Cefalu vs Taormina

Taormina is much closer to Catania airport than Palermo’s. At least it appears to be on the map. Perhaps you were thinking of Trapani?

Rocket's right; Taormina is convenient to Catania but not to Palermo. Cefalu is just the reverse. I have only day-tripped to each of your options, and it would obviously be better to hear from folks who've spent at least one night. My impression of Taormina was of a lovely (hillside) setting with the main drag full of tourists (virtually shoulder to shoulder); there was a lot of high-end shopping. If you see yourself sitting on your hotel-room balcony, drinking in the view, Taormina may be your place. I left gladly after a very few hours, but I know others love Taormina, and I can understand why. One thing to keep in mind is that the places with the great views will be rather far from the beach, requiring you to use the little cable car, the bus, or a taxi.

Cefalu has some nice historic architecture but is comparatively flat. Every second doorway doesn't lead to an international boutique chain.

Other posters have mentioned enjoying beaches on the other (western) side of Palermo. There might be something there worth considering.

Taormina is not on the water, Giardini Naxos just under the hill is, but if you want close to PMO, it may be too far (3.5 hrs by car)
Cefalu is better, but not very close either (about 1.5 hrs by car, unless rush hour when you need hours to go around Palermo).

Closer to the airport I would choose either Mondello, which is actually part of the city of Palermo, only 20 min from the airport, or Scopello (Castellammare del Golfo) about 35-40 min from the airport.
Mondello has a great beach and is the summer getaway for the Palermitans. Lots of things to do (restaurants, bars, etc.)
Scopello is very small and quaint, but quieter. It has a great marine reserve next to it called Riserva dello Zingaro, a natural park with water to die for (or better, to 'dive' for).
The slightly larger Castellammare del Golfo, next to Scopello, is a nice town as well, the town beach is not too great, but there is a nicer one next to it on the East side of the town, although not as great as Scopello and the Zingaro reserve.
San Vito Lo Capo is always voted the most beautiful beach in Italy, but it's over one hour west of the airport (almost as far as Cefalu, but on the opposite direction from the airport)

Do a Google Image search of all of the above localities I bolded and decide what you'd like best.

Hi MJ, back in 2005 I spent the night in both places. The highlight of my time in Taormina was purchasing my favorite handbag that I ever owned. I also enjoyed the view of Mount Etna from my hotel room.
My sister and I loved Cefalu. This is where you’ll eat the best canoli and where elderly men still dress for their evening passeggiata. The dining along the seashore is exquisite too. We then took a 1h train ride to Palermo to fly home.

I visited those spots in Sicily in September of 2019. Cefalu is a quaint fishing village town. It has a beautiful Duomo with a staircase to the steeple overlooking the town. It has a beach area, although it is not a large beach. It is fairly close to Palermo, 45 minutes to an hour. Taormina was just beautiful, a very historic town with an ancient Greek theatre. In the summer they have concerts and events under the stars at the Greek theatre. There is only a very small beach named Isola Bella in Taormina. In addition Taormina is on the east coast of Sicily and Palermo is on the west coast, at least 3 hours away. If you really like beaches and want to relax there is just one choice, San Vito lo Capo. It is close enough to Palermo for the airport and easily one of the best beaches in all of Italy.

I really like the suggestion made by Roberto da Firenze - consider staying in Scopello. We only went there for the day, but it's so lovely and quaint - I hope to return to stay longer one day soon!

If you plan to drive to the airport from any of those locations, some of the estimates given above are somewhat unrealistic. The Palermo airport is 20 miles west of the city and the traffic in Palermo at rush hour is one of the worst in Europe.
Cefalù is East of Palermo (the airport is west of the city), that means you have to drive around Palermo on the beltway, which gets very busy at rush hour.
So from Cefalu to Palermo might be less than one hour, but to the airport you need an additional half hour under normal (no traffic) circumstances.
From San Vito lo Capo the distance is a little longer, but you don't have to go through Palermo (San Vito is further west from the airport), therefore you shouldn't encounter any traffic. Still I would give myself 1.5 hours just in case.
Mondello and Scopello are closer, therefore 45 min are plenty.

Cefalu is closer to Palermo airport, but isn’t that close. Taormina is closer to Catania airport. You’ve been provided some good information. I enjoyed both places, but Taormina is completely overrun with tourists when the cruise ships are in port. I felt Cefalu was more intimate and has some walking paths too. No matter which you choose, I’d spend the last night very close to the airport. If you meant Trapani rather than Taormina as Rocket postulated, even it is about an hour from Palermo airport.

I agree with Roberto da Firenze... neither place is really near Palermo with Cefalu’ being the closest. I would suggest choosing one of his recommendations.

With that being said, Taormina is a beautiful place with many high end luxury shops, Cefalu’ a quaint fishing village- but imo all of Sicily is amazing and beautiful and no matter where you choose you will have a wonderful time!