Forte Village is not simply a resort. Open since 1970, it’s a whole, safely-contained and celebrity-friendly town dedicated to the pursuit of holidays, folding in eight hotels, 13 villas, boutiques, bars and 21 restaurants, from Michelin-starred to brunchy. If that sounds like a turn-off, imagine all that ensconced in 300 acres of perfumed Italian pines, palms, eucalyptus and yucca; bookended by mountains and a thick wedge of talcum-white sand. Thalasso’s imprint on Sardinia is ancient, so it’s right it should be the focus at the Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa. The hero of the piece is the thalasso circuit, created by Dr Angelo Cerina alongside the Thalasso Research Centre at Milan University. Set in an acre and a half of greenery, it has six seawater pools, each with a different level of salinity and heat. You can bob along, clocking up endorphins and detoxification. Yet there’s much else besides. Acquaforte didn’t start out as an ambitious destination spa, but has evolved in that direction. One can sign up for packages focusing on thalassotherapy detox, anti-ageing and sports performance counselling, or go a la carte, while the thalasso circuit aids chronic fatigue, sleep disorders and menopausal issues.
The Forte Lab does proper diagnostics and there’s a huge team, including a huddle of experts in the diseases of the spine: physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and craniosacral practitioners. At the biomechanics lab, all of us are analysed for our posture, strength, stability and reactivity. Meanwhile, they don’t skimp on beauty, with treatments from LPG and Dr Barbara Sturm (including the famous Super Anti-Aging Facial). The Aesthetic Medical Centre does hi-tech treatments: biolifting, Yumeiho therapy and body sculpture from Dr Joanna Hakimova; and radiofrequency, fillers, peels, carboxytherapy and more by Dottorressa Francesca Marceddu. The best thing about tapping into it is that parental guilt doesn’t exist – the children are happily busy, with plenty of chances to have fun together too. The group tennis lesson on one of the 13 courts is a laugh, as is being lapped by an 11-year-old on the proper go-karting course. It’s an active kids’ paradise: there are world-class academies in every sport imaginable, including basketball with Ettore Messina, who coached the Italian team, and boxing with British ex-pro Frank Baglioni. The Real Madrid football academy draws in legions of happy half termers. There’s also diving, coastal rowing, sailing – you name it, they’ve got it.
Forte Village is not the sleekest resort in the world, nor has the best restaurants – though we eat beautifully. But it has a behemoth of a following, and guests are emotionally attached. I talk to the GM of a top London hotel, who comes every year, and a Qatari minister who visited every summer with his parents and is now bringing his child. It’s a testament to this diamond with many facets – one of which is a brilliant spa. –Lydia Bell
