Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare

A Villa on the Bay of Mazzarò

The east coast of Sicily has a specific grammar of arrival: a descent from the hilltop town of Taormina toward the water, where the cliffs soften and the Ionian Sea fills the frame. Villa Sant'Andrea sits at that point of transition, in Taormina Mare, where the bay of Mazzarò curves into a small arc of pebble beach. The property was built in 1919 by the Cornish Trewhella family as a private villa, and the structure has not been remade into a generic hotel form. The proportions, the sequence of rooms, the relationship between garden and shore — these remain closer to a residence than to a resort, which is precisely what separates it within the Taormina accommodation tier.

Belmond, now part of LVMH, operates a paired presence in Taormina: Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina sits on the hill, commanding views of the ancient Greek theater and the coastline below. Villa Sant'Andrea is the waterside counterpart — lower, quieter, and more directly connected to the sea. Guests at either property have reciprocal access to each other's facilities, including the comprehensive spa at Timeo. The two properties address different versions of the Taormina stay, and the choice between them is a genuine editorial one: altitude and town access versus beach and bay immersion.

The 2026 La Liste Leading Hotels ranking placed Villa Sant'Andrea at 93 points, and Condé Nast positioned it at number 48 in its 2025 Best Hotels list. Within the Taormina peer set, which includes San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel , holding Michelin 2 Keys , and a cluster of smaller independents like Atlantis Bay, Hotel Villa Carlotta, and Hotel Villa Ducale, Villa Sant'Andrea occupies a distinct position: recognized at the international ranking level, but shaped by residential scale rather than grand hotel format. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across 397 reviews, which for a 66-room property signals a consistency that larger-footprint competitors find harder to maintain.

The Room Experience: What Staying Here Actually Means

The villa's 66 rooms range from 212 to 860 square feet, and the configuration matters more than the headline number. Marble hallways branch into sea-view rooms with private terraces where geraniums trail over the railings , a detail that reads as decorative in photographs but functions as genuine spatial division from the adjacent bay. The bathroom materials are marble throughout, and the decorative program in each room draws on Sicilian craft traditions: local ceramics, woven rattan bedheads, framed antiques. These are not elements assembled to signal regional authenticity as a marketing position; they are the texture of a house that has accumulated character over more than a century of use.

Belmond has layered in contemporary comforts without overwriting the residential quality. Welcome gifts arrive in the form of local almond milk and cookies, and Technogym training kits are available on request for those who prefer in-room exercise. Suites carry LabSolue scents with tangerine notes. The premium room category is the two-bedroom pool suite, which adds a private heated pool set within a furnished solarium, surrounded by terraced tropical gardens. The suite's stone and wood interiors keep the material language consistent with the wider villa aesthetic rather than shifting into the glass-and-chrome register of newer resort developments.

In the common areas, the mood is set by shades of green and blue, with works by Sicilian artist Alessandro Florio on the walls , paintings inspired by the colors of traditional Sicilian carts that animate the lobby, bar, and restaurant without tipping into folk-art pastiche. The lobby's sight lines through to the sea create the experience of being inside a house that has been oriented toward the water as its primary view for over a hundred years.

Properties at this residential scale along the Italian coast , where the comparison set extends to Il San Pietro di Positano in Positano and Borgo Santandrea in Amalfi Coast , succeed or fail on how well the room itself reads as a destination rather than a container for a view. At Villa Sant'Andrea, the room-level detailing carries enough weight that the terrace is an extension rather than the point.

Beach, Pool, and the Spa Proposition

The private pebble beach operates as the social center of the property during the warmer months, with cocktails and light bites served to guests looking across the turquoise water of Mazzarò. The heated infinity pool overlooks the bay, positioned to frame the view rather than compete with the beach access. The alfresco garden spa concentrates on Sicilian and Mediterranean treatments alongside Sothys products, and guests hold access to the fuller spa facilities at Grand Hotel Timeo , a meaningful addition given that hilltop property's more extensive treatment menu.

The Brizza dining experience, which places guests at table directly at the water's edge, requires advance booking and represents a distinct mode of eating from the main restaurant terrace. It is worth planning around rather than leaving to chance on arrival.

Ristorante Sant'Andrea and the Kitchen's Direction

Sicilian cuisine has a specific relationship with seasonality and locality that differs from the refinement-led approach of northern Italian fine dining. Ristorante Sant'Andrea operates within that tradition, with a menu anchored in fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients , frutti di mare landed from nearby waters, handmade pasta dressed with shellfish and Verdello lemon. The terrace hosts breakfast, built around a buffet of seasonal fruits, pastries, smoked fish, charcuterie, fresh juices, prosecco, and a Sicilian frittata that changes daily. This is a kitchen defined by its ingredient sourcing and its relationship to Sicilian culinary tradition rather than by culinary ambition in the contemporary chef-driven sense.

For broader dining context in the area, see our full Taormina restaurants guide.

Getting There, Staying Connected, and Beyond the Property

Villa Sant'Andrea sits on Via Nazionale 137 in Taormina Mare, at sea level on the bay. The complimentary shuttle to hilltop Taormina , reachable also via the nearby funicular , takes approximately ten minutes and connects guests to the town's shopping, dining, gardens, and the ancient Greek theater. Taormina draws significant visitor numbers in summer; early morning or late evening visits to the town center offer a quieter experience. Mount Etna wine country lies within reach for day excursions, and sailing trips to the Aeolian Islands, including less-trafficked destinations like Filicudi, are among the experiences the property can arrange.

Pricing is on request only. The property is pet-friendly and operates 24-hour room service alongside meeting rooms, making it functional for travelers who mix leisure with occasional work requirements. For the full picture of where Villa Sant'Andrea sits relative to other Taormina properties, see our full Taormina hotels guide, as well as bars, wineries, and experiences across the area.

For Italian properties operating at a comparable residential-villa register, consider Aman Venice in Venice, Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, Castello di Reschio in Lisciano Niccone, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze in Florence, Portrait Milano in Milan, Corte della Maestà in Civita di Bagnoregio, and Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco in Montalcino. Beyond Italy, JK Place Capri in Capri shares a similar scale-and-design sensibility. For those considering Belmond's broader portfolio style against other luxury groups, Aman New York in New York City, The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, and Amangiri in Canyon Point represent points of comparison in the international residential-luxury tier.

Also worth considering within Taormina's mid-to-upper tier: Mazzarò Sea Palace, The Ashbee Hotel.