We stayed for a week last year and had such a nice time we returned this June.
The Hotel is a lovely place to stay, staff are friendly, particularly Jay at the pool and Adriana on Reception. The Restaurant is excellent if a little "querky" at times, not a problem but more entertaining when the service is not what you expect!
The Pizza Restaurant in Castlemola is a must for either lunch or Dinner. You are greeted like a long lost friend and the food is superb and not expensive.
We hope to return again.

First impressions of the hotel were not good, our double room was a twin with a balcony overlooking the road which was opposite a building site. Two rooms later, we had what we had asked for. Our travel rep was most helpful and did his utmost in sorting the situation and the hotel offered us a complimentary dinner.

The best thing I can say about the hotel is that it is extremely clean. One member of staff, Adriana on the front desk, is particularly helpful and charming. The views of Mount Etna are stunning, particularly at this time as her lava flows are clearly visible at night.

On the down side, do not go to this hotel expecting a social atmostphere. The bar is mostly unattended and closes at 11.30pm and the food provided at the pool bar lunchtimes was consistent in being incredibly poor and expensive and the swimming pool is not for the faint-hearted!

Thankfully the evening restaurant does redeem itself, and the food from the extensive menu is of a far superior quality to that of the lunchtime fare.

Taxis down to Taormina are expensive, but worth it in order to explore this enchanting town. Luciano's restaurant in Via Roma is worth a visit, providing both good views and delcious food.

Exploring Castelmola for good restaurants was disappointing until we came across Gallo Cedrone on via a. de Gasperi. This tiny balcony restaurant is run by Roberto, with his brother Ricardo and their mother Maria. Their food is simply delicious and Roberto's hospitality knows no bounds - an absolute must!

As there are no reviews so far for 2008, I thought it appropriate to say that Villa Sonia proved to be the delight we had hoped for.
The Superior Etna View rooms were well worth the money. Although dated, in a wonderfully Italian way, the whole hotel makes a great change from the current "Hip Hotel" style.
Breakfast was well served, and with a good choice. Lunch on the terrace could be anything from a small snack to a large meal. We only ate "in" once but the menu was well priced and with a nice choice of traditional items. The menu changes daily, and with several choices at each course, I can see why some people pick the half board option.
Castelmola village has a nice choice of small bars and restaurants and is cheaper than Taormina itself and less touristy.
Parking at the hotel is always available (although a jigsaw!) and the shuttle bus/local bus route down into Taormina is much better than trying to drive in. The hotel will arrange trips and Etna should not be missed.
The best thing about Villa Sonia is the staff. Problems at Catania airport meant that we had to fly to Palermo (about 3.5 to 4 hours drive). This meant a 4.30am departure from the hotel. All made bearable by the hotel staff moving all the cars in the car park so that ours could get out eaily and then having it ready, outside the hotel for us at 4.30 on the dot after dead on time alarm calls and piping hot coffee. We will be back!

villa sonia is situated in a quiet village called castelmola, further up passing taormina. it a 5-10 min drive, so if you have a car you will be ok (despite the fact that parking in taormina is not that easy). decor is more dated than classic, but the hotel is really clean. A good breakfast is served in its restaurant that overlooks the mountains of the region. Room with a good king size bed and aircon working just fine, but bathroom could use some improvement. Water doesn't go down the drain in the shower, which really sucks but is not a privilege of villa sonia; many hotels in sicily and other regions of italy have the same draining issue. Villa Sonia is a nice choice if you're up to staying in Castelmola and saving a few bucks by not staying in pricey Taormina.