We stayed for 3 nights in Castelmola and Graziano’s place was perfect for our stay. The apartment is really spacious, very modern and has incredible views from the balcony and terrace. Enjoying coffee on the terrace in the mornings with a view of Etna was a real highlight of our trip. The apartments very well stocked with pots and pans etc. if you’re looking to cook in the evenings like we did.
We did the walk into Taormina which took approx 30 minutes. We planned on getting the bus back in the evening but missed it as the buses seem to make up the times as they go. So we had a very sweaty walk back up the steep hill which took 45-50 mins (it was well lit in the dark) It’s great if you want to get some exercise in and burn of your pasta, but if you want to visit Taormina everyday it does take some planning and you have to rely on the not so reliable buses (Most of the tours to Etna do pick up from Castelmola though which is really helpful). But for us the the hike and/unreliable buses were well worth it for the views. Its really quite incredible up there.
I would note - pack your own hairdryer if you need one during your stay. The one at the apartment is like the ones in hotels that are attached to the wall and blows out cold air very very slowly. Other than that small negative the stay was fab.