Sicily : Where we stayed : Schuler Residence, Taormina

I spend a lot of time researching where to go when it comes to holidays. I didn’t personally know anyone who had been, so had to ask around for advice in facebook groups and just read a million reviews on booking.com and tripadvisor.com. Schuler Residence (click here, see Apartment Type D) in Taormina caught my eye on Airbnb and after booking, cancelling (separate post to come on how we were denied boarding on Friday…), and rebooking, were we glad that we chose Claudio’s place as our base over the 5 nights in Taormina.

It is honestly was one of the highlights of our stay in Sicily.

So, if you’re planning to stay a couple of nights in Taormina, I highly recommend this place. Here’s why :

a) Lots of space for the whole family – We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment (each room had a double bed) and requested for a cot for the 1-year old. There’s ample space for the kids to play around in the lounge.

Tip : There are steps to get ‘down’ to the apartment, so leave your prams at the top if possible.

Kids mucking around

Breakfast with the family

Sunset

b) Parking outside – There’s street parking outside the residence and though it did require some skills to make sure you don’t end up getting your car scratched overnight, it was very handy for us when we wanted to jump in the car and drive elsewhere.

Tip : Always, always, fold in the side mirrors after you park, not just here but wherever you are in Sicily.

c) Couple of minutes walk to the town – There’s a shortcut to get to the pedestrian-only street Corso Umberto. You’ll need help with the pram as it has steps all the way down, but it’s really quite quick and so convenient for the days where you just want to wander down instead of driving out! Click here for where we went within walking distance from our place.

Tip : If you don’t want to walk down the steps with the pram, you can alternatively take the road down which is a slightly longer route.

d) There’s a supermarket closeby – At the bottom of the ‘shortcut’ is a supermarket for you to get all your goods.

Tip : Get some local wine, fresh pasta from the supermarket for the days you don’t want to go out for dinner.

e) Kitchen and washing machine – We ended up having breakfast at home most days on our outdoor terrace, so having a kitchen was very handy! Washing machine as well for all the dirty clothes (yes, when you have kids, clothes actually do get quite dirty…)

Tip : Bring a hot flask to store hot water as they don’t have a microwave, or an electric kettle. It’s the really cool stove top kettle which takes a bit more time.

f) Amazing outdoor terrace – We spent most meals out here. The view from the terrace is breathtaking, and honestly if you were going to pay 2000AED or more for the 5-star hotels, you’re probably looking at the same view. Only difference is you’re paying a fraction for what you would pay there!

Tip : Take your family photos here during the early morning or just before sunset, the lighting is perfect!

g) The price – It was approximately 500 Euros for 5 nights (Note: Prices vary according to season) – this was very very reasonable, for 3 adults, a 3 year and a 1 year old! We would have had to book two double rooms if we went the hotel route, which would easily ended up being double the price. There are some hotels that come with an extra single bed in there but everyone’s squashed in one room which I’ll say wouldn’t be very comfortable for 5 nights.

Tip : Book directly with Claudio on their website instead of through Airbnb, it’s slightly cheaper.

h) Large courtyard adjacent to the building – Right next to the apartment is a large empty courtyard where we spent the evenings with the kids just before dinner time. Lots of local kids bring their scooters and bicycles here, or just come here to run around. My 3-year old was very happy playing with the kids which by the 2^nd day were her ‘friends at the playground’ 😊 The best bit is you don’t have to walk ‘too far’ to entertain the toddler, i.e if it’s a large hotel you need to go all the way to the outdoor area which is probably down some long corridor, through another hall, bla bla. This as just out the main door ! Tip : Pack your toddler’s scooter – the Micro Scooter is actually detachable and you can pop it in the check-in luggage!

i) Very quiet in the evenings – It’s a residential area so it is very quiet on the streets in the evenings. Tip : If you’re walking home past dark, don’t make toooooo much noise!

A few things to be aware of should you decide to stay here

Not easy to find – Instead of following the GPS blindly, pay attention to the instructions Claudio sent on how to get to the apartment. Otherwise you’ll just drive around for ages being lost….
Bring your own shampoo and shower gel – It’s clearly started on the Airbnb listing and website but just in case your forget, you can always get it from the Supermarket
You won’t want to leave! 😊

Any queries, drop me a message here or on social media. We were all very happy with our holiday home for the week. Thanks Claudio for being so quick to respond during our last minute booking, for guidng us and ensuring we had a comfortable stay!