Grand Hotel Timeo - Taormina, Italy:
Dating back to 1873, Grand Hotel Timeo is the first hotel in Taormina and is considered to be one of its finest (and most expensive) hotels. It enjoys an enviable property located between a beautiful public park with numerous floral species and the well-known Roman-Greek amphitheater. The famed 'literary terrace' which provides a spectacular panoramic view of the Taormina hills, Mount Etna, and the Mediterranean is also located in this historical five star hotel.

In Taormina, there are arguably only two competing luxury hotels: the Grand Hotel Timeo and San Domenico Palace a former monastery and a historic property in its own right. We stayed in the Grand Hotel for the first three nights and then in the San Domenico Palace for two nights.

Share this review on Facebook.

First Impression/Lobby:
Grand Hotel Timeo is part of the Framon Chain of hotels, known for prestige, classy interiors, and quality maintenance. This 5-star hotel has an impressive lobby and elegant public places decorated with antique touches and an over-all country charm. Exquisite oil paintings and Murano light fixtures provide an upscale atmosphere to the hotel's interior.

Reception:
Our check in was quick, easy and pleasant. From the onset, I felt good about the hotel mainly because of its fancy interiors, historical architecture, and fabulous surroundings. For a hotel this handsome and prestigious-looking I was looking forward to a very luxurious stay. In retrospect, it was a good start to what turned out to be not such a good stay.

Concierge:
Francesca, our concierge, was pleasing and very helpful. She gave us some good recommendations, particularly Maffei's, a superb casual Italian seafood restaurant. Unfortunately, her counterpart was not much of help and was simply horrible on follow through. She was unavailable most of the time and we had a hard time locating her. As an employee in a luxury hotel, she simply had to know that the minimum requirement for her job description was to be there, present, able and ready, in service of the hotel's guests.

The Suite:
Our first suite was the beginning of a series of nightmares in our stay in the Grand Hotel Timeo. During our first night, the air conditioner did not work; this was simply unacceptable considering the unbearable Sicilian heat in June. Their maintenance staff was unable to fix the problem. The hotel was full, so on our first day in Taormina, coming from a long and tiring trip, they had us stay in that hell of a hot room.

The next day, they moved us to another room, a Junior Suite, room #306. To our horror, the air conditioning in that room did not work properly as well. Imagine having to stay another night in a supposedly first class hotel, a scorching sun outside burning with fury, and an air conditioner that barely cooled the room.

This major annoyance almost made me unresponsive to the finer points of the suite, but sure, it had its moments. The room interior is very antique-looking in the good sense. It had parquet floors, framed prints, nightstands and bedsteads covered with empire marquetry which gave the room a warm and comfy feeling. The room, however, could use some cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, but then again, its rustic nature gives it its charm and character. While there was ample closet space, it was still not spacious enough for placing an average-sized luggage.

Our bathroom, tiled in marble, was on the small side for a Junior Suite. It had a single sink and a shower/tub combo that was in dire need of an update. The trim around the Jacuzzi tub and the shower was so worn out it showed its age. The toiletries included large bottles of Etro products, something that you would naturally expect from five-star hotels. The robes and slippers were comfortable and luxurious.

We had a small terrace off the living room and a much larger terrace off the bedroom. Both offered breathtaking views of the sea and of the city. The furniture and the brick floors of the terrace, however, needed some major tender loving care, or else a major overhaul.

Room Service:
During the first morning that they brought us our breakfast (a continental breakfast) they pounded on our door without courtesy or finesse. When I answered, they came in, dropped the tray on the coffee table, and left. This was about as far from five-star service as they could get.

Housekeeping:
All I can say is that they did the bare minimum. They made our beds nice enough, replaced the towels, sheets, and toiletries, and cleaned the mirrors and bathroom, but nothing out of the ordinary to rave (or rant) about.

Restaurant:
From the onset, the buffet breakfast looked impressive but once I had the chance to look around, I realized their selection was very limited. What's more, they were ill-prepared to serve quite a number of guests as their toaster got broken and they ran out of fruits. It also piqued me that the eggs I ordered were prepared wrong. It was definitely not a buffet breakfast you would expect from a five-star hotel.

We did not dine at the hotel restaurant which is supposedly considered as one of the finest on the island. If the room service and the breakfast were any indication, I have no regrets we skipped the restaurant. We did visit the bar one time. It had a sophisticated décor or wrought-iron and crafted rattan. The service, however, was so bad we left before we even ordered our drinks.

Pool/Spa/Activites:
The hotel had a pool and extensive beauty and fitness center with gym equipment, massage and treatment rooms, and Turkish bath. Their spa offered volcanic scrubs that use ash from Mount Etna. They also had an elegant music room covered with window-walls, a great place that relaxed and calmed my otherwise unnerved senses from the hotels numerous disasters.

Overall Impression
When we checked out, we realized they over-charged us for the mini-bar and for a bottle of wine we had in our room. It took over twenty minutes to resolve the issue and for the charges to be adjusted. Definitely a gorgeous-looking hotel, we expected nothing less than five-star luxury service and treatment from Grand Hotel Timeo but ended up being more than disappointed. It's no exaggeration to say that this hotel needs major revamp. Had we known how regrettable our stay would be in the Grand Hotel, we would've opted to stay in the San Domenico longer, even skip Grand Hotel all together. San Domenico surpasses the Grand by miles. The Grand Hotel Timeo gets a failing grade of Not Bombastic.


People who read this hotel review also read:
Maffei's Restaurant - Taormina, Italy
Ristorante Licchio's - Taormina, Italy
La Gira - Taormina, Italy
San Domenico Palace Hotel - Taormina, Italy

Join us on Facebook!

5 Star and Luxury Hotel, Resort,
Restaurant, Airline and Travel Reviews,
Advice and Information - Independent and Unbiased