Sicily: Stylish Resorts

Not long ago, Sicily was a challenging place to travel: Most of the roads were poor and there was a shortage of good hotels. But during the past decade, the island has been laced with new highways, and several upscale resorts and hideaways have opened. We recently undertook a 10-day circular tour, which provided ample time for discovering the island’s treasures, as well as for lazy afternoons in the spa or on the beach.

A fertile volcanic island, Sicily has been one of the most coveted prizes in the Mediterranean since the Greeks first colonized it in the eighth century B.C. The Greeks were followed by the Romans, who developed the island as a granary to feed their empire. Subsequently, Sicily was pounced on by (among others) the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spanish, which explains why its 10,000 square miles contain some of the most spectacular archaeological sites in Europe. The Greek ruins at Agrigento and the classical theater at Taormina, with its views of the snowcapped and often smoking Mount Etna, were mandatory stops on the European Grand Tour during the 19th century.

The Sicilians have a reputation for being enigmatic and standoffish — like islanders everywhere and especially those who have been subjected to repeated invasions — but in fact, they can be exceptionally hospitable once the ice has been broken. Stopping for lunch at a two-star restaurant in the sleepy little port town of Licata, we parked our car under the fixed gaze of some flinty old men sitting beneath a pollarded Carob tree. As we climbed out, one of them spoke: “Are you going to lunch at La Madia?” he inquired, in perfect Brooklyn-accented English. We nodded. “It’s very good,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on your car for you. I’ll be here all afternoon playing cards with my friends.” He then added that he had just returned to Sicily after working for the U.S. Postal Service for 40 years. As a result of mass immigration between 1880 and 1920, it sometimes seems as though virtually every Sicilian has relatives in America.

Located 60 miles south of Palermo, Verdura Golf & Spa Resort occupies a pretty stretch of seafront just outside the town of Sciacca. The new 203-room property is the brainchild of British hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, and it represents the largest hotel investment to have been made on the island for many years. Forte and his talented interior designer sister, Olga Polizzi, have created several of my favorite European hotels, including the Hotel Amigo in Brussels and the Augustine Hotel in Prague, and I was curious to see what they had achieved.

We arrived to find a beautifully landscaped 560-acre property carpeted by verdant lawns — no mean feat in the strong Sicilian sun — that features two 18-hole golf courses (plus a 9-hole course) designed by California golf guru Kyle Phillips. The resort comprises a main lodge flanked by modern buildings of sand-colored tufa that house the rooms and villas, all of which afford views of the Mediterranean.

Transportation at the resort is by complimentary golf cart or bicycle, and after a warm welcome from a young guest-relations hostess, we were transferred to our room. There, we found that our bags had already been placed in the dressing area, a first taste of the property’s consistently excellent service. Our Junior Suite was light, spacious and stylish. It featured a four-poster bed with white muslin curtains, easy chairs upholstered in oatmeal chenille, polished ivory floors and a daybed piled with pillows next to a blond wood coffee table. A stack of books included the great Sicilian novel “The Leopard,” by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The bath was faced in tan limestone and had a fine view over the hills behind the resort. A stall shower and a soaking tub were both provided with distinctive Sicilian-made Ortigia toiletries.

Although our first impression was positive, a few amenities seemed to have gone missing, including an espresso-maker and an iPod dock. And it was vexing to be charged €20 a day for Internet access in an €750-a-night room. A flashlight and a candle on the balcony also would have been welcome.

One of Verdura’s best features is its airy and attractive 4,000-square-foot spa, which offers 11 treatment cabins, three outdoor saltwater soaking pools, a splendidly equipped gym, an indoor pool, and sauna and steam rooms. An extensive menu of spa treatments includes the memorable 50-minute “Sicilian Aroma” massage using olive oil and balsam products; Mrs. Harper had nothing but praise for her aloe vera hydrating facial. Aside from the world-class golf facilities, Verdura is also notable for its Tennis Academy, which has six floodlit clay courts.

