ONE DOESN’T REALLY HAVE TO FLY TO THE END OF THE WORLD TO GET A BIT OF SUN, EXOTICS AND UNTOUCHED NATURE: THERE’S A MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND TO MATCH ANY VIRGIN TROPICS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN. IT’S SARDINIA, THE PRIDE OF ITALIAN RESORTS.
The Billionaire club
The most famous club in the Mediterranean, the Billionaire is located in the north of
Sardinia at Costa Esmeralda. The club is owned by Flavio Briatore, the very one who
manages Renault Formula 1 team. Regular clients include Sylvio Berlusconi, Lenny
Kravitz and many other famous personalities. Events at the Billionaire club fuel gossip in tabloids the world over.
If you don’t happen to know the owner of the club personally, better book a table
in advance. Also, the Billionaire often hosts exclusive private parties. Check www.
billionaireclub.it to find out when the club is open to general public.
Pleasure island the Italian island of Sardinia is the playground of the international beau monde: at Costa Esmeralda, the most famous beach in northern Sardinia, you may bump into a Microsoft partner or Formula 1 drivers. Being seen in northern Sardinian restaurants and nightclubs tells a lot about your status, it’s an image thing. Do come in your own yacht: the local marina is big enough to accommodate the many-thousand strong armada of holidaymakers. The best time is July or August, at the peak of the season. And those who’ve had enough image get-togethers during the year stay in the southern part of the island where virgin beaches, mountains and tropical gardens give a chance to forget about the business and have a real island holiday.
The north and the south are connected by a scenic road with travel time of about 2.5 - 3 hours. So it’s quite easy to have the best of both Sardinian worlds: women and children go to the beach while men relax in clubs. Or vice versa. Fortevillage hotel town One of the most amazing hotel towns in the world is located at the southwestern part of Sardinia, in Santa Margherita di Pula 45 km from Cagliari international airport. It’s called Fortevillage: a complex of eight hotels and three villas. A natural 25-hectare park hosts hotels and tennis courts, swimming pools and playgrounds, boutiques, a SPA and even an open-air skating rink. The complex is designed in such a way that each hotel seems secluded, hidden from the world and fully immersed in the Mediterranean nature: centuries-old Italian pines, eucalypt trees and thick blossoming shrubbery.
So why has Fortevillage been voted the Best Resort in the World for eight years in a row now? First, for keeping the miles-long beaches virginally clean and beautiful. Second, for the elegant improvement of the coastline: there are nine open swimming pools on the hotel grounds, as fabulously picturesque as any natural water body. And third, Fortevillage boasts one of the best gourmet restaurants in the Mediterranean, marked with two Michelin stars.
But the pearl of the complex are of course the three exclusive luxury villas: Cala del Forte, Beachcomber and Boat House, situated right at the shore. Each has 400 sq.m. of floor space, with everything one might need for a nice holiday: huge terrace facing the sea, personal solarium, Jacuzzi. Each villa comes with a butler.
Like in any town, Fortevillage’s pride is the central square called Maria Luigia. It has a large scene used for fashion shows, concerts by famous Italian artists and all sorts of other
entertainment.
Expert opinion
Says Svetlana Shvareva, Director of tour company Development, Rosinter corporation:
There are regular scheduled flights to Sardinia from Moscow, by Aeroflot or Alitalia (with a stopover in Rome or Milan). It’s handy if you wish to spend some time in one of these cities for a bit of shopping or sightseeing.
During the season (May to October) there’s a direct Aeroflot charter flight from Moscow to Cagliari. Business-class return ticket costs €1,500. However, there’s a more comfortable option offered by Fortevillage resort: a small 25-seat Fortevillage business jet flies twice a week from Moscow to Cagliari. A single ticket costs €2,500. Also, the whole plane is available for private charter.
Eugenia Sokolovskaya
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