Five-star Three MICHELIN Keys Taormina, Taormina
San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel
A Dominican convent of the fourteenth century and a Liberty wing of 1896, joined in 2021 under Four Seasons, with an infinity pool over the Ionian Sea.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- Three Keys, 2026
- Rooms
- 111, including 43 suites
- Opened
- July 2021, as a Four Seasons
- From the airport
- About an hour from Catania
The hotel
From convent to grand hotel.
Dominican friars founded the convent in the fourteenth century in Taormina. Some of today's rooms were their cells, and the cloisters still frame the courtyards. In 1896 a Liberty-style wing was added and the building became a grand hotel, later visited by Oscar Wilde, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren. Original artworks and antiques from the convent's collection still hang in the corridors.
Four Seasons reopened it in July 2021 after a restoration led by the architect Valentina Pisani, with Rosaria Catania as chief restorer and gardens by Marco Bay. James Robertson chose the art, and more than 1,700 square metres of halls, cloisters and terraces now take events. Objects from the monastery, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, fill the Sala della Grande Madia. The second season of The White Lotus was filmed here.
- The infinity pool Twenty-one metres long, on the edge of the gardens above the Ionian Sea, with Anciovi beside it from April to November.
- Principe Cerami Massimo Mantarro's tasting menus, with one MICHELIN star and views of Etna and the bay.
- Botanica Spa Five treatment rooms, an indoor pool and separate saunas and steam rooms for men and women.
Rooms & suites
Cells, wings and a suite on the roof.
Sixty-eight rooms and forty-three suites across the Ancient Convent Wing and the Grand Hotel Wing, from about 28 to 140 square metres.
- Convent wing Rooms in the former cells Some rooms occupy the monks' cells, with frescoes and convent relics around them.
- Grand Hotel wing Rooms and suites of 1896 In the Liberty-style wing added when the convent became a hotel.
- Top floor Royal Suite The largest, about 140 square metres, with a terrace, a Jacuzzi and views of the Greek theatre and the sea.
Dining
Four tables in the convent.
Venues as listed by the hotel; the star is from the MICHELIN Guide Italia 2026. Shown for information.
- Principe Cerami One Michelin star Modern Sicilian Massimo Mantarro
- Anciovi Mediterranean By the pool, April to November
- Rosso Italian Local produce, views of Etna and the bay
- Bar & Chiostro All day Drinks and light dishes
Recognition
Ratings.
- Three MICHELIN Keys 2026
- Forbes Travel Guide Four stars, 2026
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Children Welcome. Under-19s stay free in their parents' room, space permitting, and babysitting is available.
- Pets One dog under 10 kg per booking, with a nightly charge, and not in suites with a plunge pool or jet tub.
Getting there
Flying to Taormina.
Catania Fontanarossa, about 65 kilometres south, handles scheduled flights and private jets. The drive takes fifty minutes to an hour, and the hotel is a short walk from Corso Umberto once you arrive.
- Rome 1 h 00
- Milan 1 h 40
- Geneva 1 h 55
- Paris 2 h 30
- London 2 h 55
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does San Domenico Palace have?
- Three, the highest level, in the 2026 selection for Italy.
- Was The White Lotus filmed at San Domenico Palace?
- Yes. The hotel was the main setting of the second season.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Taormina?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Taormina, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Taormina
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel Opened in 1873 against the walls of the Greek theatre, and a stop for Oscar Wilde and D.H. Lawrence.
- Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel An English family's seaside villa of 1919, down on the water, with its own beach club.
- The Ashbee Hotel Twenty-four rooms in a villa drawn in 1907 by the Arts and Crafts architect C.R. Ashbee, a few steps from the theatre.
Staying at San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Taormina, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.