Susafa

Style

Bucolic baglio

Setting

Marvelling at Madonie

Framed by Sicily’s Madonie mountains and graced with over 600 hectares of well-tended farmland, the family behind homey hideaway Susafa has been planting, pruning and harvesting for over 200 years. The estate’s been owned by the Saeli-Rizzutos since the 19th century and though its self-sustaining nature still runs true, much has changed from its goat-herding days. Today, a candlelit restaurant resides in the estate’s old granary, a bar in a former winery, and once cattle-filled stalls now house spruced-up suites. If you can just about bear to part with your sylvan-surrounded suite, then classes in ravioli-rolling, bread-baking, pastry-prepping, and more await your attendance.

Facilities

Rooms

17, including nine suites.

Checkout

11am; check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include a Continental buffet breakfast served in the restaurant.

Also

There’s one room that’s been adapted for those with reduced mobility, however, the rough terrain that surrounds Susafa makes it particularly challenging for wheelchair users.

Hotel Closed

The hotel closes its doors annually from 3 November until the end of March.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

600-hectare grounds, alfresco dining spots, cookery classes (for an additional cost), charged laundry service, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: tea-making kit, free bottled water, air-conditioning, and Mediterranea Attitudine bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Rooms are similar in style, with plaster-finished walls, Sicilian-stone arches and idyllic views that make the lack of TV much less of a concern. Space-seekers, book the romantic Superior Suite; it’s the only room set on the first floor, with a four-poster bed and bright bathroom separated by a grand Crittall screen. The Deluxe Suite also impresses with an in-room sauna and private patio.

Poolside

You’ll find the swimming pool shaded by lofty chestnut trees and flanked with white sunloungers.

Spa

There’s no spa as such, but in-room massages can be arranged on request.

Packing Tips

Bring your very best apron for days spent making pasta fatta a mano.

Children

Over-11s are welcome, but Susafa is geared more towards the adults.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Nab a table by the roaring fire during the colder months, or ask to dine alfresco in the summer.

Dress Code

Designer Dolce to dazzle the crowd.

Hotel Restaurant

Since Susafa’s Il Granaio restaurant is set in the old granary, it’s only fitting that traditional Italian fare takes centre-stage. Menus are seasonal and adapted depending on what’s growing in the gardens that week (tours with the head chef will give you an idea of what to expect come evening) and dishes are served at candlelit tables set below grand vaulted ceilings. For those seeking some exclusivity, staff will happily set up sunset dinners under the carob trees.

Hotel Bar

You’ll find Il Palmento bar where walls of wine meet sandy stone interiors that once belonged to the estate’s winery. Though bottles on racks date way back, these days drinks are served at fireside tables handcarved by local Sicilian artisans.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 10.30am, lunch is 12.30pm to 2.30pm and dinner is dished up between 7pm and 9.30pm.

Planes

Sicily’s international airports are in Palermo and Catania, both just over a 90-minute drive from the hotel. Most European airports have direct flights to either, but those travelling from the US will need to catch a connecting flight in Rome. Return transfers can be arranged by the hotel for an additional charge.

Trains

Scenic routes run from Milan, Genoa, Naples, and Rome down the Mediterranean coast to Villa San Giovanni, where the train glides onto a ferry for the 45-minute crossing to Messina and on, to Palermo.

Automobiles

If you’re seeking a set of wheels, there are rental booths at the airport in Palermo and the drive to Susafa is a fairly straightforward route along the E90 and A19. If you’re arriving into Catania, it’s straight down the A19, and the hotel has a free carpark.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

You needn’t trek far to make the most of the Sicilian scenery, as most activities are set within Susafa’s grounds. Cooking lessons are spread throughout the week: roll handmade pastry on Monday, fill fresh pasta on Tuesday, start making bread come Thursday, and finish off the week with crispy cannolis on Friday – or just try a little bit of everything in Saturday classes. If you’re still (understandably) not done sampling this fine fare, ask staff to set up a picnic under the cherry trees and hand-pressed apéritifs in the wheatfields. Sicilian wine tastings are held on Thursdays, moon and star gazing guarantees grandeur and garden tours give a glimpse of the hotel’s 600-hectare estate. And if that isn’t enough, head off to the wildflower-filled Madonie Natural Park or around one of Polizzi Generosa’s 21 palatial churches. For those willing to make the 60-minute drive, the Cefalu Coast is home to some of Sicily’s best beaches.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .