If you want authentic beauty, this is the place to be. Secluded
down a private drive, is a beautifully restored 19th-century masseria with mottled stone walls that fit perfectly into the sun-bleached landscape. With the Moroccan tiles, peachy walls and lilac linen curtains, it is a picture of organic pastels: a gorgeous composition set back against the green fields surrounding the hotel.
Each room has been carefully decorated with an individual aesthetic that pays homage to the estate's history. Soft lighting illuminates the original architectural features, including frescoed ceilings. Faded green wooden doors slide to reveal Moroccan-tiled bathrooms with either a double shower or stand-alone bath.
White umbrellas and large, soft sunbeds line the hotels saltwater pool, an exquisite area set in the aromatic Mediterranean garden. The surrounding fields are part of its farm-to-fork mission for slow, sustainable living. The tasty kitchen-garden menu is created using home grown fruit and vegetables including aubergines, peppers, melons, potatoes, and the amount goes even further to supply the health-food stores of Northern Italy.
Breakfast is standout, with freshly squeezed juice from the gardens orange trees, and a table of homemade delights. Lunches can be enjoyed poolside in beach club style or set on the manor house’s long table for a more romantic feel. The menu for dinner is an organic Caprese salad and swordfish, under a vast beach club-style cabana, or along the manor house’s long table. Supper tows the organic line, yet with elegant panache: Donnafugata red, delectable caponata, couscous and Parmigiana di melanzane drizzled in the hotel’s own olive oil, all served by candlelight.
Price: Doubles from £114
Set on a gorgeous, secluded sandy beach, Al Profondo Blu lies within 15 hectares of private nature reserve made up of Sun-baked Mediterranean trees and succulents. A garden gate meets the shore where the crystal blue sea splashes
up to your toes. This escape is the perfect retreat for those wishing to get away from the bustle of everyday life.
The villa itself is a simple, yet elegant beach house, but will leave you mesmerised with the open-plan layout showcasing its panoramic views straight out to sea. Large French windows lead out to the white-decked seafront terraces, but because of its high position there is plenty of privacy in the villa.
A traditional Sicilian kitchen is well-equipped and extends
to open seamlessly onto the seafront terrace with a delightful al fresco dining area where you can enjoy the outdoor wood-burning pizza oven and barbecue.
The 3 bedrooms sleep 6 guests accessed on one level from
a sheltered courtyard with 2 double bedrooms and a double-twin bedroom. The décor is chic, with hand-painted pottery of Burgio, whitewash walls and wooden traditional furniture in classic Mediterranean style throughout.
This villa provides a relaxing retreat, where you can enjoy a game of table tennis in the back sheltered courtyard, or lose yourself on the gentle jog through the winding paths in the private grounds. If you prefer to explore the beach, the villa has a hut full of beach accessories and a short walk along the shore will lead to La Pineta, one of the best seafood restaurants in the area.
Price per week - £2425 - £4983
Refining the idea of luxury, Il San Corrado resort, set in the alluring area of Val di Noto, is a fortified farmhouse once belonging to an Italian Prince. Now an idyllic hideaway
promising to deliver sensations of well-being and peace through its new concept of space and freedom.
Each of the 26 suites and 8 pool villas have been designed to fit perfectly into the scenic Val Di Noto. Carved by local artisans from Modican stone and marble with cavernous ceilings resembling the original Sicilian Masseria. some overlook the main pool, while others line the long 100m pool’s terrace. Those with secluded private pools have an immense level of privacy, scattered amongst amid the olive trees and palms.
The centre piece within each is the modern, yet theatrical four poster bed positioned to relish in the sun-scorched
countryside views. The walk-in-wardrobes and open-plan bathrooms with marble bath sculptures, exemplifies the luxury of an Italian villa.
The main hotel mirrors the pool villa suites by design, but what dominates are the two standout surrounding pools which are carved in Modican stone and elegantly lined with sun loungers and Balinese teak furniture. The Green pool is an exclusive setting where you can dip and find peace and well-being. Then there’s the One Hundred Blue pool which stretches a length of 100 meters, recalling the classic era built for Romans and Greeks athletics exercises.
Il San Corrado is pure foodie rapture and the food choices are good enough to warrant never leaving. Experience the Sicilian gastronomic culture through the innovative tasting menu at Principe di Belludia, and indulge in the more home-spun style, Casa Pasta for wholesome pasta dishes – a favourite being the lobster and sausage tagliatelle with its twist of modern creative harmony.
Price: Rooms from about £496 per night
This is a timeless property in the heart of the archaeological Sesi park in the volcanic island of Pantelleria. Housing 13 rooms designed in harmony with the wild, Mediterranean surroundings, where it overlooks the sea. The owners and the team are centred around a personal vision of hospitality blending sustainability, design, and slow luxury. Whether you want to rent the house exclusivity or just a room, the attentive staff are dedicated to providing guests with the highest level of services.
Rooms are minimal and clean, cocooned by curving stone walls and dressed with crisp white cottons and walls have a display of unique artwork influences throughout. Inspired by the island, natural and local materials are used to furnish. The a minimal effect means this is a place to disconnect; with no TV you’ll be encouraged to embrace the simple, barefoot lifestyle.
Guests are encouraged to share Parco dei Sesi’s conviviality, with four dinners a week that invite guests to sit around a long table and share conversation as wood-fired pizzas are served. Later, find yourself enjoy a glass of local wine on the rooftop where the sun glows as it slowly sets on the horizon and breath-taking landscape which surrounds.
There is no shortage of activates here, with yoga, massages, boat trips and hikes, to be seen. The staff are more than happy to help you with islanders knowledge so you can experience the best kept secrets of Pantelleria.
Price: Rooms from about €200 per night