This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
8/10 Good
Louise Cunningham
1 Oct 2014
Peaceful setting, relaxing stay at Villa Salinara
Our party of 4 adults stayed for 12 days at the beginning of September 2014 at Villa Salinara, near Marsala in the province of Trapani, Sicily. We stayed in two parts of the large house - the lovely Emporio of Grapes and the smaller and less fancy Aqua Santa house. The Emporio was impressive on arrival, Aqua Santa less so. One wall of Aqua Santa needed painting following some re plastering works but it provided a large airy room with a fantastic shower room. Emporio is stunning - being a former chapel it has a lovely high roof above a fantastic long dining table and comfy lounge area. It has a beautiful and practical kitchen. The fridge freezer clucks like a chicken which made us laugh but it was ample and an excellent place to store our grappa! The bathroom is a bit dark and would be nicer if painted a lighter colour. At first one can be forgiven for thinking some things here are a little basic - but as the cares of every day life fall away as you relax into your stay the simplicity of the accommodation and beauty of the stone, marble, tiles and wood around you helps to accelerate that feeling of chilling out and generally focussing on the simple sheer beauty of the place. The grounds are pretty and we loved using the outdoor barbecue area each night with bats flying low over the fig trees at dusk. There is a pretty secluded grassy area with hammocks under trees at the front of the property for a relaxing space too. Shan the Sri Lankan general tinkerer and odd job chap on site is lovely, bringing us fresh eggs from the resident hens most days . Ever helpful with directions and on hand to sort any issues around such as a loss of hot water to the shower sometimes! Immediately resolving things which was great. Adriano and Yumi the owners are also most helpful. Adriano gave us a good grounding in things to do and see in the area and their very helpful leaflet about the house and the surrounding area is fantastic. The restaurant recommendations good - especially La Pineta at Selinute which was a fantastic beach restaurant. Marsala was lovely and the fresh fish and produce market a must for the wonderful large barbecue in the garden that you just have to use. Roasted sea bream and courgettes do very nicely on it! And we would recommend amongst many other things a visit to Favignana, Egadi island. Take the ferry from Marsala, hire bikes and explore. If you are looking for a peaceful, simple and rejuvenating stay Vila Salinara is ideal.
