Sicily is not only famous for its beauty, sandy beaches and surrounding deep blue Mediterranean sea but also for its warm hospitality, delicious cooking and award winning wines. There is also its perfect blend of history, art and nature that seemingly attracts visitors from all over the world. This island also offers a plethora of sporting activities, tennis, golf and sailing to name but a few. In spite of a busy sports schedule April Tod managed to fit in visits to Mount Etna, the Valley to the Temples and the Villa del Casale.
It was one of those rare occasions that found me furiously hitting tennis balls on a red clay court with a former top ten player on a pleasantly warm spring day in Sicily.
This was all taking place at Vedura’s recently revamped tennis academy where arrangements had been made for me to have a chat with the one of the resort’s tennis ambassadors Karol Novacek, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist.
PLAYING AGAINST A CHAMPION
Against my better judgement, it was the ‘hit’ that came before the chat and in no time Karol had me hitting endless balls, testing abilities while running me from one side of the court to the other.
Fortunately, after several minutes of intense action I felt sufficiently confident to hit some (what I thought) were booming forehands only to find them coming back at an even faster rate of knots.
Even some of my trademark perfectly angled forehand shots were returned with enough pace to keep me on my toes – hardly the tennis I was used to when playing my regular ladies doubles!
We even managed to sustain several lengthy rallies but finally after almost 50 minutes of relentless hitting, I started to fade, missed a few easy shots and realised I had reached my athletic limits. To my relief, it was also Karol’s cue to play out the final five balls before retiring to his refreshingly cool air-conditioned office for that promised chat.
OTHER FACILITIES
This was my first visit to the delightful five star resort and I wasn’t in the least bit disappointed. To quote the title of Frank Sinatra’s popular song, ‘My Kind of Town’, this was definitely ‘My Kind of Resort’, offering all kinds of appealing sporting activities including tennis, golf and a variety of water sports.
There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness centre where I took part in several early morning exercise classes and even found time from my full and busy schedule to enjoy a relaxing de-stress massage in the spa.
The resort is the brainchild of renowned hotelier Rocco Forte, a keen golfer who in the early 2000’s bought this vast stretch of 230 hectors of land with the idea of creating one of Europe’s top sporting resorts.
However, it took a further nine years before planning permission was agreed and the doors finally opened in 2009. The resort is now firmly established as one of Europe’s premier contemporary golf and tennis resorts.
HERITAGE
Vedura is fortunate to be set against a rich natural backdrop of undulating mountains and calming Mediterranean deep blue seas, added to that a warm temperate climate that attracts guests from all over the world.
It is this background of sea and land that gives the resort a special sense of calm and tranquility and one of the many reasons Vedura is a much sought after destination.
Part of the beach running alongside the resort is where the link type golf courses can be found and where Vedura’s fitness coach took us on our first day for a six kilometer walk over local landscapes and beaches, passing through several orange and olive groves.
What I also found appealing was the free use of bikes that could be ridden anywhere within the resort. Conveniently bikes can be found parked all over the resort, the idea is you can pick up one, bike to wherever you need to go, leave it in a stand provided or propped up against a wall, and when you return, there’s always another bike ready to jump on.
During my short stay not only did I play tennis several times but somehow managed to fit in a challenging round of golf in the East Course, take part in several exercise classes, swim in the beautifully designed two tiered infinity pool and use the spa at least a couple of times.
Sadly, high winds prevented us from sailing along part of the Sicilian coastline on one of the resort’s luxury motor yachts something I missed out on as it would have given me the chance to view the resort from a different perspective.
Instead I attended a Sicilian Mixology class with Verdura’s head barman who taught us how to mix exotic drinks in the Torre Bar opposite the golf club. As well as four delightful bars dotted in and around the resort, there are also four splendid restaurants mostly serving authentic Sicilian food.
Vedura is a resort that seemingly meets all demands and tastes and definitely a place I will be returning to – hopefully soon!
Karel Novacek is giving a tennis academy 11-18 June and 25 Oct to 3 Nov 2024.
For further details visit https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/verdura-resort/experience-activities/sport-activities/tennis-paddle-club/