Hotel Suggestions Sicily

Ortygia is the old town area of Siracusa, I don't recall the beach being anything special but the neighborhood is great. I stay at the Hotel Posta, near the bus stop and the daily market.

Taormina is at the top of a hill, but there is an area on the beach there (near Isola Bella) with lots of high-rise hotels. You can take the funivia to the upper town.

Cefalu is about an hour from Palermo and has lots of hotels on its very nice beaches, but I stay at the other end of town so I have no recommendations there.

In Palermo, I like a very budget-friendly place, Cortile di Palermo, but that may not be what you are looking for (a few rooms, self-serve breakfast, but close to everything).

Thank you. I appreciate that you took the time to respond. I will look up the hotels you suggested.

Hi Angelina! I've spent weeks in Sicily, and now it's my favorite place in Europe! My last trip I landed in Catania, and spent a week in Taormina. We did not stay on the beach, but we rented an apartment through: legendofsicily.com We did several day tours with them and enjoyed them tremendously. They broker many apartments and BnBs and some are down at the beach. They took us to Etna, Syracusa, a beautiful winery, etc. They are very personable people, and the commentary (ies) were both educational and at times humorous! There aren't exacly "high rise" hotels as I would describe them, like Miami or anything, but there are some hotels.

After all of the touring in Taormina we decided to take a two night break and stayed in Cefalu at Hotel le Calette! The view from there was jaw-dropping! I am not one who uses superlatives, but seriously! We mostly rested and enjoyed the view and the amenities the hotel had to offer. We went into town one day and saw the famous Church. While this hotel isn't "on the beach" they have a beautiful sunning area right at the sea, and I will tell you the pictures on line and even in the brochures do not do it justice. Of course, they also have a pool, and breakfast is usually served sea-side.

After our rest in Cefalu, we headed to Palermo and I got a fantastic deal at Centrale Palace Hotel. It is in the Old Town, and very close to all the major sites. I used "booking.com" for this hotel. She is truly an old Palace, and probably the most ornate hotel I've ever stayed in, even if she's a bit old :-) The Chandeliers, staircases, paintings, etc. were beautiful. I spent @ EU120 a night breakfast included. I got quite the deal by putting it on a "watch" and I hope you get a similar deal if you decide to use them! RS recommends a different hotel(s), but I really liked the location, and it saved $$ by not needing taxis for the major sites. The further out you book, the better your deal will be, as we added a person to the trip and she paid quite a bit more.

In using "legendofsicily.com" I felt it gave us a great contact with the locals, as the broker was so nice as to walk us around the town and introduce us to local people, restaurants, etc., ALL of which were fantastic. I will return and will use this service again!

You will love Sicily! (The train service from Taormina to Cefalu is very good, and you can buy your tickets through the local travel agent right in Taormina. The hours are short, but the woman speaks perfect English, and her big Golden Retriever is sweet!. While you're there, you might as well book your ticket from Cefalu to Palermo, as this may be your last chance for an English Speaker! LOL! If you want any further info, feel free to PM me. Ciao!

I used this site for all my planning in Sicily.
There are hundreds of links and all kinds of info.

Sicily

Since Rick doesn't publish a guidebook for Sicily, I suggest starting with Lonely Planet. In city of Syracuse, our tour groups also stay on the old-town island of Ortyga, which is small, so you're never far from the water and it's easy to stroll the promenade around the island. In Taormina, we tend to stay at the top of the cliff, so that tour members feel more central, then those who wish can take the funicular to the beach. Adding to the advice about Cefalu, I enjoyed swimming last year at the small harbor/beach near the old town, although I heard that "nobody does that," as the longer beach is only a short walk away.

Angelina, we had a great stay in Ortigia, the old part of Siracusa, at Mini-hotel B&B Spiraglio. We made our reservation by email and Rita, our hostess, was very helpful. She even drove us to the main bus station at the end of our stay. It's great to be on Ortigia [as others have said]; easy to walk around, lots of places to eat and things to do. We didn't go to Palermo or Taormina; a great reason to go back!