Five-star One MICHELIN Key Taormina, Taormina
The Ashbee Hotel
An Arts and Crafts villa drawn in 1907, above the Ionian Sea, with twenty-four rooms, one of the largest private gardens in Taormina and a two-star restaurant by Heinz Beck.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key, new in 2026
- Rooms
- 24 rooms and suites
- Designed
- 1907, by Charles Robert Ashbee
- From the airport
- About an hour from Catania
The hotel
An English architect's house in Sicily.
The house was first called Villa San Giorgio. Colonel Shaw-Hellier, a British army veteran who had settled in Taormina, asked Charles Robert Ashbee to design it in 1907. Ashbee was one of the leading figures of the English Arts and Crafts movement, and he mixed its plain craftsmanship with Greek and Sicilian details. Building followed, and the hotel dates the finished house to 1908.
Today the villa holds twenty-four rooms and suites, each furnished differently with modern and antique pieces, many with a terrace of their own. Around it lies one of the largest private gardens in Taormina, with an infinity pool facing the sea. A panoramic gym and a large terrace complete the house. The Greek theatre and Corso Umberto are a few minutes away on foot.
- The garden Terraced gardens around the villa, among the largest private grounds in town, with the infinity pool looking out over the Ionian Sea.
- Two stars at dinner St. George by Heinz Beck holds two MICHELIN stars, with Salvatore Iuliano cooking day to day.
- In the old town A short walk to the Teatro Antico and Corso Umberto, and close to the cable car down to Isola Bella.
Rooms & suites
Terraces over the garden and the sea.
Seventeen rooms and seven suites, no two alike, many with a private terrace facing the garden or the water.
- Room Deluxe Sea View Room 24 square metres with a private terrace and a view of the sea.
- Suite Suite Sea View 48 square metres, with a terrace over the water.
- Signature suite The Ashbee Suite 56 square metres, named after the architect, with a terrace looking out to sea.
Dining
Two stars in the villa.
Restaurant as listed by the MICHELIN Guide Italia 2026. Shown for information.
- St. George by Heinz Beck Two Michelin stars Creative Heinz Beck with resident chef Salvatore Iuliano
- Roof Terrace Cocktails and light plates Evening drinks with a view of the sea
- The Ashbee Bar Bar In the villa, with a pool bar in the garden
Recognition
Awards and listings.
- One MICHELIN Key 2026, first year in the selection
- Two MICHELIN stars St. George by Heinz Beck, 2026
- The Leading Hotels of the World Member hotel
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Pets Accepted, for a fee.
- Families The two-level Family Suite has two bedrooms and its own small garden. Babysitting can be arranged.
Getting there
Flying to Taormina.
Catania Fontanarossa is about 60 kilometres away, roughly an hour by car up the coast, our estimate. Private jets also land at Catania, so the drive is the same whichever way you fly.
- 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.
- Does The Ashbee Hotel have a MICHELIN Key?
- Yes. It received one MICHELIN Key in the 2026 Italy selection, its first.
- Who designed The Ashbee Hotel?
- Charles Robert Ashbee, of the English Arts and Crafts movement, drew the villa in 1907 for Colonel Shaw-Hellier. It was then called Villa San Giorgio.
- Is the restaurant at The Ashbee starred?
- Yes. St. George by Heinz Beck holds two MICHELIN stars in the 2026 Italy guide.
- 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.
- San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel A fourteenth-century Dominican convent, where some rooms are the monks' former cells and the gardens hold an infinity pool.
- 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.
Staying at The Ashbee 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.