{ candid reviews by a writer who tr avels incognito and always pays his own way }

SEPTEMBER 2011

H ANDREW HARPER’S

online

plus NEW YORK HOTEL & RESTAURANT UPDATE

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European) clientele and friendly young staff help to create an atmosphere that is curiously reminiscent of a cruise ship. There is the same sense of apartness, with extended periods of idleness punctuated by cocktails, lavish meals, spa visits and sporting activities. The property is ideal for those traveling with children, as it provides both a kids’ club and a separate facility for teenagers. It should be noted, however, that children are unlikely to be impressed by the short, stony beach.

As admirable as the resort proved overall, there were a few hitches during our stay. In particular, one evening we returned to our room at 10:30 p.m. to find that the lunch tray hadn’t been collected, that there had been no turndown service, and that the bath contained a plumber trying to figure out why we temporarily had no hot water. However, new properties tend to

have teething problems, and we are confident that those at Verdura will soon be remedied. VERDURA GOLF & SPA RESORT 93 Superior Deluxe Room, $670; Junior Suite, $1,095. S.S. 115, Km 131, Sciacca. Tel. (39) 0925-998001. roccofortehotels.com

From Sciacca , we headed southeast for three-and-a-half hours to the beautiful baroque city of Ragusa. Along the way, we stopped to visit the magnificent Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, as well as for lunch in Licata. Personally, I find hotels with colorful pasts almost irresistible, which is how we came to stay at Eremo della Giubiliana, a 25-room property housed within a 14th-centur y for tress and hermitage. Located just south of Ragusa on a hill commanding v iews over countryside st il l divided into an ancient patchwork by low stone walls, it was once home to the medieval Knights of St. John. Today, the order’s

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flag still flies over the property. We arrived on a hot, sunny

afternoon. Surrounded by lush gardens ablaze with fuchsia and bougainvillea and dotted with

almond trees and s t a te ly p a l m s , the toast-colored limestone building was immediately appealing. How-ever, even though it wa s 2 p.m., our room wasn’t ready, so we took a late lunch in the lovely walled gardens. The small

unheated pool looked inviting, and doves cooed in the surrounding cypresses and parasol pines.

All of the hotel’s rooms are individually decorated, and many have private terraces or balconies. We particularly liked our triplex Torre del Canonico Suite. The sitting room on the first level

was simply furnished and would be extremely useful for a family traveling with children, not least because of the adjacent full bath. We discovered our bedroom atop a flight of polished black stone stairs. This featured a vaulted ceiling, a large bed with a black wrought-iron headboard, red velvet curtains, an antique pine armoire, a secretary and a chest of drawers. French doors led to a large private terrace with sunbeds and chairs that overlooked the small Arabic-style garden. There, a fountain splashed soothingly. Above the bedroom, another flight of black stone steps led to a second terrace, a platform once used to watch for marauding Barbary pirates. It provided a superb perch from which to gaze at the countryside, the Mediterranean and the distant coast of Malta. Quietly sitting there, I felt a strangely personal connection to Sicily’s fascinating history.

EREMO DELLA GIUBILIANA WAS ONCE HOME TO THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN. TODAY, THE ORDER’S FLAG STILL FLIES OVER THE PROPERTY.

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EREMO DELLA GIUBILIANA NEAR RAGUSA

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BEDROOM OF THE TORRE DEL CANONICO SUITE AT EREMO DELLA GIUBILIANA NEAR RAGUSA

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At dinner in the stone-paved courtyard, a pianist played to an audience that included two British couples, a family from Singapore and several cats. The food and wine were excellent, with standout dishes from the Don Eusebio Restaurant including a pink chickpea soup with wild beets, and tuna tournedos stuffed with prawns. Much of the produce was organic and grown on the surrounding farm. Though the service could have

been more precise, it was friendly and well-intentioned, and by now, thoroughly relaxed, we felt inclined to be tolerant.

Overall, this distinctive property provides a fine base from which to visit the enchanting baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Noto (see “Sicily’s Baroque Cities” for full descriptions). I regretted the brevity of our stay, since it would have been fun to have accepted the hotel’s offer of a light-plane excursion to Malta, 20 minutes away — the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria are also just short hops from the local airfield — or to have spent longer in the garden with my book. EREMO DELLA GIUBILIANA 90 Deluxe Double, $405; Grand Suite, $500; Torre del Canonico Suite, $585. Contrada Giubiliana, S.P. 25, Km 7.5, Ragusa. Tel. (39) 0932-669119. eremodellagiubiliana.it

No one should v isit Sicily without spending a night or two in the ancient port city of Siracusa, situated on the island’s southeast

DON EUSEBIO RESTAURANT

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