Donna Carmela Resort & Lodges

My wife and I recently stayed here for a night as part of our honeymoon. When vacationing, you tend to miss the place you were visiting more than the hotel or hostel. In this case, and the first time for my wife and I, we were both devasted to leave this beautiful piece of paradise.

The location is tucked away and quiet. The building itself is well-appointed and a pleasure to experience. The staff is wonderful and genuinely likes working there. The grounds make you feel like you're in a special part of Eden. The breakfast is to die for. We can't say enough good things about this gem.

Whether you have disposable income, or if you've saved up to do something special, please stay here if you can. You won't regret it.

I had the most amazing birthday staying at Donna Carmela from May 7-9th. Every single staff member we encountered were on point with their excellent customer service. It's a smaller resort but we interacted with 10 different staff of all levels during our 2 nights stat. Both my husband and I felt every staff member exuded pride and joy working as a team. Good job to the owner. They all seem seemed very happy employees and all working well together. We enjoyed our breakfast with Eliana as our server with genuine smile and friendliness. Im impressed she remembers exactly what I requested for our packed breakfast to go for next day. And Ms. Daisy was also very warm and welcoming during breakfast and dinner at La Cucina (same dining room). Our dinner at La Cucina was delicious and beautifully presented. The manager was excellent in making sure all the customers were satisfied and attended to. He was awesome. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves during our stay. I also very much appreciated the manager's upgrade and the treats presented in our room upon arrival. The property is beautifully maintained with numerous fruit trees, flowers and succulents. It gave us a relaxing time and the feel of home away from home. I highly recommend it!

I recently stayed at this hotel, and overall, it was a positive experience. The standout feature was undoubtedly the incredibly friendly and welcoming staff. Their warm smiles and willingness to assist made my stay much more enjoyable.

The highlight of my stay was the breakfast. There was an abundance of choices, ranging from continental delights to hot dishes. The breakfast was truly superb and provided an excellent start to the day.

One area that fell short, however, was the poolside snacks. They didn't quite match the overall quality of the hotel, and I had hoped for more refined options.

Regarding the pool, it was a bit of a letdown. While the hotel exudes luxury in many aspects, the pool was relatively small and not as inviting as I had anticipated. It didn't quite align with the rest of the amenities and the overall atmosphere of the hotel.

In summary, my stay here was positive, primarily due to the exceptionally friendly staff, excellent breakfast, and impeccable cleanliness.

Great place to stop for a few days. Our room had a great view of Etna, smouldering in the distance.

The staff here were very welcoming and always helpful. The restaurant was lovely. We tried the taster menu one night for a celebration and I can really recommend it.

Breakfast was really good and most people say in the garden for this.

The location is a bit tricky if you are driving - we picked up a car at the airport and drove there. There is nothing accessible locally unless you have a car or organise paid transport.

When we first arrived we were appalled by the rubbish bags lying in the road verges. We wondered what sort of place we had come to. But we subsequently found this is, unfortunately, pretty normal in the some of the more rural areas. So nothing to worry about.

We visited Toarmina and Etna from here. I didn't fancy driving into Catania having seen how busy it was.

Wonderful place and the highlight of our trip to Sicily. Great rooms, an excellent restaurant, peaceful surrounds and awesome staff. Little touches like the welcome gifts, the bikes, the WhatsApp service all make this even better. Thank you!

What an amazing place, very relaxing, food was great, daisy one of the waitresses couldn't do enough to make our stay comfortable, brought me coffee evey morning, with cakes... on the external balcony by the pool. Once ur in the the resort it's like a little paradise. Would love to return !

Such a beautiful, luxury design hotel! We loved our stay here, the staff was wonderful, food was amazing and the hotel absolutely stunning! The breakfast was one of the best hotel breakfast I’ve had in a long time, and the tasting menu was incredible. The perfect place to come to for a relaxing holiday. Location may be a bit secluded, but the have bikes to rent for anyone wanting to do a bit of exploring. Couldn’t recommend higher!

