Guest reviews Excelsior Palace Hotel

by luvtogo6 Norfolk

Wonderful location - great service

Arrived by train, so got a taxi to the hotel, a must do as only a mountain goat would want to attempt the walk. Easy check in and our room had great views of the sea and Mount Etna. No tea or coffee in the room but good size Sky TV - some reviews said the tv was small as in a TV cabinet but this is to try and keep within the atmosphere of the historic hotel I expect. Bathroom had a good shower and all the facilities we needed. Safe in the room too. Location is great just outside the city walls and close to bars etc. where you can easy walk to, the bar area is a large table and comfy sofas, again I thought lovely and in keeping with what it must have been like when originally built. My husband didn't like it as it didn't feel like a bar, with the high bench and seating but I loved it. Really friendly service too. Easy check out and they will call you a taxi to get back to the train station if you need to catch a train - warning if you are getting the train (which goes direct onto the ferry for train geeks like us) to Naples or further they do not have a refreshment car necessarily - there wasn't one on ours but we had prepared for this but eight hours without a chance to buy any food or drink is not a good option.

by Billythefish1 Southport, United Kingdom

Great situation and views

Situated at the end of the main street into Taormina, perfectly situated to allow easy access to the town. The hotel was comfortable in an old fashioned way with large rooms and good size bathrooms. The meals were good and reasonable choice. The bed was large and comfortable. The Tv was quite small as it was inside a TV Cabinet so it took up a lot of room in the room. small fridge, tea and coffee making facilties. The bathroom was large with a bath and over bath shower. A walk in shower would be more suitable for most guests. Grand design for an original hotel from the 1920s.

by Markymoomoomoomoo Newquay, United Kingdom

Who ever owns this place is taking everything out and putting nothing back.

Wonderful position and veiws and you pay for them. The rest is very poor. The staff are good and try hard to assist. The rooms are so dated, the furniute is terrible, stained sofas and carpets, all furniture scratched chipped or worse. Stayed one night and ran off to find far better accomodation. You get the feeling its going to be an adventure when you see the illuninated letters of the big sign not working. Then you get to the main entrance door and its got a length of string attached to it to stop it banging shut! Breakfast was lavishly set out, but food was bland. Cannot blame staff on duty, have to blame owners they need to invest in this place make it grand.

by whtschnauz Toronto

Beautiful View but that's the best there is

The appeal of this hotel is its location....very near to one of the main gates of old Taormina and its shops and restaurants.... and its view of Mount Etna on clear days. Good Points: Lots of hot water Newly renovated bathroom with large sink, toilet, bidet, tub Two hooks in hall for coats beside full length mirror Well stocked mini frig Safe in room 10 hangers in closet Balcony with two chairs to enjoy the view Standard breakfast fare with lots of sweets, water, squeezer for fresh oj, fresh bread, cheeses and meats Staff friendly and helpful Beautiful gardens with seating areas Pool Grocery store a short walk away Resident dog Clean Not so Good Bathroom: No hooks or towel racks for hand towels No hooks to hang clothes on back of door No separate shower.....shower in very narrow bathtub Hand held shower necessary for tall guests....you can only slide it up so far Plexiglass sheet with bottom seal must swing out to enter and exit tub.....make sure it doesn't go too far or you need to get out of the tub to pull it back in place.....the bottom seal doesn't keep all the shower water in the tub and there is always mopping up to do with your towels....the water does not drain quickly so you are standing in a few inches of water while showering...tub in very high so need to be careful entering and exiting No hair conditioner provided All items are in small individual containers...eg. soap, shampoo, shower gel which is not eco friendly and creates lots of plastic garbage No attempt/signage to use towels for more than one day...automatically changed each day.. not eco friendly Bedroom: No dresser.....there is a desk with drawers. Live out of your suitcase and spread things on the desk top. All rooms have two locked doors leading to the adjacent rooms and light from those rooms enters under the doors Walls are paper thin so you can hear conversations from the adjacent rooms Bed is hard Two pillows....one hard, one very soft No bottle opener for mini frig Drab and not well decorated. Depressing old decor. One bed light in centre....not convenient for shares Safe on high shelf in closet....hard to check if you are short Breakfast: No egg or omlette station....eggs were scrambed and presented in a warming tray or hard boiled in a dish No service for coffee or tea....self serve from a machine Tables mostly for 2.....need tables set up for 4 if group tour In basement Canned fruit was the norm....except for fresh juice oranges and on a couple of days a few slices of melon Other: No chairs in lobby Lounge area off lobby with old, uncomforable sofas with poor lighting for reading Elevator does not go to all rooms so be prepared for steps Nearby restaurant can be noisy at night especially if your room is on the end near the street Fan in room was noisy so we could not use if sleep was needed Thermostat did not appear to work....room was hot and we could not adjust the temperature down I have stayed in many many hotels and this is not one to which I would return. Normally I don't care about the hotel because I am out doing and seeing but this time we had a bit of bad weather and rain so it was not a nice place to spend your time.

by DonBursle Southampton

Nice hotel in a stunning location

We stayed here in November as part of an organised tour of Sicily. The hotel is in a very prominent position at the end of the main street, convenient for shops, cafes and sightseeing. Our room was on the first floor facing towards Mount Etna, although the mountain had its head in the clouds until the last day of our stay. We were a little worried about noise because immediately outside the room there is a children’s roundabout and trampolines, but they were not a problem and the room was quiet. It was large but did not have enough electrical sockets, and not enough storage so you have to live out of your suitcase. As is usual the room is designed around twin beds and there is a reading lamp fixed in the middle of the headboard. If you want a double they are pushed together to make a large bed, but the reading lamp is then in the middle of the bed - a little inconvenient. Not all rooms have a view. Some are located on the ground floor, facing away from Etna, and some are even on the floor below that. Be careful with your choice of room or you may be disappointed. The bathroom looked good but there is nowhere to hang hand towels near the basin. There is a shower over the bath and a large screen that extends almost the length of the bath which makes it difficult to get in and out. Some hand rails would be useful. The breakfast buffet was generally good but variable. On our first day there was fresh fruit salad, fresh oranges and a juice press to provide orange juice, and sparkling wine - yes, Bucks Fizz for breakfast! The other days of our stay they were not available, which was disappointing. Dinner was adequate, with a menu more international than Italian, and not up to restaurant standards - but then catering for 50 people at one sitting is not easy. The hotel has lovely grounds and gardens but we couldn’t make much use of them since it was November - cold, windy and wet outside. Overall, it’s a nice hotel in a stunning location. I’d go there again but I’d make it in warmer weather next time!