The resort offers three dining venues under the supervision of chef Fulvio Pierangelini, who formerly ran the famous Gambero Rosso restaurant in Livorno. Our first experience of the cuisine was an excellent room service lunch?—?a salad of tomato, mozzarella and grilled eggplant, followed by a delicious tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce?—?that was delivered in around 15 minutes, along with a bottle of excellent Cerasuolo di Vittoria red wine from the Planeta winery, one of the best in Sicily. Dinner at La Zagara, the resort’s fine-dining venue, was pleasant enough, but the seasoning was timid, and we much preferred both our lunch of grilled swordfish at the Amare beach restaurant and supper at Liolá, a Sicilian trattoria with its own pizzeria, which occupies a pretty setting in a renovated watchtower overlooking the sea.

Verdura’s diverse (mostly European) clientele and friendly young staff help to create an atmosphere that is curiously reminiscent of a cruise ship. There is the same sense of apartness, with extended periods of idleness punctuated by cocktails, lavish meals, spa visits and sporting activities. The property is ideal for those traveling with children, as it provides both a kids’ club and a separate facility for teenagers. It should be noted, however, that children are unlikely to be impressed by the short, stony beach.

As admirable as the resort proved overall, there were a few hitches during our stay. In particular, one evening we returned to our room at 10:30 p.m. to find that the lunch tray hadn’t been collected, that there had been no turndown service, and that the bath contained a plumber trying to figure out why we temporarily had no hot water. However, new properties tend to have teething problems, and we are confident that those at Verdura will soon be remedied.

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort 93 Superior Deluxe Room, $670; Junior Suite, $1,095. S.S. 115, Km 131, Sciacca. Tel. (39) 0925-998001.

From Sciacca, we headed southeast for three-and-a-half hours to the beautiful baroque city of Ragusa. Along the way, we stopped to visit the magnificent Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, as well as for lunch in Licata. Personally, I find hotels with colorful pasts almost irresistible, which is how we came to stay at Eremo Della Giubiliana, a 25-room property housed within a 14th-century fortress and hermitage. Located just south of Ragusa on a hill commanding views over countryside still divided into an ancient patchwork by low stone walls, it was once home to the medieval Knights of St. John. Today, the order’s flag still flies over the property.

We arrived on a hot, sunny afternoon. Surrounded by lush gardens ablaze with fuchsia and bougainvillea and dotted with almond trees and stately palms, the toast-colored limestone building was immediately appealing. However, even though it was 2 p.m., our room wasn’t ready, so we took a late lunch in the lovely walled gardens. The small unheated pool looked inviting, and doves cooed in the surrounding cypresses and parasol pines.

All of the hotel’s rooms are individually decorated, and many have private terraces or balconies. We particularly liked our triplex Torre del Canonico Suite. The sitting room on the first level was simply furnished and would be extremely useful for a family traveling with children, not least because of the adjacent full bath. We discovered our bedroom atop a flight of polished black stone stairs. This featured a vaulted ceiling, a large bed with a black wrought-iron headboard, red velvet curtains, an antique pine armoire, a secretary and a chest of drawers. French doors led to a large private terrace with sunbeds and chairs that overlooked the small Arabic-style garden. There, a fountain splashed soothingly. Above the bedroom, another flight of black stone steps led to a second terrace, a platform once used to watch for marauding Barbary pirates. It provided a superb perch from which to gaze at the countryside, the Mediterranean and the distant coast of Malta. Quietly sitting there, I felt a strangely personal connection to Sicily’s fascinating history.

At dinner in the stone-paved courtyard, a pianist played to an audience that included two British couples, a family from Singapore and several cats. The food and wine were excellent, with standout dishes from the Don Eusebio Restaurant including a pink chickpea soup with wild beets, and tuna tournedos stuffed with prawns. Much of the produce was organic and grown on the surrounding farm. Though the service could have been more precise, it was friendly and well-intentioned, and by now, thoroughly relaxed, we felt inclined to be tolerant.

Overall, this distinctive property provides a fine base from which to visit the enchanting baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Noto (see Hideaway Report Online for full descriptions). I regretted the brevity of our stay, since it would have been fun to have accepted the hotel’s offer of a light-plane excursion to Malta, 20 minutes away — the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria are also just short hops from the local airfield — or to have spent longer in the garden with my book.

