The villa was first class in every respect and the photos on the web don't do justice to the sheer size of the property. Booking procedure was fast and efficient, we got all the info we needed. Guiseppe (who manages the villa in Sicily) was always on hand to help and was quick to respond. He also gave us a brilliant day exploring Etna at a pace to suit us and significantly less money than the local tours.
The villa is well equipped, the pool and terrace area stunning and the rooms all large and very comfortable. The walk in shower in the master bedroom was huge!
There are shops within easy driving distance, we tended to use Ard Discount (near the autostrada) or Conad (just before Francavilla), both about 10 mins away. Ard was better for meat and wine, Conad for everything else.
The Paradise restaurant is a short walk and well worth a visit. we ended up eating there 4 times and never had anything other than a fantastic meal, even on the Sunday night when the restaurant was full. TripAdvisor reviews were way off the mark compared to our experience. Try the Sicilian starter, the pork shank and stuffed chicken. Prices are very reasonable (€6 for a litre of very pleasant red wine). Our bill each time was about €100 for 3 adults (3 courses, wine, espresso). Staff were always friendly.
The villa is situated in a very quiet location but with easy access to the autostrada for venturing further afield. Taormina is a must, a beautiful town with lots of restaurants and shops.
The only thing I can think that could be improved would be to gather more details on the surrounding area and to provide a guestbook/instructions. This allows new guests to learn about the property and surrounding area easily from the experiences of previous guests and ensures all details (gas refill, rubbish bins, shops, air con instructions, etc) are available rather than Guiseppe having to remember them. That said, he was very thorough and the odd item we didn't know about he answered quickly.
A great place to holiday, we thoroughly recommend it.