This summer, a particularly cool Four Seasons hotel is opening that I think is worth covering up.
The San Domenico Palace is open to four seasons
The Four Seasons Sicily will open from July 1, 2021. This hotel will be officially known as San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons Hoteland it is located in Taormina, Sicily. This is approximately an hour’s drive from Catania Airport (CTA) and approximately a three-hour drive from Palermo Airport (PMO).
The Four Seasons is right on Taoramina’s main street, Corso Umberto. The shops and restaurants in the old town are within easy walking distance.
Taormina, Sicily
As the name suggests, the Four Seasons is located in the space of the former San Domenico Palace, which first opened in 1896. As you’d expect, a major renovation is currently underway, so the hotel should be pretty spectacular when it opens in a couple of months.
San Domenico Palace (Four Seasons) exterior
The San Domenico Palace was built on the site of a 14th century Dominican monastery on the east coast of Sicily overlooking the Bay of Taormina and the Ionian Sea. The hotel overlooks Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
View of the San Domenico Palace (four seasons)
View of the San Domenico Palace (four seasons)
San Domenico Palace (Four Seasons) area
The Four Seasons has 111 rooms and suites, some with private terraces, and even plunge pools. The hotel also has a spa, gym, infinity pool terrace, beach club, lush gardens, and several restaurants and bars.
This is Four Seasons’ third property in Italy after the properties in Florence and Milan. In addition, a new four-season phase has been announced for Puglia, but this is still a few years in the future.
Four Seasons Sicily room types
The Four Seasons Sicily has 111 accommodations, including 69 rooms, 31 suites and 11 specialty suites.
To give you an idea of what to expect, here are the categories of guest rooms at the San Domenico Palace:
- The superior room is 301-312 square meters and offers views of the city or the cloister
- The deluxe room is 323-484 square meters and offers city or garden views
- The Deluxe Sea View Room is 290 to 388 square meters and offers an ocean view
- The Premium Sea View Room is 323 to 420 square meters and offers an ocean view
- The Premium Room with Sea View and Terrace is 334 to 366 square meters and offers a sea view
San Domenico Palace (Four Seasons) room with balcony
Here are the categories of suites at the San Domenico Palace:
- The Sea-View Junior Suite is 388-549 square meters and offers sea views
- The junior suite with ocean view and plunge pool is 441 to 517 square meters and offers ocean views
- The Sea-View Executive Suite is 484-624 square meters and offers sea views
- The Executive Suite with Ocean View and Plunge Pool is 505 to 689 square meters and offers ocean views
Room in the San Domenico Palace (Four Seasons)
Here are the categories of special suites at the San Domenico Palace:
- The Etna Suite is 872-882 square meters and offers a view of Mount Etna
- The Princess Cecile Suite is 969 square meters and offers sea, city and garden views
- The Teatro Suite is 689-743 square meters and offers Greek theater and ocean views
- The San Domenico Suite is 947 square meters and offers sea views
- The Royal Suite is 1,507 square feet with Greek theater and ocean views
San Domenico Palace (Four Seasons) room with bathtub
Booking the four seasons of Sicily
It looks like the Four Seasons is currently accepting reservations from July 1st to December 1st, 2021. I suspect that the hotel plans are seasonal, although it is at least a longer season than in much of Europe.
It looks like prices start somewhere around EUR 800 per night in high season, while in November they start at under EUR 400 per night. Obviously, this hotel is pricey, but that’s not surprising given the Four Seasons name, extensive renovations, and lack of other luxury properties in Sicily.
If you are looking to book this hotel (or a Four Seasons) be sure to book through a travel advisor affiliated with Four Seasons Preferred Partner. This is a program that selected travel agents can use to add value to your stay without costing you anything more. Benefits include things like free breakfast, hotel credit, and an upgrade based on availability.
Best of all, Four Seasons Preferred Partner can generally be combined with any plan you can find right on Four Seasons. Ford will be happy to assist you with Four Seasons inquiries and can be reached at [email protected]
This seems like a cool addition
I had the opportunity to visit Sicily a few years ago as Tiffany was living there at the time. I absolutely loved it – it’s so different from most other parts of Italy and it’s charmingly run down. The food is amazing, the people are friendly (while still making fun of your face if you order a cappuccino at the wrong time of day, natch), and the scenery is amazing.
Personally, I think it’s cool to see how a global luxury hotel group manages a property in Sicily. In particular, I appreciate that Four Seasons is tastefully restoring an existing historic property rather than just building a modern, cookie-cutter hotel that could be anywhere.
Of course, it won’t come without controversy – many will argue that it detracts from the charm, that it will only result in a price hike on this hotel, etc. And that’s all fair enough. For me, the two are not mutually exclusive.
Bottom line
In July 2021, Four Seasons will open its first property in Sicily with the opening of a renovated San Domenico Palace. I appreciate how tastefully Four Seasons renovated this hotel as it should still have a sense of place.
What do you think of the new Four Seasons Taormina?
