The Hostelz.com Review
Taormina's Odessey Youth Hostel is located about ten-minutes walk from the town centre and offers a great view over the bay. A small family run hostel, it has a friendly atmosphere and is in a good location for exploring Taormina and Mt. Etna.
To reach the hostel you can follow the signs from the Terminal bus station. If you come by train, from the Taormina train station take the bus up the hill to the Terminal station and walk from there. The hostel is about one kilometer from the bus station and the signs are easy to follow. Locals are also pretty helpful.
The price includes a breakfast of italian biscotti, rolls, condiments, and fresh coffee. Facilities include a guest kitchen that is definitely not made for more than two people, dining room, outdoor eating and sitting area, luggage storage, and a phone accepting incoming calls. The dorms are clean and toilet facilities are clean with soap and hand towels, although hot water is limited to certain hours. Lockers are available first-come, first-served if you have a padlock. Unfortunately dorms don't have keys, so if you miss out on a locker you cannot really lock up your belongings. A nice, comfortable, and hospitable hostel and as of October 2005, the only one in Taormina.
To reach the hostel you can follow the signs from the Terminal bus station. If you come by train, from the Taormina train station take the bus up the hill to the Terminal station and walk from there. The hostel is about one kilometer from the bus station and the signs are easy to follow. Locals are also pretty helpful.
The price includes a breakfast of italian biscotti, rolls, condiments, and fresh coffee. Facilities include a guest kitchen that is definitely not made for more than two people, dining room, outdoor eating and sitting area, luggage storage, and a phone accepting incoming calls. The dorms are clean and toilet facilities are clean with soap and hand towels, although hot water is limited to certain hours. Lockers are available first-come, first-served if you have a padlock. Unfortunately dorms don't have keys, so if you miss out on a locker you cannot really lock up your belongings. A nice, comfortable, and hospitable hostel and as of October 2005, the only one in Taormina.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
December 2005
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Taormina's Odyssey Details
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Taormina's Odyssey Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Great place! The hostel was clean, and had friendly staff! Met some nice people there as well. Taormina is small so it's walking distance from everything. — LP , Canadian (2009-05-23) Friendly and comfortable hostel with very good facilities Enjoyed staying at this hostel. Was able to check in early, thanks to the helpful owner who gave us lots of tips about Taormina. Very friendly atmosphere, good kitchen facilities, three good bathrooms, and a nice seating area outside. The hostel is in a residential area, which is a bit of a walk from the centre of town, but it is easily walkable and safe to do at night. My advise on Taormina itself though is to not stay long, the town is very expensive and there is not much to do. Even the beach at the bottom of the finicular ride was privatised and had a charge to use. Its also helpful to know that the train station is down in Giardini Naxos and you need to get a bus up to Taormina. From the bus station the hostel is a good twenty-minute walk uphill, it's very pretty though! — Kirsten , Scotland (2008-10-11) Stay away from Taormina Taormina lies on a hill a few kilometers far from the sea. So you will end your journey at the bus terminal stop. From there it's quite a long journey to arrive to the hostel with your backpacks and maybe you will be under 40° sun. Let's say twenty or twenty-five minutes (no buses going there from the bus terminal). The hostel is probably the smallest and warmest we've ever been. It's quite clean however. Beds were uncomfortable as well. No air conditioning at all, in our "double" room we had around 36/37° in August. The girl who was running the hostel while we were there, Maria, was a beautiful angel, but don't go there for this, she is leaving soon. — Davide&Michela, Chiavari -GE- Italy , Italian (2007-09-06) I was bitterly disappointed by this place. The photos are completely misleading. It is far from the bus station, city center, and any restaurants, cafes, or markets. The house is old, shabby and poorly furnished in old things. The beds were awful and very crowded into the rooms. There were many "don't do this" signs posted and