We stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed our stay. The rooms are comfortable and spotless and we went for a room with a fine terrace. The ever changing views of Etna are spectacular in the background and it is definitely a very peaceful oasis which...has well kept gardens. The lemon and orange groves really add to the lush feeling around the place. The breakfast is excellent on all counts but make sure to get there early enough and don’t leave it too late as they start clearing away everything at 10am. This place is run very much on business lines but attentive if you ask for anything.
We tried the evening meals twice and they were very good, although one or two courses were unremarkable - the service was a little odd at times particularly on our first evening with the chef hovering over us and rushing out the courses a little which was at odds with the relaxed manner we were expecting . They could do to leave more time between courses.Perhaps had there been more people at the dinner when we were there he would have had less opportunity to rush out our courses. It was quiet when we were there but we could see it was getting busy the day we left. They also have some decent wines to choose from (the red Numo was excellent).
The town of Fiumefreddo does not have a lot to offer so the food opportunities are a little limited if you want a break from the Feudogrande restaurant and don’t wish to drive anywhere else, although we did find a good pizza restaurant (Natale on Via Diana 2-8) albeit in very basic surroundings and without a wine list (they also do take aways). It’s about a 15 minute walk along an uninspiring laneway but the pizza was great. The town itself is quite basic and run down.
Taormina was very beautiful but very touristy and expensive. A half day day there was sufficient for us. We parked in Mazzura in the morning and took the cable car up (as parking in Taormina is impossible) and returned to the beach in the late afternoon which was glorious.
All told Feudogrande is an excellent base for 3 days from which to visit the beaches, Taormina, and any other activities in the area, and certainly if you wanted to stay there for the day and admire the view of Etna it was comfortable enough to sit out on the terrace and read a book. We were always glad to get back to this very peaceful and comfortable place.More