As we approached Taormina by car, the very posh looking 'Hotel Splendid' was clearly visible high up on a hill looming over the approach to the town. It was a delightful surprise to discover that this house is right next door to that hotel, and by staying here you have access to the pool and bar of the hotel. To get to the house, you need to go up a very steep hill behind the hotel, which can be a challenge while carrying luggage. So I would only recommend this accommodation to those who are fit and healthy and capable of carrying their luggage up there. It's a perfectly short walk down to the main street once you're ready to hit the town. I've given the location 5 stars because once you're up there, the views are fantastic. The house is perched up on a hill and you can see really far from the balcony. We stayed on the upper floor and made great use of the communal balcony, and generally had it to ourselves.
Gianfranco is a very welcoming and helpful host. He showed us round and told us all the good places to go in the area.
It's a wonderful old house with really nice big rooms. The bathroom was a bit small and cramped, but it clearly had to be retro-fitted when the house was converted to a B&B, so I don't see how it could be any different. The kitchen is basic, but it's there if you need it. The air conditioning works well to cool the room down, but we had issues keeping a constant temperature (i.e. the room got too cold and then we'd have to switch it off). The garden is really shady and makes a nice place to sit and avoid the strong summer sun.
There is a garage near the property which can take two smallish cars. This needs to be booked separately by messaging the host, and paid for in cash. Whilst it was very handy to have the car nearby, in reality we did not use it at all until our last day there. Taormina is very difficult to drive around, and easily explored by foot. If you are coming by car, I would recommend just parking at the 'Parking Lumbi' at the bottom of the hill and then getting a bus or taxi to take you up there.
Overall, I thoroughly recommend this place to stay in Taormina!