Eremo Della Giubiliana 90 Deluxe Double, $405; Grand Suite, $500; Torre del Canonico Suite, $585. Contrada Giubiliana, S.P. 25, Km 7.5, Ragusa. Tel. (39) 0932-669119.

No one should visit Sicily without spending a night or two in the ancient port city of Siracusa, situated on the island’s southeast coast a 90-minute drive from Ragusa. There, the place to stay is the Ortigia quarter, a peninsula on which the original Greek settlement was founded in 734 B.C. Virtually surrounded by the Mediterranean and dense with baroque palaces and churches, Ortigia is truly spectacular.

Regrettably, it has never had a hotel worthy of its splendor. Over the years, I’ve tried nearly all of the better ones, and without exception they’ve come up short. On this occasion, more in hope than expectation, we checked into the 30-room Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel. (The property provides valet parking, which is extremely useful for anyone coming to Ortigia by car.) We were pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the welcome at this restored 19th-century limestone palazzo, and its public rooms, adorned by a pretty faience tile-lined fountain, seemed attractive and comfortable. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived, and lunch in the hotel’s small restaurant was suggested. But glancing at the menu and knowing that Ortigia is a gastronomic center of Sicily, we preferred to eat out at renowned Don Camillo. There, we enjoyed an excellent lunch of fava bean soup with deep-fried salt cod fritters, and spaghetti with shrimp and sea urchins.

Returning to the hotel, we were escorted to Room 401. This proved to be on the third floor, and although relatively small, it had a large private terrace (with a Jacuzzi) from which to savor a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean. All accommodations at the hotel are individually decorated; this one came with a four-poster bed — very firm, as the Italians seem to prefer — painted wall hangings of Mount Etna, ash-gray furniture, a beamed ceiling and a small bath with blue faience tiles. The bath was equipped with a separate shower and a claw-foot tub, and was stocked with Bulgari toiletries. If this particular Executive Double is unavailable, opt for a Junior Suite. These are larger and come with separate sitting rooms and baths with multi-jetted showers. Some also have sea views.

The Algilà is not a luxury property in the customary sense, and both the service and the breakfast buffet were wanting. But it is comfortable and attractive, and the best available option.

Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel 85 Executive Double, $515; Junior Suite Sea View, $435. Via Vittorio Veneto 93, Siracusa. Tel. (39) 0931-465186.

Taormina, the most famous resort town in Sicily, lies 90 minutes north of Siracusa, via a modern highway lined with pink and white oleander. It is a paradoxical place, for despite being afflicted by mass tourism, it is still wonderfully romantic. And its hotels range from modest establishments catering to the expanding Chinese tour-bus market, to one or two of the most elegant and luxurious resorts in the world.

The boutique Hotel Villa Ducale is run with warmth and personal style by the charming and elegant Rosaria Quartucci. Arriving on a sunny afternoon, we were ushered into the hotel lounge, where we were confronted by startling eagle’s-nest views of both Mount Etna and the Mediterranean coastline. Minimal formalities dispensed with, Signora Quartucci explained our many options while in Taormina, including the various beach clubs, the hotel’s regular shuttle bus into town and her favorite restaurants (though here, we beg to differ, since Maffei’s, one of her suggestions, proved to be a pricey tourist trap).

The 11 rooms and six suites at the property are divided between the original villa, with west-facing inland views, and an annex across the road, which looks toward Calabria on the Italian mainland. We instantly fell in love with our suite in the annex, since it enjoyed afternoon shade and came with colorful faience tile floors, a large sitting room and a spacious bedroom. Both bedroom and sitting room had vaulted brick ceilings and topaz-painted walls adorned with gilt-framed red coral and pearl needlework, a local tradition. The ample bath was equipped with a tub, a shower unit with jet sprays, and toiletries from the wonderful organic herbalist Dr. Vranjes in Florence, plus several bottles of locally made cologne. With a long balcony overlooking the Strait of Messina, this was a setting in which to while away the entire day. And the attention to detail was admirable, from fresh flowers to a fruit bowl, a bottle of Prosecco on ice and a complimentary minibar stocked with snacks and Sicilian-made beverages, including liqueurs in chocolate, lemon, pistachio and mandarin flavors.

