Country House Villadorata

Style

Olive ranch

Setting

Beyond the baroque

If peace is what you’re after, look no further than Country House Villadorata, a transformed 19h-century farmhouse perched among Noto’s rolling hills. Spread across 25 acres of olive, almond, carob and citrus groves, this is a place that embodies everything that is great about Sicily and her people; warm and hospitable with a deep respect for Mother Nature. Spend your days soaking up mineral salts in the palm-flanked pool, sampling artful variations of nonna’s classics in the restaurant, or head to the wine cellar to swish and swill your way through the hotel’s own biodynamic vino.

Facilities

Rooms

15 rooms, including seven suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Rates include a Continental breakfast of local products in the restaurant. Or, for an additional charge, have breakfast come to you.

Also

There is one wheelchair-accessible Deluxe Room available for those with mobility issues.

Hotel Closed

Country House Villadorata opens annually from April to October.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Free on-site parking, vast gardens, laundry service (at a charge), guided tours (on request) and free Wifi throughout. In rooms: Nespresso coffee machine, beach towels and sun umbrellas, yoga mat and block, plug adaptors, Officine Villadorata bath products (made with home-grown olive oil) and a Smart TV.

Our Favourite Rooms

We love the cubic design of the Eco Rooms, not to mention the floor-to-ceiling windows and private plunge pool, but if you’re looking to splurge, the Pool Suites offer the most bang for your buck with a private swimming pool, super-high ceilings and a huge square bath tub built into the bathroom floor with views of the rolling hills to keep you company as you soak.

Poolside

While Pool Suites and Eco rooms come with their own private plunge pool, the bulk of the action is centred around Aqua Madre, the hotel’s L-shaped splash spot, which, as well as being surrounded by leafy palms and loungers, is filled with mineral salts known to ease all kinds of ills from inflammation to arthritis. Failing that, a trio of cocktails works just as well, and luckily for you, the pool bar is open daily from 11am to 6pm.

Spa

Work out with the sea as your backdrop at the hotel’s open-air gym, where wooden equipment blends naturally into the landscape. Take your pick from two water-resistance rowing machines, a weight bench and free weights. Personal trainers and nutritionists can also be arranged on request for an additional charge.

Packing Tips

Leave space for a couple of bottles of the estate’s hand-made olive oil. With a flavour so light and buttery, it’s the only salad dressing you’ll ever need.

Children

Leave the little ones at home: Country House Villadorata only accepts children aged 12 and up.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Head to the terrace, which surveys Country House’s carpet of greenery below.

Dress Code

Dress up your airy white linens with a bold red lip… you’re in Sicily, after all.

Hotel Restaurant

Dynamic chef Matteo Carnaghi has been cited as a vision of modern Italy thanks to his creative, contemporary take on Italian classics, and after dinner at Orti Villadorata, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, you’ll understand why. With a focus on fresh fish and vegetables, the kitchen uses what it can from the produce grown on the estate, and works closely with local farmers and fishermen for what they can’t. Because of attention to seasonality and ingredient availability, the set menu changes daily, with a choice of two options for each course. Tempted by both? Dishes from the tasting menu can be ordered individually, alongside off-menu specials.

Hotel Bar

During the day, head to the pool bar for a post-paddle pick-me-up. In the evening, things get a little more formal at the restaurant bar. Expect an extensive list of local and international wines, Sicilian spirits and homemade cocktails. After a long day of lounging, the signature Villadorata gin and tonic goes down a treat with its addition of fresh lemon or orange juice pressed on the estate.

Last Orders

Breakfast runs from 8am to 10.30am. Lunch is served from 12.30pm to 2pm and dinner from 7pm through to 9.30pm. The pool bar is open daily from 11am to 6pm.

Room Service

Available from 8am to 9:30pm and subject to an additional charge.

Planes

Catania’s Fontanarossa Airport is just over an hour’s drive away, with flights arriving from all over Europe and the US. Domestic travellers can also fly into Comiso in Ragusa, around 70 kilometres west of the hotel. With 24 hours’ notice, the hotel can arrange transfers (from €160 each way, depending on the number of guests).

Trains

Italy may not be well known for exceptional public transport, but navigating the south-east of Sicily by train is surprisingly painless. Noto station is just a 10-minute drive away from Country House Villadorata. Transfers can be arranged for around €40 each way.

Automobiles

Wheels will allow you to speed things up when daytripping around south-eastern Sicily’s baroque triangle, and there’s free on-site parking for guests.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Sicily is all about slow living, and there’s plenty of that to be getting on with here. When, or rather if, you tire of sipping Aperol spritz from a poolside lounger, sign up for a cooking lesson, salute the Sicilian sun in a morning yoga class or put your sommelier hat on and join a wine-tasting session in the cellar. The walking tour of the estate will delight dendrophiles, with every kind of dolce-vita grove from olive and almond to carob and citrus. And, with Noto’s centro storico just a 15-minute drive away, it’d be silly not to indulge her honey-hued charms with a visit or two. In 1693, a devastating earthquake toppled the town – and around 70 of her neighbours. When it came to rebuilding the city, great baroque architects left no gargoyle or plump-faced cherub unturned. The city is awash with curvy, terracotta stone, willowy, wrought-iron balconies, buttressed with all kinds of fantastical embellishments. The hotel’s sister property Seven Rooms Villadorata can be found in Noto’s largest palazzo, the 16th-century residence of Prince Nicolaci, whose balconies are among the most photographed on the island with their carved lions, sphinxes and hippogriffs. The historic centre is almost perfectly symmetrical so it’s easy to navigate and you can tell the churches from the municipal buildings based on height alone – the former towering directly over the latter atop two, three, even four flights of stairs. A reminder of who held the power, not to mention the sheer volume of them. Yes, Noto has 33 churches in total, but our favourites have to be Chiesa Madonna del Carmine and the awe-inspiring Basilica di San Nicolò. Fans of design should make a beeline for Palazzo Castelluccio, an 18th-century palace masterfully restored to its former glory with interiors that seem like they’ve been conjured by the Sicilian lovechild of Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson. Follow it up with a spot of retail therapy at Venerabili Ragazze, where you’ll find the hotel’s own brand of soaps and potions, Officine Villadorata, for sale alongside funky homewares and artisan accessories. By train, you’re in easy reach of the island’s other baroque belles too, sample the Aztec-inspired chocolate of Modica, trace the steps of Montalbano in Scicli and taste your way round foodie favourite, Ragusa. Or, if you’ve a car, Vendicari Nature Reserve, San Lorenzo or Isola delle Correnti are some of the most serene spots in south-east Italy to top-up your tan.

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. .