Villa Blue Arte Mare SICILY
BEST FOR… Big kids – there’s a jukebox, pool table and a pizza oven
So how big are we talking?
It sleeps eight in four bedrooms (a mix of doubles and twins), but you can also hire a hideaway hut in the grounds which sleeps two more for an extra fee. There are (small scream) five bathrooms, so even if your gang reaches double digits there shouldn’t be any arguing about shower time. Peaceful pockets dotted about (think stripy hammocks and private terraces) mean there’s a place for everyone to retreat to if it all gets a bit much.
House highlight?
First, there’s the unusual art collection: from the full-size Betty Boop statue in one of the bedrooms to a pair of Ronald McDonalds in the garden and SpiderMan crawling up the facade, this place is worth it for the Insta-collateral alone. But that’s not the only thing that makes this the ideal party house. It’s open-plan with acres of space and plenty of loungers by the pool. Book a local cook to create a Sicilian feast for you to eat outside on the long table by the woodburning pizza oven.
And if you want to explore?
You’ll probably need a car. It’s close (10 minutes) to the seaside town of Cefalù, handy for supermarkets, rustic restaurants and bars. Palermo, Sicily’s capital, is about an hour away – hop on a train at Cefalù if you don’t fancy the drive. For a taste of what the locals love, ask the travel company, Wish Sicily, to organise a street-food tour of Palermo – you’ll discover the best arancini and cannoli on the planet. Just swerve the spleen-sandwich finale.
If you do ONE thing while you’re there, make sure you…
Go to the beach (like you wouldn’t, but still…). Arte Mare lies on a spectacular coastline, with so many secluded coves you could find a different beach for every day of the week. If all that swimming in clear turquoise water makes you hungry, stop at the village of Sant’Ambrogio on your way home to eat pasta alla Norma, washed down with local wine, at Osteria Bacchus’s red-and-white ginghamclad open-air tables with views over the bay.
GET ME THERE
From £2,253 per week – that’s only £282 each if there’s eight of you. Book through Wishsicily.com