Forte Village Resort review: a swish oasis of luxury on Sardinia’s south coast

It’s 8.30pm on a sultry Sardinian evening and I am contemplating the heavenly aroma emanating from the ravioli with summer truffles set before me. I’m at the two-Michelin star restaurant San Domenico in Forte Village Resort on Sardinia’s south coast. The sun has dipped over the horizon, alleviating the hothouse-like heat of the afternoon. The waves of the Med are lapping onto the shore nearby and I’ve got a glass of crisp Vermentino on my hand. I reckon life couldn’t get much better. 

Then it does, briefly. A dolphin hoves into view about 25 metres out, breaching the surface of the water and causing mild commotion among the diners. It is quite the spectacle and transfixed us for a few minutes before it glided off to surprise diners elsewhere. I return to my truffle pasta: a signature dish of the restaurant, which migrates from Imola in northern Italy to Sardinia for the season, it turns out to be as thrilling as any impromptu dolphin sighting. The size of a small pancake, its surprise is a yellow egg yolk in its centre, providing even more depth of flavour to the dish. 

The five-star Villa del Parco

Forte Village Resort

Why stay here

It’s a peak experience among many we had during our stay at Forte Village, an upscale resort whose USP is providing a vacation with everything at your fingertips. Just a 45-minute drive from Cagliari airport, the resort covers an area of 50 hectares of dense tropical forest plus a stretch of dazzlingly pretty coastline warmed by its own microclimate. Opened in 1974 by Italian-born hotel magnate Charles Forte as a holiday park for sports-mad guests, over the decades it’s changed hands and it’s now a swish oasis of luxury with five five-star hotels, three four-star hotels, 40 suites and 13 luxury villas with private gardens. 

But it’s not about accommodation alone – Forte Village’s specialty is offering activities for those who want to do more than lever themselves on and off a sunbed during their stay. Had I possessed more energy I could have gone boating, taken a Zumba class or trained with a champion boxer. 

We were installed in the five-star Villa del Parco, one of the Leading Hotels of the World and enveloped by so many lush trees it’s impossible to discern the hotel’s shape from the outside. But no matter, because inside it’s all understated elegance. Our sizeable room was decorated with well-chosen pieces: a buttoned headboard, an expanse of distressed mirrors above and a handsome dark wood desk were complemented by neutral walls and floor. A floor-to-ceiling sliding door opened onto a wrought iron balcony that overlooked majestic palms and hibiscus. The bathroom, with a floor of gorgeous travertine marble, had walls painted in a muted blue that I immediately decided to copy in my bathroom at home. 

Relax in one of the pools at Acquaforte Thalasso Spa

Forte Village Resort

What to do 

We were here for Sardinian RR and excellent Italian cuisine, and we got that in spades. We spent our days on the resort’s private beaches, where famous Italian footballers on the sunbeds near us were pestered for selfies by excited kids. Between stints dozing under our umbrella, we’d cool off in the clear, shallow waters of the sea, little silver fish darting between our feet, gazing at the yachts moored in the distance and the rugged hills that jutting up behind the village. 

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/travel/957812/forte-village-resort-sardinia-hotel-review