Perched on Taormina's clifftop above the Ionian Sea, where dry-stone terraces cascade through subtropical gardens toward a cerulean pool, a late nineteenth-century villa carries the name of Arts and Crafts pioneer Charles Robert Ashbee — the British designer who lived and worked in the town in the early 1900s and whose influence on the property's sensibility extends well beyond the nameplate. The Ashbee Hotel was established within this belle époque structure, its white-stuccoed facade and loggia roofline sitting in quiet adjacency to the domed church tower visible from the garden, the whole composition set against the Sicilian coastal ridge dropping toward Giardini Naxos below. The interiors take a more declarative approach than the building's restrained exterior might suggest. Guestrooms are dressed in damask-effect wallcovering in warm ivory, wainscoting picked out in white, and wide-plank bleached oak floors, with purple velvet armchairs introducing a note of controlled theatre against the pale ground. The restaurant sharpens the contrast further — bold black-and-white vertical stripes covering the walls entirely, a Murano glass chandelier in deep red suspended above white-clothed tables and pale ash dining chairs, the parquet floor grounding the drama in something warmer. Outside, the terraced gardens step down through lava-stone retaining walls planted with agave and dwarf palm, stone-paved paths connecting the fountain court to the pool deck, framing a view of the bay that has drawn artists and writers to Taormina for well over a century.

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Located in a peaceful 20th century Sicilian Villa in the heart of Taormina. The House was built in the 1908’s by Colonel Shaw-Hellier who commissioned the famous Architect Charles Robert Ashbee, English designer and entrepreneur, prime mover of the Arts & Craft movement. Easy to locate, just few steps from the main street and chic boutiques of Taormina, the hotel offers easy access to the main theatres, museums and all over objects arts, historical heritage of the city. Today, this charming house offers some of the finest accommodation in Sicily. With 24 guestrooms and suite, you will find everything required for a relaxing stay, screwing up one’s eye to English style, representative symbol of The Ashbee Hospitality. Beyond the elegant rooms, a gourmet restaurant overseen by the multiple awarded chef Heinz Beck, called St. George Restaurant by Heinz Beck.