Elite Traveler May-June 2016

Forte Village SARDINIA, ITALY

Special amenities Sports galore, including a Chelsea soccer academy, tennis club, as well as rugby and cricket academies, plus go-karting, a huge Leisureland complex and Boathouse watersports center, shopping areas, 21 restaurants and thalasso spa. This year, guests can seek tuition from specialists on site, including tennis player Ilie Năstase, one of the world’s top players of the 1970s, and Ettore Messina, coach of the Italian national basketball team. Room to book Villa Aurora comes with four bedrooms, two travertine marble bathrooms, 10,700 sq ft private garden, a pool and two comfortable hydro-massage beds, plus a private butler. Contact Raimondo Cabua, business development manager, +39 070 921 8818, raimondo.cabua@fortevillage.com, fortevillage.co.uk Price $3,600

This upscale resort was at the forefront of Sardinia’s transformation from little-known Roman getaway to jet-set destination for musicians (such as Madonna) and sports stars. Forte Village manages to combine a sense of escape (a beautiful stretch of Mediterranean coastline and pretty pastel-colored buildings) with an astonishing array of attractions. Accommodation ranges from villas on the beach to private suites tucked in among the trees. A focus on sports is a specialty here and its professional connections, especially with the likes of London's famous Chelsea soccer club are world-class. Standout service The stuff of children’s dreams, from items autographed by favorite soccer players, to intuitive staff who once redecorated a little girl’s bedroom to look like a Barbie house when she missed the hotel’s weekly Barbie party due to illness.