Vanessa's place was clean and comfortable and a moderate walk to the main tourist area, Corso Umberto. As many other reviews mentioned, it is all downhill from the apartment, and all uphill on the way back- which served to walk off the dinners.
We arrived by car, and Vanessa was kind enough to meet us at the Taormina exit upon our arrival and lead us up to the apartment and help us find free parking. There was one short power outage which her mom was quick to come and fix after a call to Vanessa. She was always available by phone.
Bed was comfortable and shower was larger than most we had encountered on our trip. WiFi was great. All supplies were on hand, and the only minus (which is not Vanessa's fault) is a barking dog across the street- mostly in the late afternoon, but it quieted down at night. We didn't need the A/C since it was late October, and just opening a few windows cooled things down quickly.
Vanessa is a great host and this is a very good apartment in a good location for the money.
And make sure not to miss a Tour to Mt. Etna. We booked an all day one- which included everything (bus, gondola ride up, and guided tour at the top)- and it was a very enjoyable and memorable day. Would have been much harder to do on our own.