One of my favourite moments each day was catching the evening sunset. The hotel’s unique position on the southern coast means it offered some of the best sunsets I’ve ever witnessed, engulfing the sky in a vivid orange glow every night. Whether it was from the beach bar, the hotel terrace, a sunset yoga class or an evening sea swim, I found a new way to enjoy the sunset each night – a magical part of our holiday.

Getting out and about

Verdura Resort is a great base for exploring the southern coast of Sicily. Although there’s more than enough to keep you occupied within the resort, we loved exploring the local town, Sciacca, a fishing port, which comes to life at 10pm. One evening, we tucked into huge, delicious pizzas for €4 each in Arco Antico, a pizzeria in a church courtyard, before enjoying late-night gelatos and carousel rides near the harbour. The next day, a tuk tuk and pedalo trip to the famous Turkish Steps in Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, just under 40km away, was an adventurous highlight of the trip.

Despite being in Italy, lovers of Greek history (or Percy Jackson books; it’s a significant location in the Olympians series) should allow a day or evening to explore the very famous Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, 2025’s Italian City of Culture. Just over an hour away from the hotel, the site consists of eight stunning temples, along with many other remains, and is one of the best preserved Greek archaeological sites left. In fact, many consider the Valley of the Temples second only to the Acropolis at Athens in terms of its archaeological importance. As we were visiting in August we didn’t make the mistake we made when we visited the Acropolis in 40ºC temperatures a year earlier, much to no one’s delight, and instead took an evening trip to the temples and explored the extensive grounds and fascinating snap shot of 5th century life as the sun set.

Tucking into one final slice of pizza on our final night, we all agreed that we’d had a brilliant holiday. A mix of true family time and personal experiences that made up much of our dinner-time conversations as we reported back each day. My seven-year-old daughter had loved playing with all of us each day in the waves on the beach and in the pool; my football-loving son couldn’t wait to show off his signed Juventus shirt, and my eldest was already planning what water sports he was going to try on our return. As for my husband and I? In a first, we were well and truly relaxed – we had found the holiday holy grail.

Verdura Resort, Sicily: review, itinerary and top tips for holidays with a family