It’s been quite a year for Italian golf with Francesco Molinari’s heroics at the Ryder Cup and this summer’s Open Championship, and Verdura Resort has continued the winning theme after being named in the top three of a new industry poll of the best golfing venues in Europe.
While Molinari, the first Italian ever to win a Major, remains on target to win this season’s Race to Dubai, Verdura was ranked number one in Italy and second overall in National Club Golfer magazine’s inaugural list of the ‘Top 100 Golf Resorts in Continental Europe’.
Marked over four categories – courses, accommodation, setting and amenities – Verdura, home of the Rocco Forte Sicilian Open, scored 89.5 out of 100 points, with the magazine’s judging panel describing the resort’s setting as “as good as it gets”.
Chris Bertram, chairman of the Top 100 panel, said: “(The resort) offers two courses – the East and West – by Kyle Phillips that are both superbly designed and enjoy holes with seaside settings. The Rocco Forte hotel is predictably fabulous.
“It’s best for couples and families especially, but female groups would also think Verdura is divine and the setting is as good as it gets – just yards from the beach whether you are on the course or in the hotel. The golf is so well balanced it’s hard to choose which of the two courses is the best, plus there’s a fun nine-holer.”
Endorsing the new ranking, Alex Polizzi, hotel expert and television presenter of ‘The Hotel Inspector’ on Channel 5, added in the magazine: “I love Verdura (for so many reasons) … it keeps us all happy. I have been everywhere and this is somewhere special.”
One of 10 Italian resorts to feature in the new rankings, Verdura is set in 230 hectares of stunning Mediterranean landscape, with its world-class golf facilities include two outstanding 18-hole championship courses as well as a par-three nine-hole course, double-ended driving range and first-class academy.
The award is a further glowing endorsement for Verdura – a Rocco Forte hotel and European Tour destination – as Italy’s premier golf venue, with the resort also having been named number one in UK magazine Golf World’s recent updated list of the best resorts in Europe.
Antonio Castelo, director of golf at Verdura Resort, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for Italian golf and Verdura, and we’re extremely proud to fly the flag for Italy as the country’s foremost golf resort.
“It’s a huge honour for the resort to be recognised again as the best golfing venue in Italy. As the home of the Rocco Forte Sicilian Open, Verdura is now firmly established as one of the world’s elite luxury golf destinations, and we are more motivated than ever to continue to deliver an outstanding customer experience to all our guests.”
Situated on Sicily’s southern coast between Agrigento and the fishing city of Sciacca, an 80-minute drive from Trapani and Palermo airports, Verdura Resort features 203 rooms and suites, all with a sea view, including six villas which offer a perfect solution for family holidays, each with its own private swimming pool.
Away from the fairways, the resort features an array of other luxury sports and lifestyle facilities, while guests also have the opportunity to sample, on and off-site, a taste of the gastronomy, wine, history and culture that has made Sicily famous across the world.
ENDS
High-resolution images of Verdura Resort may be downloaded for editorial purposes from here.
About Verdura Resort
Since opening in 2009, Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte hotels resort, (www.roccofortehotels.com) has quickly established itself amongst Europe’s premier contemporary exclusive golf and lifestyle destinations.
The resort is set in 230 hectares of stunning landscape overlooking the Mediterranean with 1.8km of private coastline, and offers golfing guests and families an unparalleled modern five-star experience on the largest island in the Mediterranean. The resort is located on the southern coast of Sicily between Agrigento and the fishing city of Sciacca, an 80-minute drive from Trapani and Palermo airports.
Verdura features 203 rooms, suites and villas all with sea views, and is a paradise for golfers with its outstanding facilities. Players from all over the world come to enjoy the two 18-hole championship courses and a nine-hole par-three course, with all three links-style layouts designed by world-renowned golf architect Kyle Phillips, built to the highest specifications and playable all-year-round. A member of the exclusive European Tour Properties network as a European Tour Destination, Verdura was the host venue for the 2012 Sicilian Open and is home to the European Tour’s Rocco Forte Sicilian Open. The resort’s East Course is ranked as one of the finest in continental Europe while its beautiful West Course, also a par-72, provides the ideal complement and features one of the most memorable finishes anywhere in the world with the final four holes set alongside the Mediterranean. The courses are matched by outstanding practice amenities including a double-ended driving range and excellent golf academy.
Verdura’s other sports facilities include six tennis courts; a 60m two-tiered infinity pool; numerous watersports, one football pitch; a 170sqm fully-equipped gym and a collection of running trails through olive and lemon groves. The resort’s award-winning 4,000sqm spa complex includes 11 treatment rooms, gym, yoga studio, a 25-metre indoor lap pool, four outdoor Thalassotherapy pools, a double-height steam room, male and female saunas and a spa bar for healthy alternatives.
Guests can sample an authentic taste of traditional Sicily with an array of dishes at one of the resort’s four restaurants and five bars – with fresh, organic produce sourced straight from Verdura’s own garden. In addition, visitors can enjoy an array of cultural and culinary experiences where they can discover the secrets of Sicilian cooking, with menus inspired by celebrity chef Fulvio Pierangelini, and taste the many famous wines of the region. There is also plenty to keep the younger members of the family entertained with dedicated kids and teen clubs providing a variety of fun-packed activity programmes throughout the year.
Verdura Resort has received widespread international recognition and won numerous awards since opening. Among its most recent honours, it was ranked top in Italy and sixth in Golf World’s updated list of the ‘Top 100 Golf Resorts in Continental Europe’ and named by Golf Digest as a recipient of an ‘Editors’ Choice Award for Best International Resorts’ in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In addition, the resort won the title of ‘Italy’s Best Golf Hotel’ at the 2015 World Golf Awards’; retained its place in Golf World’s benchmark ‘Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe 2017/18’ rankings and claimed a ‘Golden Award for Golf’ at the 2015 Voyages & Hôtels Readers Awards. It was also named ‘Best Family European Golf Resort‘ by the 2011 Tatler Travel Guide, while it was the recipient of two accolades at the 2015 Spafinder Wellness Travel Awards in the ‘Best for Couples’ and ‘Wow Factor’ categories.
About Rocco Forte Hotels
Established by Sir Rocco Forte and sister, Olga Polizzi in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels is a collection of 11 individual hotels and resorts. All of the hotels are landmarks, both old and new, occupying magnificent buildings in exceptional locations. Led by a family who has been in hospitality for four generations, the hotels are united by their distinctive approach to service ensuring guests experience the best of the cities and surrounding areas.
Rocco Forte Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; Verdura Resort, Sicily; The Balmoral, Edinburgh; Brown’s Hotel, London; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome, Berlin; Hotel Amigo, Brussels; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg; Assila Hotel, Jeddah.
Future openings: Rome in 2018, Shanghai in 2018, Puglia in 2018
Media Enquiries
Daniela Moore, Group Communications Manager
Rocco Forte Hotels
Email: dmoore@roccofortehotels.com
