My husband and I and 2 friends recently spend 6 days at Casa Costa. It was wonderful. First of all our hostess, Paula, went out of her way to make us comfortable, help us plan, sort parking, reccommended restaurants etc.. She had made sure we were catered for upon arrival. In the fridge was yughurt, milk, cheese, butter jam, coffee and bread for breakfast and it even had ingredients to cater for a simple pasta meal in an emergency - not to mention a bottle of wine. . It is only a short walk to a smal supermarket with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, a delicatessen disk with meats and cheeses and most of the things we needed.
The apartment itself is incredibly central - only 100 m walk to the Corso Umberto and Porta Catania - and yet it was quiet and had fabulous views. It is clean and tidy. We could see the ocean and through the trees, Mt Etna. We only had to go to the end of the deck and a few steps up to get the full view of the moutain.
The apartment has a large and a smaller bedroom, both equipped with good king sized beds. There are 2 full bathrooms - one with bath, one with shower. One even has a washing machine and soap available. The living room is small but comfortable. There is a dining table with 6 chairs, a sofa and a softer chair. It also has a large tv. The kitchen is compact and contains everythng we needed - and more. 4 burner gass stove, oven, micro, dishwasher, toaster, italian coffee pots...There were plenty of pots and pans, plates, cutlerey glasses etc. The best place must be the terrasse where we spent most of our time. Large table and chairs and 2 sunbeds - and umbrellas.
We had worried about parking, but Paula guided us to the parking house Porta Catania. Here you can park for short or long term. We had just taken a ticket, but Paula walked with us to the warden to get it exchanged for a multi use pass which was cheaper.. You just take the lift to the 7th floor and you walk straight out on the roof - which is a "piazza" in itself and then 200 m to Casa Costa. Getting on and off the motorway is a bit of a mission - and a long drive.
If you are not planning to go for long drives, I would reccommend not taking a car at all. There are busses to many places from the terminal i Taromina - about a 20-25 minutes walk from Casa Costa. There are regular busses to and from the airport - I think it said 7 Euro pp. There are busses to nearby towns and cities and the public transport is definately more fun than driving the narrow streets yourself ;-) Don't forget to take the bus to the village at top of the mountain, Castel Mola. For 3 Euro return you get a strunning drive and views from the cosy village. Don't go to Taormina for the beaches - we were unimpressed. They are best at a distance :-). The food is great and Paula had many good recommendations - Just ask her! Da Lorenzo just below the flat is very nice, not too expensive and you get a discount when you mention you stay at Casa Paula.
If I ever come back to Taormina, I hope I can stay at Casa Costa again.