After a light lunch of Penne alla Norma —pasta with eggplant, a Sicilian specialty — that was pleasant if not exactly life-changing, we very happily spent the sweltering afternoon relaxing in our suite. The Hotel Villa Ducale has no pool, only an outdoor Jacuzzi, and there is no spa or fitness room. However, it was a consistent pleasure to stroll down to town each evening, a 25-minute walk with glorious views, and to return after dinner by way of the complimentary shuttle. Intimate, personal and stylish, this hotel is ideal for those who prefer smaller hideaways and who like to be at arm’s length from the madding crowds in a frequently busy destination.

Hotel Villa Ducale 89 Double Superior Room, $455; Suite Deluxe, $535. Via Leonardo da Vinci 60, Taormina. Tel. (39) 0942-28-153.

Set in terraced gardens filled with jasmine, vines, citrus trees, cypresses and urns of scarlet geraniums, the elegant 72-room Grand Hotel Timeo, now an Orient-Express property, opened in 1873 in the shadow of Taormina’s spectacular Greek theater. The property underwent a three-year renovation before reopening in 2010, but it retains the alluringly genteel atmosphere of a stop on the Victorian Grand Tour.

Our arrival was slightly chaotic — it would have been helpful to have been told that you park below the hotel and that a golf cart comes to collect you — but check-in was charming, and we were immediately besotted with our deluxe seaview suite with its oak parquet floors, vaulted whitewashed ceiling and handsome Sicilian oil paintings. The spacious sitting room was exquisitely furnished with a powder-blue damask sofa and several ormolu-accented stone-topped intarsio (inlaid wood) bureaus. The quality of the furnishings and the impressive attention to detail?—?heavy wooden coat hangers in the closets and pressed linen hand towels in the spacious, well-lit white marble bath, for example?—?brought to mind the late and still much-lamented CIGA hotel chain, which once set the standard for luxury lodgings in Italy. I also appreciated the easy-to-use electronics, including a master light switch on each side of the bed and an iPod dock. Despite a diligent search, I couldn’t find anything that was wanting.

So just a minor quibble or two: Someone should tell the chambermaids to keep their voices down in the hallways; and service was very slow in the restaurant. However, we loved our shrimp and orange salad and pizza Margherita at lunch, and a sublime risotto with clams and Ragusa cheese at dinner. The pool is on the small side, too, but this isn’t the hotel’s fault. Taormina is a rich archaeological site, so you can’t just sink a shovel into the ground as you might elsewhere. Mrs. Harper also gave high marks to the hotel’s spa, where she had an 80-minute “Sicilian Senses” treatment, which included a pumice foot exfoliation and an olive-oil soap body cleansing.

Personally, I particularly admired the gallery of old-fashioned reception rooms on the main floor, with their Victorian writing tables and fine views over the bay. No one seemed to use these elegant and atmospheric spaces very much, but they are chiefly responsible for the hotel’s personality, which still evokes the sepia-toned romance of the Grand Tour and the leisured civilities of another age. And they also mix a terrific Negroni in the tiny adjacent bar!

On my next visit to Taormina, I will request Junior Suite 314 (or equivalent), which has French doors leading to a balcony from which to enjoy superb views of the Bay of Naxos and Mount Etna. (Alternatively, Double Deluxe 116 also has a memorable view and a nice little balcony.) The Grand Hotel Timeo proved an ideal last stop on our Sicilian journey, since it alone would prompt a swift return to this enchanting island.

Grand Hotel Timeo 96 Double Deluxe Sea View with Terrace, $1,005; Suite Superior, $1,655; Suite Deluxe, $1,870. Via Teatro Greco 59, Taormina. Tel. (39) 0942-6270200.

 Illustrations ©Melissa Colson