Cassandra & Austin
Cassandra & Austin
MEET US IN SICILY!
With our welcome party on Sunday and our wedding on Tuesday, it gives our guests time to make their way to Sicily either at their leisure the weekend prior, or Monday morning at the latest. There are a few ways you may consider to plan your trip and make your journey to Taormina.
Below you will also find quite a few lodging accommodations near the venue. Options include a variety of price ranges, while keeping affordability in mind. Feel free to seek alternative options outside of these if you want to splurge! There are also lots of great Air BnB /VRBO options.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We encourage all of our guests to spend the extra money to insure their travel via plane ticket or lodging accommodations [fingers crossed there are no more
COVID-19 pandemics in our future]
IMPORTANT EUROPEAN TRAVEL NOTICE
The European Travel Visa (ETIAS) has been postponed to 2025 so there is no longer a requirement to have this Visa to travel within Europe in 2024.
PASSPORTS
Please check your passport tp make sure it is not expiring within 6 months of September 17th, 2024. If it is, we highly recommend you submit a renewal request within at least 4 months of the wedding to ensure you receive it back in time.
If you do not have a passport, we strongly encourage you to get one asap as we have heard the wait time has been longer than normal. If you decide to extend your stay and visit other counties, we recommend you check their country's guidelines.
WAYS TO ARRIVE
Please make your way to Taormina (where the wedding is located) by Monday morning. If you are planning to attend the Welcome Party, please make sure to arrive in Taormina on Saturday evening at the latest.
The closest airport to Taormina is in Catania. It is about a 45-55 minute drive from Catania to Taormina. There are lots of taxis or you may consider arranging transportation ahead.
Some guests may choose to make their way from their home city to another part of Europe sometime over the week or weekend before getting to Sicily for the wedding. This may be the most efficient (least stops) and economical way to arrive, as you can choose from many different European cities based on flight options and pricing from your home town. Consider looking at larger European cities that also fly direct to Catania, like Berlin, Paris, London, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Naples, etc. (there are many more). These inter-European flights are typically fairly affordable as well (~$50-200 depending on cities)
You may also want to travel to Sicily right away, potentially seeing other Sicilian cities before the wedding (of course you can do this afterwards too). The other large city with an airport is Palermo. You can easily fly between Palermo and Catania with a very short and inexpensive flight (~$100) or you can take the scenic route by train (~$20-30).
LODGING ACCOMODATIONS
European cities differ from the United States as most hotels do not accept "wedding blocks" due to accommodation availability. Therefore, we do not have a specific hotel that we recommend for our guests. We encourage you to do any additional research to find the best fit for you.
Hotel Villa Diodoro
With its one century-old history, is the "home" for people who enjoy the pleasures of life. Here you can relax in secluded corners of luxuriant garden or in cozy lounges where simple pleasures become unforgettable. Here you can enjoy the true Sicilian art of hospitality that two centuries ago induced an European aristocratic traveler to utter "it is impossible to do things with greater grandeur, better taste and, I even dare to say, with voluptuous refinement".
Amenities:
- Free Wifi
- Outdoor Swimming Pool
- Gym
- 10% discount at their restaurant [Restaurant Bellavista + Bar Il Vecchio Carrubo]
- Free Parking
Additional Notes:
Rooms starting at $265 USD
Hotel is approx. 4.9km [13 min drive] from wedding venue and 9.0km [17 min drive] from welcome beach party venue
Hotel Excelsior Palace
Located on a suggestive headland, along the walls and the Torrione dei Greci, few steps away from Porta Catania and the historic center of Taormina, the Excelsior Palace Hotel stands out for its incomparable location. From here you can admire a unique natural spectacle: a panoramic view embracing the center of Taormina, the sea and Mount Etna.
Amenities:
- Free Wifi
- Elevator
- Panoramic Olympic sized swimming pool area featuring a solarium with deck chairs, parasols and beach towels, free Wi-Fi, bar and lunch restaurant bar
- Reservation of excursions and guided tours
- Transportation service and luggage storage
- Safety deposit box for valuables
- Shuttle service to and from the bathing establishments on the main beaches in the area (coast of Taormina, Spisone, Mazzaro’, Isolabella and Letojanni, Mazzeo), with special rates
- Parking service with special rates and car valet service
- Hotel restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch & dinner
Additional Notes:
Rooms starting at $238 USD
Hotel is approx. 4.5km [10 min drive] from wedding venue and 7.7km [13 min drive] from welcome beach party venue
Hotel Casa Adele
Your home.... in the center of Taormina. This is our mission: to pamper our guests with competence and kindness in one of the most beautiful and enchanting places in Sicily. Nothing has been left to chance in the renovation of this historic hotel which, over the years, has seen the birth and proliferation of tourism in Taormina. The balconies made with elegant Comiso stone and refurbished using innovative restoration techniques, the wrought iron works resulting from the skillful art of local craftsmen from the beginning of the century, the arches in precious chestnut wood, the furniture in a fine stripped style. All these elements, extremely well located, make the Casa Adele Hotel the ideal place to regenerate and forget the stress of daily routine. Your vacation is here. At your place.
Amenities:
- Free Wifi
- Smoke-free property
- Airport Shuttle [possible additional charge]
- Hotel Restaurant
- Air conditioning
Additional Notes:
Rooms starting at $150 USD
Hotel is approx. 3.4km [9 min drive] from wedding venue and 7.6km [14 min drive] from welcome beach party venue
Hotel Villa Belvedere
Hotel Villa Belvedere is a delightful and charming boutique hotel, located at just a few minutes from Taormina’s lively town center and from the world-famous Greek-Roman Theatre, which are both reachable by walking through the inspiring and panoramic Duca di Cesarò Botanic Gardens. The hotel benefits of wonderful views over the sea, the bay of Naxos and Mount Etna. The hotel has always been owned and managed by the Bambara-Pècaut family and welcomed its first guests back in 1902. Villa Belvedere has all the discrete elegance and friendly welcoming atmosphere of a traditional Sicilian private villa, standing in its own, well cared-for gardens, with spectacular views of Mount Etna and over the Bay of Naxos.
Amenities:
- Free WIFI
- Smoke-Free Property
- Outdoor Pool
- Local Shuttle
- Restaurant
- Air-conditioning
- Business Center
- Pet Friendly
- Full service laundry
- Breakfast included
- Gardens throughout grounds
Additional Notes:
Rooms starting at $620 USD
Hotel is approx. 4.9km [14 min drive] and 9.1km [17 min drive] from welcome beach party venue