Sicily Boutique Villas

Cefalu & Madonie Mts

There are 3 villas in the hills above Cefalù - with plunging views over lush valleys to the coast and the dramatic pimple of Cefalù's rock fortress. It's as if you're hanging between the mountains and the sea. A 4th villa lies slightly further inland (still only a short drive to the beach), surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery of the Madonie National Park. 

Clinging to a hillside sloping down to the sea, CEFALU HIDEAWAY is the perfect house for a couple or family of four. There are two simple bedrooms, a double and a twin, and two non-ensuite bathrooms. These open into a spacious study room with shelves laden with books, then onto a modern, open-plan living area. The kitchen-diner is fully equipped and the lounge has plump sofas centred around a fireplace. Outside, there's a wrap-around garden peppered with sofas, loungers and shady dining areas, and a plunge pool that juts out towards the watery horizon.   

CEFALU VILLA has flexible accommodation, with 3 bedrooms in the main house and a 4th in a separate annexe: great if you're travelling with your parents, for example. The open-plan ground-floor living-dining space has huge swing-windows opening onto the pool terrace. Inside, the decor is bold and exotic, with geometric fabrics and prints of smiling African women. An unrailed staircase - no kids under 8 allowed here - leads up to 3 double bedrooms, all ensuite (one has a striking black bathtub); the fourth bedroom in the annexe also has its own bathroom.

CEFALU LOOKOUT has a quirky layout, with 4 double bedrooms split between the main stone villa and two wooden annexes. This could make it a great option for couples or friends travelling together. In the main villa, you'll find one ensuite bedroom, a small lounge and dining area, and the kitchen. Out in the garden, there are two wooden annexes; one with an ensuite bedroom, the other with two rooms and a shared bathroom. Up to 8 people can stay at a time, but as the indoor living areas are pretty compact, it's not ideal for more than 4 people if staying outside the summer months. Between May and September, however, the outdoor kitchen, sofas and plunge pool are perfect for long alfresco evenings with friends.

Head inland slightly for the MADONIE VILLA. This secluded house is ideal for friends or families of 4-6 looking to swap the buzzing coast for leafy national park surrounds, while staying within easy reach of beaches. Big picture windows flood the two ground-floor double bedrooms and open-plan living space with daylight. Interiors are luxe and contemporary, and this sense of style extends to the beautifully designed garden and pool terrace. Upstairs, there's a third double bedroom in the eaves which opens onto a roof terrace with mountain views. 

The villas are 15-20 mins' drive from Cefalù, with its many shops, streetside restaurants, fishing harbour, Norman cathedral and sandy beach. For essentials, you can nip to the nearest village (Gibilmanna / Sant' Ambrogio); the former also has a simple pizzeria. The adventurous can explore the footpaths of the Madonie mountains, visit a cheese-making shepherd, taste local wines or learn to make fresh ravioli and pastella. We can recommend all of the above.

Caronia & Nebrodi Mts

Eastwards along the coast from Cefalu, on the coastal edges of the Nebrodi mountains, CARONIA VILLA sits surrounded by 15 hectares of lush greenery and tantalisingly close to the sea. So close, in fact, that a private track leads from the house down to a quiet pebbly beach (400m / 7 mins' walk).

The villa is split into two self-contained units for 6; whether you take one or both, you'll have the whole place to yourself. Inside the cheery yellow facade, the single-storey houses have a cosy farmhouse feel thanks to sloping beamed ceilings, terracotta tiles and stone walls. Each one has a rustic kitchen, dining area, and a cosy lounge opening onto the terrace.

There are three bedrooms in each house: two doubles and one double/twin room in the main house; one double, one double/twin and a bunk room with two beds in the second house. They're simple and airy, most with ensuite bathrooms.  

French doors open onto the huge terrace, where a barbecue and dining table for 12 sit under the shade of a pergola, and sunloungers flank a 14m swimming pool. Plenty of spots to flop, so you can enjoy the sweeping sew views from morning til night. 

There are plenty of bars and restaurants in Marina di Caronia, just 7km away, while the small village of Acquedolci (12km away) has the best choice of supermarkets and shops. From Sant’Agata di Militello (18km away), you can catch the ferry to the Aeolian Islands. There are lots of hiking opportunities in the Nebrodi National Park for outdoorsy folk, while the culturally curious can head to Santo Stefano di Camastra (17km away), famous for its colourful ceramics and its charming town centre. 

Selinunte

THE SELINUNTE VILLA is a real hideaway, tucked among acres of olive and citrus groves - think fresh oranges for breakfast juicing, and total seclusion from the outside world. The warmly tiled, peach-painted bungalow has a bohemian, indoor-outdoor living vibe. We love the al fresco sitting and dining alcoves, with low candlelit seating, rolling blinds and potted bougainvillea. This is where most of your time will be spent, when not splashing in the good-sized pool, drying off on the wooden deck or the extensive lawns. It's paradise for kids.

Interiors have a Moorish or oriental touch, with hanging kilims and reclaimed carved-wood doors, some of them repurposed as ethnic-chic bedheads. Two of the bedrooms have double beds (1 kingsize, 1 queensize), while the third is twin-bedded. All have A/C and French windows onto the garden. The kitchen - a smallish room - still packs in a fridge-freezer, gas hob, oven, dishwasher and microwave.

It's 5 minutes' drive into Castelvetrano, a sprawling, pretty enough town with authentic trattorie and plenty of shops. More importantly, the breathtaking ancient temples of Selinunte - perhaps the most quietly impressive Greek site in the Med - is 10 minutes away, with wild sandy beaches alongside. Trapani and Agrigento are both about an hour away.

Kids

All the villas are great for children and work for a range of family sizes, with 2-6 bedrooms, a good sized pool (unheated) and beaches nearby; but note that Cefalu Villa is not suitable for younger kids due to a steep garden. 

Our top pick for a family - including larger families or those travelling with grandparents - would be Selinunte, for its secluded lawned gardens (no steep drops!). 

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The villas are located near Cefalu and Caronie (on Sicily's north coast) and near Selinunte (southwest Sicily).

> See all villa locations on a Google map (new window)

By Air:
The closest airports are Palermo Falcone-Borsellino (for Cefalu and Caronie) and Trapani-Birgi (for Selinunte), though the latter has fewer flight connections.

From the Airport
You'll almost certainly need a rental car. All villas have off-street parking.