Lovely relaxing hotel with a beautiful garden and very friendly and attentive staff.

We recently spent 4 amazing nights (including the new years eve) in this resort. We absolutely recommend it. The booking was very smooth. The service was amazing all through out our stay. Maybe it ll be better seeing Etna from the room. We had the Mediterranean view with mount Etna from our bedroom balcony (upstairs). The breakfast was great, there is a wine menu (we did not go through it, rather preferred the sommelier to lead us). True that the rooms need a small renovation (especially the bathrooms and the shower holders) but it does not make the experience less. The decoration of the common areas gives a homey feeling. The music in the common areas is relaxing and enables one yo work. The Oscar goes to the flowers and the greens (indoor and outdoor) the subtropical plants and the centenarian olive trees in front of the restaurant. I hope we can come back to this oasis again. Happy New Year

Together with my wife we have spent few days in romantic lodge with jacuzzi, celebrating my birthday and our anniversary. The overall experience was simply outstanding! From booking our stay to the moment of checking out, everything was flawless.

Donna Carmela’s whole property is beautiful, the setup, décor, it’s grounds, interiors etc.

Our room was luxurious yet a bit minimalistic- in a good way. It was clean, with every amenity you would need, we enjoyed the terrace and heated jacuzzi, it had fantastic views of the grounds and the sea, and even the view from bathroom window was very pleasant (exotic, resembled Bali). Plush towels and bathrobes, very comfortable king bed, slippers, minibar etc. (even flip flops, beach towels and umbrella were provided). The lodges are well planned with lots of plants surrounding them make you feel secluded yet close to the main building and, swimming pool, restaurant, and the parking.

Speaking of the restaurant, colazione (breakfast) was a’la carte (from something as simple as scrambled eggs, pancakes, porridge, to more sophisticated like eggs Benedictine, Parma ham, Italian arancini, bombetta or granita with brioche), large selection of other products, everybody will find something for himself, every palate will be satisfied, I guarantee that to you. When it comes to dinner, all we can say – absolutely fabulous, compliments to the chef and the staff, all awards are well deserved. Tuna fish tartare, ceviche, spaghetti with lobster, risotto with sausage ragout and saffron, lobster with pumpkin and Sicilian cheese, amuse bouche and starters, everything was delicious, and portions were quite generous. Great wine selection.

The bar had quite a choice of alcohol, whenever you wanted to have some drinks before or after dinner also snacks served there with drinks deserve to be mentioned.

Complementing all the positives listed above (not all were described by me, there were a lot of positive details that I omitted intentionally or not) was the staff, all the above would have not existed without wonderful people working there, making sure that our stay was one of the best hotel experiences so far. Again, starting from first phone call/e-mail exchange booking our stay, to the greeting, where we were welcomed by personnel member in front of our car when we arrived, the check in, the introduction to our lodge, guest relations, receptionists, managers, concierge, waiters- from ladies serving breakfast, though professional bartender and servers in the restaurant during dinner time. Housekeeping, groundskeeping etc. Everybody, I mean literally every single person we’ve meet during our stay was professional, helpful, attentive, and always smiling, making sure and going extra mile for our stay to be exceptional. Some special thanks to name just the two; Grazia Casisi and Elia Tomarchio, we appreciate everything you and the rest of your team did for us and would do for every guest. To the Faro Family: you have created a very a gorgeous and special place, congratulations, keep it up! Next time in eastern Sicily and we will definitely be staying again in this fantastic resort.

This is the place where to stay when in Sicily! Very well-managed hotel with great staff that takes pride in what they do. The grounds are looked after and kept well. Great local food from the kitchen too.

