining, singing along a tad. We actually loved it. (I want a cd from that guy). The deck is the best thing around.. we watched 3 brides go by with fanfare. A hotel across the street had waterview breakfast! Everything was walking distance! Stay here...but be prepared to walk your rolling suitcases where the taxi/uber can't easily get to....and then carry your suitcases up 6 wide stone stairs. Worth it: Then the apt is home sweet home for your stay.

Get ready to party. The bar just outside your front door has live music till midnight. We sat at the door steps on the courtyard and listen to the festive atmosphere till midnight.

We loved the location, the patio, the front walkway, the small but functional kitchen, the large living area and bedrooms. Bonus: washing machine and drying rack. Right smack in the center of town - walking through two, lively restaurants. Loved the live music right outside (sing alongs and a band). If you’re sensitive to sleeping with music then put a white noise app on your phone. Also appreciated the flexible check in and tour of the home upon arrival.

The apartment is appealing and pleasantly decorated but compared to other places we stayed at on our Sicilian holiday, the facilities are quite basic. The shower is tiny, as is the kitchen. It would have nice to have a kettle to make a cup tea with and we had to ask a waiter from the bar next door to open our vino rosso as there was no bottle opener. There is an ancient washing machine but no drying rack and no iron or ironing board. Some might think we were expecting too much but we stayed in other places of a similar price range that provided all these things and they make travelling so much easier. Potential bookers should know that there is a lot of street noise at night including the amplified singer/guitarist at the bar next down playing an uninspiring mix of the Beatles, Coldplay and of course, Stairway to Heaven. The double glazed windows were appreciated but were not fully up to the task. The apartment is central, being right on the main street of Taormina and might suit some people, but was not right for us.