Four Seasons San Domenico Palace, Sicily

Best for… The Four Seasons San Domenico Palace is a splurgy base for exploring the east coast of Sicily

The vibe… Even if you haven’t watched The White Lotus (San Domenico Palace served as the location for Season 2), but you’ve been to Taormina, you’ll probably know this landmark property, a former 14th-century convent. It went through an extensive renovation and reopened in the summer of 2021 as a Four Seasons. This was my first visit so I can’t compare it to its previous life, but it was incredibly lovely—the staff are super kind, the spaces are grand yet comfortable, and the garden is massive, befitting such a historic site.

The rooms… We arrived quite late, so we awoke to a surprise the next morning: the loveliest room (super high ceilings and very well appointed) and a terrace (with a plunge pool!) with incredible views of the town and the sea.

The food and drink… We had dinner at their restaurant by the pool, which served excellent seafood paccheri, an incredibly nice waiter, and a cool crowd (well, Sting was at the next table—we didn’t notice anyone else!). Breakfasts are epic, a gorgeous buffet, with those divine views of the sea. The concierge sent us to two great restaurants—we said we wanted “nonna” food (this is my trick everywhere in Italy, because everyone gets what you want immediately). Trattoria da Ugo is a family-run spot just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and we had a pretty perfect linguine alle vongole. The next night we went to Malvasia, just next door to da Ugo, where we had a delicious squid-ink pasta.

Be sure to… Ask in advance if there is a performance happening at the Greek Theater. We didn’t, and it was only when we heard Sting doing a sound check that we realized he was playing that night. Unfortunately, we were too late and it was sold out, but we did sit on the terrace and listened to his familiar whispery voice floating down from across town.

Also... We wrote a whole post about our Taormina trip here.

Date of stay… September 2021