Forte Village: a five-star escape

Self-contained holidays get a bad rap, often justifiably so. That undignified early morning scrum for sun loungers. The indifferent buffet dinners. The lack of local culture. Overall, about as appealing as a bad case of sunburn. 

But if you elevate the resort experience with luxury amenities, heavenly local food and activities to enchant all kinds of guest, you have the ingredients for a sublime sojourn. Such was my stay at Forte Village on Sardinia’s south coast, a sumptuous destination that offers an amazingly intimate holiday experience within a holiday park. 

Whizzing in a taxi across the parched Sardinian landscape south of Cagliari last summer left me unprepared for the sight of the lush rainforest vibe of the resort. The combination of its own microclimate and irrigation system means the 123-acre Forte Village sits under a dense canopy of pine and palm trees that shields guests from the fiery sun and cools them with sea breezes. Best of all, the grounds are densely planted with vibrant greenery and divided by strategic hedges that ensure you never feel you’re in a crowd, despite sharing the village with up to 1,300 guests and nearly as many staff members. The wide, car-free boulevards are pleasant for walking and biking, or if the stroll feels a little arduous after a day of beach-idling, guests can wave down any passing golf buggy for a quick taxi ride back to their hotel. 

Forte Village boasts 719 rooms and suites, with five five-star hotels, three four-star hotels, 40 suites and 13 villas, some affording extra privacy in secluded settings. My partner and I booked a room in the five-star hotel Villa Del Parco, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and enveloped in dense greenery. Our space offered a cooling retreat from the July sun, an elegant oasis of dark wood furniture, marble floors and bath, and a giant bed with luxe fabric headboard. I eased into early evenings by sipping prosecco on our balcony and listening to exotic birdsong beneath the waving palms. 

My younger self would have been drawn to Forte Village by its incredible roster of activities for the sports minded. The resort’s famous football academy for kids is run by staff of Real Madrid FC and was full of excited, sweaty youngsters during our stay. Guests can sign up for lessons in fencing, boxing, hockey, tennis, cycling, climbing, rowing, go-karting, swimming, magic, DJ-ing and dance. No wonder it’s a magnet for families – there’s also a kids’ club with a dedicated pool, theatre, garden, mini-village, Barbie World and more. The nippers aren’t forgotten in the evenings, either, with family friendly outdoor shows keeping them occupied after dinner. 

The most arduous activity I aspire to on holiday these days, however, is a brief stroll between sun lounger and sustenance, and Forte Village caters to holidaymakers like me, too. Its private strip of beach abuts a shallow cerulean sea whose clear waters were a glorious contrast to the sludgy Med I’ve encountered in Tuscany. Efficient beach staff kept us well supplied with towels, water and coffee so that I was comfortable under my umbrella as I people-watched, spotting superyachts on the horizon and famous Italian footballers in family mode, heading balls in the sea. My daily beach jaunts were punctuated with luscious lunches at Fish Market, where the buffet salads contained a riot of crisp summer vegetables, and at the on-site pizzeria: it was hard to beat their crispy margherita washed down with a cold Peroni. 

The resort’s Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa offers an equally chilled-out experience thanks to its six seawater pools, each filled with diminishing levels of salt and said to be a therapeutic ritual. Each was a small, peaceful refuge enveloped in greenery, with eye-catching features like waterfalls, stone arches and Roman-style amphora. The first (and saltiest) pools are a little challenging, however – they contain an oily brown concoction that looked unappealing, but kept me so buoyant I could float easily. Once I got used to the sensation, I found it remarkably relaxing until I made the mistake of rubbing my eye with a salty hand and had to dash for a towel. The spa also contains unusual glass-sided treatment rooms dotted underneath the forest canopy, so that during a blissful massage I could gaze out at the greenery confident that, even in a state of near-undress, my only audience might be a few squirrels. 

Of course, food is a highlight of any stay at Forte Village. Avid lovers of pasta and seafood, we were thrilled with the mix of local Sardinian and Michelin-star level dining on offer. En route to dinner, we often wandered to the resort’s focal point, Piazza Luisa, a square featuring restaurants, designer clothes shops, the giant Oasis pool, outdoor theatre and wine bar. There we’d dawdle over a chilled Aperol Spritz, enjoying the relative cool of sunset and watching families doing the obligatory passeggiata, or early evening stroll. 

Among the 21 restaurants at Forte Village were some standout offerings: at Villa del Parco’s rooftop Belvedere restaurant, we sipped a citrussy Vermentino and swooned over the starter of pappardelle with truffles, so much so that, months later, I still look lovingly at the photo I took of it on my phone. At rustic Sardinian restaurant Sardo, overlooking the Oasis pool, we gobbled up their handmade culurgiones, stuffed pasta parcels served in a simple tomato sauce that perfectly encapsulate Italy’s spectacular rustic cuisine. At the Michelin-starred Terrazza San Domenico. I had the most heavenly starter of a raviolo with truffles and parmesan, a signature dish of the restaurant, followed by turbot that was elevated by its ry Martini with shallots and oysters that sent me into a reverie. yon an outdoor terrace overlooking the glassy Med. Though we were travelling without little ones, it seemed that children were welcomed and well catered-for at the resort’s restaurants, too.

If you’re looking for authentic Italy, with old churches and historic sites and quaint villages, they’re available a car ride away. For me, however, Forte Village’s on-site amenities proved so alluring, I never wanted to leave. 

Forte Village Resort has rooms from €530 (£458) per room per night based on two adults sharing a deluxe bungalow on a half-board basis (excluding drinks); fortevillageresort.com