14 October, 2016
This sprawling Rocco Forte resort on Sicily's southwest coast is a perfect family getaway, with a range of activities to ensure a troop of happy campers whatever their age. Verdura's grounds span 230 hectares encompassing three golf courses and almost two kilometres of private Mediterranean beach, ideal both for sunbathing with a G&T and working up a sweat with tennis, cycling, football, sailing or even flyboarding. If all this activity makes you feel like a big kid, there's ample opportunity to wind down with cooking lessons and morning yoga, or make a beeline for the state-of-the-art spa.
Like everything at Verdura, rooms are enormous with four-poster beds fit for an entire family and bathrooms large enough to rival your entire flat. Sleek décor couples a muted colour palette of earthy tones, vibrant orange and dark wood with fluttering white-linen curtains. Sweeping balcony views extend right down to the sparkling azure sea, the perfect spot for enjoying the famous Sicilian novel The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa which is left in each room.
We've never seen a breakfast buffet quite like it; Verdura has everything. In fact, we challenge you to ask for something that they haven't already laid out or won't make to order. Fresh fruit, cereals, eggs any way, meats, cheese, fish, cake, the list goes on. There's also a kids' corner with a chocolate fountain and plenty of sweet dipping treats which seemed just as popular with adults...
You've probably cottoned on to the fact that Verdura doesn't do anything by halves. It has four restaurants: Buon Giorno for al fresco breakfast; beachfront seafood restaurant, Amare, where you can choose fresh fish from an open display counter; Liolà, a typical Sicilian trattoria; and last but definitely not least La Zagara, a high-end Mediterranean restaurant from celebrity chef Fulvio Pierangelini.
There are five! Granita is best for sundowner cocktails and nibbles, or try clubhouse-style La Torre down on the golf course.
You want it? They've got it. We particularly recommend a trip to the spa for a signature Rocco Forte facial and massage.
If you don't like children, this probably isn't the place for you.
Stretching almost two kilometres, you'll be walking for a long time before you manage to leave the resort. But those who do venture beyond the palm-lined lawns can make a short drive to the nearby seaside town of Sciacca or explore Sicily's UNESCO World Heritage ruins, dotted throughout the surrounding mountains and olive groves.
