Tranquility On The Ionian Sea: Grand Hotel San Pietro, Taormina

Perched on the edge of a staircase of a town, Taormina’s Grand Hotel San Pietro is a series of terraces overlooking the Ionian Sea. At the bottom is a refreshing pool and spacious solarium, in the middle find food all day long, and at the top the magnificent hotel building overlooks it all. With the crashing waves within hearing distance, this is the perfect place for some tranquility in Taormina – with a healthy dose of Italian luxury to boot.

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Hotel Review: Grand Hotel San Pietro, Taormina

STAY

The Grand Hotel San Pietro is as colourful as the Amalfi Coast with just as spectacular views. Find cushions in orange and turquoise, blue sofas, white verandas, blue and white striped umbrellas and glorious flora all about the place. A sizable pool is orbited by sun loungers with views of the terrace gardens on one side and of the glimmering ocean on the other; cypress trees, olive trees and potted plants in yellow, pink and red flowers blossom around every corner.

Sixty-three spacious rooms are bedecked in an almost art deco style grandeur, with splashes of famous Sicilian colour in painted tables, tiled balconies and soft furnishings. Blue hues rule the day, pairing seamlessly with the natural shades the eye is drawn to stepping outside onto the balcony: the glistening sea crashing onto shore, blending seamlessly with the cerulean sky on the horizon. Sleek bathrooms are the perfect place to rinse off a day’s worth of sunscreen, and morning coffee – or pre-dinner champagne – on the colourful terrace is a must.

Isola Bella Penthouse

EAT & DRINK

A huge terrace between the hotel building and the swimming pool hosts the all day restaurant Il Giardino degli Ulivi, serving up authentic Sicilian dishes with hypnotising sea views. Think local seafood galore, aubergines, pasta and pizzas. Breakfast is served here, too – so you can kick the day off with those sea views and the delicious smell of cedar trees and clementines. At lunchtime, there’s also a pool bar to enjoy.

For a special occasion, Batu is the hotel’s new gourmet restaurant helmed by Executive Chef Luca Miuccio. Named for the Greek word for the flowers found on olive trees, this intimate restaurant leaves everything up to the chef, with elusive five course menus giving little away but strongly championing Sicilian culture and cuisine.

From what feels like a secret staircase beside a craggy rock face bursting with cacti, descend to a private terrace with the best view in Taormina: Isola Bella rising triumphantly from the sea below, a tiny gem of an island, once privately owned but now a nature reserve, and these days famed for its appearance in The White Lotus season 2. By night, this is La Rotonda sul Mare – an exclusive space with a customisable menu that can be booked for a private dinner. With the stairs lit with an amber glow, this is naturally a popular proposal spot.

Batu

DO

What the Grand Hotel San Pietro may lack in location – that immediate access to Taormina’s old town bustle – it makes up for in spades: tranquility, space to sprawl and spectacular views, not to mention the hourly shuttles up to town if you don’t fancy the uphill schlep. While a day beside the 18 metre-long pool – lounging on a sunbed beneath a striped umbrella in true la dolce vita style – is extremely tempting, there’s plenty to explore in Taormina, from top designer shops to the ancient Greco-Roman theatre with soaring pillars framing sea views.

If you’re not opposed to a little stair climbing, make sure you trek to Villa Comunale di Taormina, the most elegant of landscaped gardens dotted with Italianate follies looking out over, you guessed it, spectacular sea-and-sky views. Just over a 10 minute almost-vertical walk away from the Grand Hotel San Pietro and a kind of gateway to the city, Villa Comunale sits just on the edge of town, so you can continue your explorations after a much-deserved rest on one of the many benches.

From the pool terrace, Isola Bella bursts from the sea – just standing here to watch as swimsuit clad ant-size people clamber across the slim sand crossing is mesmerising. Visit yourself with a trip down to the beach (a taxi or the Taormina–Mazzaro cable car is your best bet). For a more tranquil beach day, the hotel is partnered with a beach resort just a 10–15 minute drive away, with transport all arranged for you.

Il Giardino degli Ulivi

BOOK IT

Double rooms at Grand Hotel San Pietro, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ L.V.X Collection, start from £423 per night. For more information, visit preferredhotels.com

Find It: Via Luigi Pirandello, 50, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy

Olivia was on holiday when this review was conducted.