A very welcoming stay immersed in beautiful Sicilian nature. Fantastic views, waking to a view of Mt Etna out the bedroom window and the sea from the lounge, the Grand Suite is the epitome of having the best of both worlds. Exclusive rooftop furnished terrace with private heated plunge pool. Great way to travel with friends or family as has 3 ensuite bedrooms. Gorgeous grounds with very mature trees (200 year old olive trees!) and tropical plants home to lovely lodges. Light airy, contemporary and stylish, the boutique resort has a relaxed homely feeling to it. Delicious food, excellent service and caring staff. Mt Etna on the doorstep, Taormina 30mins away. A perfect position for combining sightseeing and relax. Be sure to make time to visit the family's winery Pietradolce on Northen side of Etna, it is simply stunning location to taste their very high quality wines and the Radicepura gardens near the resort is a hidden gem for plant lovers. Only wish we could have stayed longer!!

Our second time at Donna Carmela, it's such a stunning property with great attention to detail, cozy rooms, amazing food and the friendliest and most helpful staff you could ask for. We can't wait to come back for our wedding this summer.

Donna Carmela is a gem of a place. Situated between Catania and Taormina, 50mn away from Mount Etna (a must do), you will need a car to access it. It’s a boutique hotel, calm and luxurious. The garden is absolutely gorgeous, not mentioning the 200+ years old olive trees. Service was great and everyone welcomed us with a smile. Try the dégustation menue at their Michelin recognized restaurant “La Cucina Du Donna Carmela” and you’ll never want to leave this small paradise.

I found a great shoulder season offer for this hotel on Travelzoo, supplied by Fleetway Travel.

Lovely stylish boutique hotel set among one of Europe’s largest tropical plant nurseries. The owners of the hotel are one of the largest exporters of tropical plans in Europe and you can work up a pre-dinner appetite by walking among them. Especially if you plan to hit the primi and secondi!
We stayed in two different rooms over our stay. The first room 29 was in a high vaulted ceiling rooms opposite reception. Very stylish with designer furniture, polished concrete floors, natural wood, and modern designed features. It was great, but a little dark and the small outside space was narrow with a high hedge and which faced onto the car park. So if you prefer design and space over a view it’s perfect. We wanted a view and the hotel quickly and politely moved us to the other side on request. To a two-floor apartment, with balconies on each floor. One facing the sea, the other across the lush green landscape with a view of Etna (room 12).
The hotel is remote. You either need a car or you can just take one of the free excursions laid on by the hotel. Each day of the week has a different itinerary and they drop off and pick up. Which I think is very helpful given the remote location. Stunning views. Both of the sea from the rooms and pool while and at dinner, you can watch Etna as the smoke plumes turn to orange as the sun sets behind it.
The dinner at the hotel was very good, every night. The specials each day change so if you have all your favourites of the al la carte you can sample specials such as tuna ragu (amazing). I would say the hotel could craft a simpler, lighter lunch menu and serve lunch at the poolside bar to give a more varied menu and experience.
I spoke with several other guests. Mainly couples although some families arrived later in the week. All said they loved the hotel, the food, the relaxing, quiet setting. If you want to get away from it all and have a relaxing break but be close enough to Etna, Taormina and other delights the East coast of Sicily has to offer then I highly recommend it.

This is a magical place. The location with its nature is super unique. The interior design is remarkable. The staff is welcoming and always supportive and the rooms are beautiful. We will love to come back any time.

Wow wow wow
Absolutely loved my stay here
Such a peaceful tranquil place
Aurora is a gem of an employee
So sweet and welcoming

I believe the owner Donna Carmela herself called me to give me an upgrade
She has created paradise here

All of the staff
And they thought of every little detail

Valeria was super helpful in helping arrange my booking and transportation

Can’t wait to stay here again!!

Nothing to complain about except for the weak water pressure. First day was raining but second day, we had some sunshine. Dinner at their restaurant was very good, and they were child friendly. Nice surroundings and attentive staff. I wouldn't call this a farm stay by any stretch. More lux than both Mandronova (more rustic) and Monaci.

Beautiful hotel and great service. Hotel has an amazing restaurant.

Special thank you to Aurora for her professionalism and kind help, thank you for making our stay more adorable.

I had an exceptional stay at this hotel, rooms, service, and amenities were all well above what I had expected. Should I find myself in this part of Sicily again I will most certainly be back.