eveything has a fee. It might be suitable for a young person who doesn't know the difference between "clean bathroom" and "bathroom cleaner" as the bathrooms were so bad I didn't want to take a shower. The woman is simply trying to take advantage of her house being next to a fancy hotel. The only plus is that it's in a quiet residential neighborhood, very far from things. I would not recommend this place, as it takes away from the lovely surroundings of this town. — Emily Strauss (2006-12-30) A great hostel with a very friendly atmosphere which was great for meeting new people. I stayed here for three nights in September 2004 and found the crowd really helpful -- it was a bit of a challenge finding the place from the bus stop -- but they gave me directions over the telephone (catch a taxi!). The owner was really friendly, the beds and rooms clean, and the hot showers were working. A beautiful city and highly recommended! — John Bingham (Australia) (2006-09-13) Really, really good hostel! Near center of Taormina and beach. Clean and safe. Everything was working like it should. Staff was helpful and lovely. Hope for visiting there again! — Jaana (2006-08-07) April 2005 - A welcome surprise! Maria (Sicilian) runs the hostel currently with help from Katy (Aussie) so no problems speaking English. The dorm is 15 euros currently, and the beds are very SOFT. I agree breakfast minimal but you can make coffee in those stove espresso makers if you know how. I met loads of great people, and it's an exceptionally beautiful location with views of Etna and the coast from the nearby Greek Amphitheater. It's a picturesque town but much more pricey than, let's say, in Catania. My advice is to go to Taormina and stay in the Odyssey! — Indra (2005-04-28) This is a very good hostel. We went to Taormina in mid-March before the tourist season began, so although we paid for a dorm, we ended up with a private room! It has a friendly, "homey" atmosphere. Breakfast is minimal. If you arrive in Taormina by train, you must take a bus from the station to the center of town. The hostel is about a ten-minute walk from the bus terminal. — Teresa (2005-03-21) The best hostel I have ever stayed at! Friendly staff! It cannot be beaten! — Stuart (2005-02-07) This was a great hostel. Sure, it's a bit of a walk to here from the bus and even longer from the train, but it's a nice walk in a beautiful town and I have walked a lot longer for a lot less. It's clean and the bathrooms are good. The breakfast is minimal to non-existent, but you can't have everything! Great hostel, great town. — K (2004-09-17) This place was wonderful. I had the greatest time here. The people who worked here were friendly, very informative, and accommodating, more than was necessary. I didn't feel like I was staying at a hostel at all; it felt like home. I liked it so much I stayed for a week, and saw how many other people extended their vacations here as well. It's very clean, very homey, and in a nice area, where you can relax. Yes, it's a small walk, but easy to navigate with signs pointing the way. It's nice to have kitchen access, and breakfast provided. — Anonymous (2004-06-30) Located on one of Sicily's more beautiful roundabouts, this hotel is not 25 minutes from the bus station but a mere three minutes. As Taormina is completely flat, there are no problems getting to and from the town centre. The breakfast was adequate. Overall, it's recommended by me and others. — Anonymous (2004-05-02) The books and adverts for the place say that it's a 10 minute walk, no, it's at least 25 minutes. Down and UP hills. But, the hostel was good and the balcony fantastic. The "kitchen" is a joke, and there was no breakfast provided. And I never saw anyone who ran the hostel. — Anonymous (2004-02-10) This hostel is run by 2 young girls who don't seem very professional but are native English speakers. The hostel has 26 beds and 3 bathrooms. Overall it's very clean and the bathrooms are very comfortable but it was impossible to hang the shower heads: very annoying if you want to wash your hair. Other disadvantages were the tiny kitchen and minimal breakfast. It's located far from the nearest station/bus terminal (allow 25 mins walking to bus) but i think all budget-places are. Also, from the bus terminal there are signs that lead you to the hostel so it's easy to find. Atmosphere is ok but I don't know if I'd stay here again because there were too many little things that annoyed me. — Wakey (2003-07-14) Best hostel I've ever stayed at. Fun, laid back, no curfew or lockout, you can come and go as you please. Like staying at someone's house. — Anonymous (2003-05-20)