San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel
Taormina, Italy
★ Verified by our editors · October 2026
We may earn a commission — at no cost to you.
The verdict
A Dominican convent of the 14th century on the rock of Taormina, turned into a grand hotel in the 19th century and reopened by Four Seasons, with Etna on one side and the Ionian Sea below. Its 111 rooms are split between the convent wing, with restored frescoes, and the 1896 grand-hotel wing; there are two cloisters, Italian gardens, a 21-metre infinity pool on the cliff and Principe Cerami, which holds a MICHELIN Star. Three MICHELIN Keys, and the setting of the second series of The White Lotus.
Taormina in grand style, with the old town at the door and Etna in the window.
You want a beach hotel: Taormina sits high above the sea, and the beaches are a drive or cable car below.
Ask the Art Concierge for a tour of the old convent, and book Principe Cerami well ahead.
The rooms
A hundred and eleven rooms — 68 rooms and 43 suites — in the 14th-century Ancient Convent Wing and the 1896 Grand Hotel Wing, some with private plunge pools; the best face the sea and Etna.
The setting
Just off the Corso Umberto, entered through a 17th-century portal carved with the Dominican crest, with two cloisters, Italian gardens of jasmine and hibiscus, and the infinity pool on the edge of the cliff.
The food
Principe Cerami, with one MICHELIN Star, is Massimo Mantarro's kitchen, reinterpreting Sicilian cooking, with a cellar of more than 1,000 labels; there is a terrace restaurant and a bar over the coast.
Getting there
Catania airport is 68 km away, about an hour by car. Noto, Siracusa and Ortigia are day trips.
Good to know
Botanica Spa has five treatment rooms and an indoor pool. Check winter dates when you book: there were no rooms on sale for mid-November 2026 when we looked. The three Keys are those of the Guide's 2026 selection.
Similar Unlisted stays
All hotels in Taormina →
San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel
From €2250 · Booking.com affiliate