Day 1
A very early flight from London Gatwick saw me travelling with 13 other travel agents, a videographer & a freelance journalist to Palermo in Sicily to take a look at Club Med's first 5 Trident resort in Europe - Cefalu.
After a quick 2hrs 20 min flight, and a 1hr 20 minute transfer I arrived into Club Med Cefalu just in time to have lunch and check into our rooms. I have been to a few Club Med resorts before and already knew I liked this one! Lunch was beautiful, buffet style in the Rocco restaurant with the best view and the best house wine I have ever tasted - And yes I tried the red, white & Rose!
The room I was staying in was a Valletta with partial Sea view and was beautiful, floor to ceiling windows in a stand alone villa, twin, sinks, huge and very comfortable bed, shower & the most amazing bath. I was personally driven on one of the many golf buggies used to take guests around the resort, perfect for when you have had a long day of travelling.
Dinner was back in La Rocca buffet restaurant with a fantastic choice of dishes, a mix of plated dishes and masses of different pasta's, salads, pizza's, soups, breads and cheeses amongst many local dishes (Sicilian Rabbit on night one) as well as many other types of food you could help yourself to.
After dinner we headed to catch the cabaret show, the staff really work hard here, always someone on hand to serve you, chat to you and in between all of this they also take on the role of entertainer in the evening shows.
Day 2
We started the day off with a resort tour.
Cefalu has 311 rooms altogether with 4 room categories and I had the chance to look at them all....
Superior Room - Set at the back of the resort near to the main house but further from the sea.
Suite - Set centrally in the resort with a full or partial sea view. You can opt for a half suite which consists of a bedroom, bathroom & balcony or go for a full suite with an extra balcony and lounge area accessed though another door.
Partial sea view Valletta - A stand alone villa that sleeps 2 with a partial sea view
Valletta Panoramic sea view - Same inside as the above however the floor to ceiling windows have a panoramic sea view, these are situated at the bottom of the resort overlooking the sea.
All rooms have the 5 Trident treatment including tea & coffee making facilities, concierge service, laundry service, luggage service, and even the little touches such as umbrellas in the room - Just in case! Also a full size ironing board and iron, proper hair dyer, bath and shower, slippers & robes plus sun loungers make the rooms perfect.
Restaurants- Cefalu has 3 restaurants to choose from including La Rocca, the buffet restaurant, La Riva beach restaurant for amazing fresh gourmet lunch or dinner and IL Palazzo Gourmet Lounge for an amazing menu created by the Michelin starred chef Andrea Berton. We were lucky enough to eat in all three restaurants and the food was absolutely beautiful.
Sports - As with most Club Med resorts the sports and activities on offer are exquisite with a daily choice of fitness classes, wellness classes (yoga, pilates etc.) Land sports such as jogging, hiking, discovery walks, table tennis, Bocca (a bit like french boules) night walks, tennis - from beginner to Advanced and Archery too. Water sports include - Paddle boarding, Sailing, Kayaking, snorkelling & scuba diving.
Swimming - 2 pools to choose from, including the gorgeous fresh water Zen pool, not forgetting the bathing platforms into the sea. The Zen pool offers gorgeous fresh fruit smoothies and often holds daily paddle board yoga at sunset - a very Zen like experience.
Excursions - so much to do here, aside from the hiking and guided walking already mentioned you can hire out a Vespa or a car to go an explore, the views from the hikes and walks are spectacular.
Sunset is when the resort really does become spectacular! After a early evening stroll to catch the sunset we ate at La Rocca with local Sicilian musicians playing in the background. Of course it would be rude not to have a few champagnes as they are complimentary everyday after 6pm.
Day 3
An early breakfast in La Rocca which opens at 7am (you also have the choice of a late breakfast, from 9.30 at the gourmet lounge) A few of us took a stroll into Cefalu - a beautiful walk along a seafront promenade which took around 25 mins at a slow stroll. Old town Cefau is stunning and you can also find many beach clubs and a long sandy beach there too.
After spending the morning in Cefalu lunch was booked at the beachfront restaurant, an idyllic location where you can eat freshly cooked fish, salad & accompaniments while you listen to the waves. It was so beautiful that I didn't move until 5.30pm opting to spend my afternoon by the sea with an occasional drink at the beachside bar.
I spent the evening at the Zen pool and after a quick early evening swim I enjoyed some Paddle board yoga at sunset which was an amazing experience.
Dinner was at the al a carte restaurant - Just remember to book the day before! With a menu designed by Michelin Starred chef Andrea Berton it gives you the opportunity to taste the true flavour of Sicilian Cuisine. Andrea Berton is one of the most decorated chefs in Milan and highly-revered amongst all cooks across Italy.
Day 4 This was the end of our time in Sicily and a slightly longer transfer into Catania saw us hop on our flight home.
I really liked Cefalu Club Med and think it deserves to be a 5 trident resort, yes, it is more expensive then the 4 tridents but that is to be expected and also worth it in my opinion. The little things really push this up to a 5 trident and gives it that luxurious feel, the zen & wellness areas give it a tranquilness that almost makes it impossible not to relax. Although children are welcome there, it is only the suites and superior rooms that are offered as interconnecting not the Valletta's. They do have 2 family suites on the resort but there are no children's clubs like many of the family resorts.
