Aching to get out and about on this sizable gem of an Italian isle? These are the best things to do in Sicily.
Or escape it completely – these are the most beautiful islands to visit around Sicily.
What is it?
Take in the horizon from the pool bar
A luxurious bay-front retreat with uncannily good restaurant and solid wellness game.
What's the deal?
Or simply get straight into the blue stuff
Just over half a century ago an engineer by the name of Santino Cacciola decided handsome Caldura Bay on the rugged northern Sicilian coastline would make a splendid retreat – an oasis of peace, nature and wellness, with the vibe of a family home. His daughter Francesca and her husband Angelo Miccichè – a celebrated architect – took the concept, ran with it and expanded the property into the lavish pearly-white hotel complex it is today. Today a third generation, led by Gaia, the youngest daughter of the couple, is helping run the show.
As for rooms, there a handful of different options depending on your needs and pocket, but for best results treat yourself to a few nights at Le Calette N°5, the easy-on-the-eye luxury five-star complex overlooking the swish pool and twinkling Med beyond. Enjoy decadently oversized beds, high ceilings, plush rain showers and aromatic cosmetics that hint at the Moorish influence you’ll encounter all over the place on Sicily. Service is attentive and sparkly without being in-your-face – a glass of fizz on arrival and a concise guide to the local area is just what the doctor ordered after a long flight.
What really sets this spot apart – apart from the romantic zig-zag stroll down to one of three private bays – is the Cala Luna restaurant. Set in the elegant Rizz’i Mari circular room during the cooler months (outdoors in high summer), it’s all bijous white grand piano and knockout sea views. Chef Dario Pandolfo is knocking it out of the park somewhere back there, with rich, inky cuttlefish, explosive tomatoey balls, and prawn-head reduction over toothsome pasta. Rather than ponder too long over the wine list, simply trust affable head sommelier Paolo Bertero to find the perfect natural wine accompaniment for each ultra-seasonal dish. He knows the score.
Last year they installed a Mediterranean-inspired spa complete with an advanced Thalaxoterm system, plish sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi and a serene relaxation area, if that’s your bag. In the summer season, the Gazebo – perched like a seagull’s nest atop a rock on the sea – is just the ticket for an irresistible treatment. Cefalù town just up the road is pretty lovely as well, by all accounts.
The best stay for...
The hotel's brilliant Cala Luna restaurant
Luxury stans who who love good food as much as much body-reset treatments.
££££
Via Cavallaro, 12, 90015 Cefalù PA, Sicily
lecalette.it