We stayed at Donnamarie's studio for 5 nights in July. Prior to our arrival Donnamarie was very responsive to our inquiries and provided detailed instructions on getting from the airport. Donnamarie was not in town for our arrival but arranged for her friend Natalina to greet us. Natalina could not have been more helpful, picking us up from the bus station and fully explaining all of the features of the apartment and local attractions and transport. Natalina remained on hand if needed throughout our stay and even helped print our boarding passes for our next flight. The studio perfectly met our needs - it is very well equipped and included a cupboard stocked with pantry basics for making snacks before your first trip to the shop. The apartment also contained everything you might need for days out - beach umbrella and towels, cool bags, even cushions for taking to the Teatro Greco! There was a folder in the apartment containing reams of information on the local area, restaurants, transport etc. which we found very useful. The apartment was spotlessly clean and was a true "home from home". The views from the apartment \ balcony are breathtaking (even the beautiful pictures on the listing don't really do it justice!). As Donnamarie points out in the listing the location of the studio means it might not be suitable for everybody. The beautiful setting of Taormina means that wherever you stay there is going to be some element of climbing involved! The beaches are set well below the town and the studio is then further up the hill again, on the road up to Castelmola. The walk up to the apartment is all off road but there are a lot of steps involved. We are keen walkers, so actually quite enjoyed this (and also the walk up to Castelmola of an evening). As an alternative there are 4 different buses that stop very near the apartment and run to Castelmola, the town centre and the beaches. We actually found the tourist "hop-on hop-off" buses that stop outside the apartment really useful as they run to all of the beaches below town plus the Alcantara gorge. If you're planning on travelling around the area a lot the weekly ticket for around 30 euros is probably wise purchase! Alternatively, if you only really want to go to the beach the local buses (blue or orange) are a cheaper option - all detailed in Donnamarie's folder! So the location only really becomes an issue if you have issues with hill walking and want to stay in town later at night or want to stay in the thick of things. The advantages of the location are the views, the peace and quiet and being away from the hoards of tourists on the main Corso! In summary we loved this studio and wouldn't hesitate to stay again!