On arrival at the apartment, Stefano was there to meet us. He helped carry luggage down to the apartment, showed us around, gave us a Taormina map and pointed out beaches, supermarkets and recommended some restaurants to try during our stay.
The apartment is very spacious, airy and bright, spotlessly clean and has a fantastic, large terrace with stunning views along the coast (the pictures don't do it sufficient justice). It is also in a great location - within a short walk of the bus station, and the cable car that carries you down to the beaches and Isola Bella. It is about a ten minute walk to the taxi rank and the Porta Messina that gives access to the main street of Taormina, Corso Umberto, with its shops, bars and restaurants. There are steps down to (and up from) the apartment, but actually they are not as daunting as they first seem - and serve to burn off some of those extra calories acquired from the delicious Sicilian food available in the town.
The only issue we encountered was related to the heat - which was above the norm even for Sicily during the first week in August. Vittorio had made arrangements for a company to install air conditioning in advance of the peak season, but they had experienced some issues and were unable to complete the installation. We were advised in advance, and decided to go ahead - Vittorio and Stefano provided several electric fans that were invaluable to us Northern Europeans more acclimatised to cold and rain!
Vittorio and Stefano were both fantastic and helpful before and during our stay - organising airport transfers, making (and cancelling) restaurant bookings for us, arranging visits to private beaches etc. We couldn't have wished for better and more accommodating hosts.
Taormina is a superb holiday destination, with plenty to do and see in the town itself and within a short distance of many attractions including Etna, vineyards, Castelmola, the Alcantara gorge, Savoca (for fans of the Godfather), Giardini Naxos and Syracuse etc.
The apartment was an excellent base for our week's stay and we would definitely choose it as our temporary home again if (when) we return,
Thank you to Vittorio and Stefano for helping to make our stay so enjoyable.
Ps. If you ask for Vittorio to arrange airport transfers, you may be lucky enough to be put in touch with Sebastian (sicilywithsebastian.com) - an excellent and entertaining tour guide. Well worth it.