The best hotels in Sicily for a White Lotus-inspired holiday

If you’ve been left with a The White Lotus-shaped hole in your heart ever since Tanya McQuoid, the Di Grasso trio and Portia’s divisive wardrobe exited our screens, the “best hotels in Sicily” has likely been hovering at the top of your list of recent Google searches. Or maintaining pole position.

You can hardly be blamed. The White Lotus Hotel (that’s the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, FYI), offers beautiful scenery aplenty and filming locations that would make any The White Lotus fan swoon. But ~way before~ its White Lotus renaissance, Sicily has been delighting travellers looking for a slice of la dolce vita.

Best hotels in Sicily at a glance:

1. Best overall: San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons Hotel
2. Best hotel in Sicily for families: Verdura Resort, A Rocco Forte Hotel
3. Best hotel in Sicily for couples: Verdura Resort, A Rocco Forte Hotel
4. Best hotel in Sicily Taormina: Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel
5. Best hotel in Sicily on a budget: Donna Carmela

Sicily offers picturesque coastlines, historic towns, delicious Sicilian cuisine, as well as beautiful olive groves and vineyards that blend a myriad of Roman, Greek and even Arabic influences – thanks to its sun-drenched location at the bottom of Italy’s boot.

Sicilian capital Palermo is full of life and a great place to get lost, while clifftop town Taormina boasts some incredible views of the Ionian Sea. Noto (yes – that Noto) is a stylish Italian village filled with luxe boutiques and palazzos, while the historic towns of Agrigento and Syracuse (with its historical centre Ortygia) are great spots for culture vultures. Elsewhere, UNESCO World Heritage town Modica is world famous for its baroque Sicilian architecture.

Rustic coastal towns such as Salina, Cefalu, Ragusa and Trapani are great for day trips, while the Aeolian Islands — a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea —  have some of the best beaches in Europe. So – whether you want to recreate your favourite The White Lotus scenes in San Domenico Palace, go on a yacht trip or indulge in a delicious Cannoli – then we’ve got the very best Sicily hotels for every style and budget so you can holiday Jennifer Coolidge style. Five star hotels, luxury hotels, stylish boutique hotels, 18^th-century villas, charming B&Bs and rustic masserias included.

After something else? Shop the best travel pillows and book into one of the best hotels in Tenerife, best hotels in Santorini, best Mallorca hotels and the best hotels in Cancun for a girls’ holiday of your dreams.

Ahead, the best hotels in Sicily to check into in 2023.