The Best Hotels in Sicily, From a 17th-Century Former Monastery to an Island Villa

"Wrapped in acres of labyrinthine citrus groves beneath looming Mount Etna, Zash Boutique Hotel & Spa was once the summer retreat for Catania’s nobility and now thrusts guests back to a time where nature called the shots, through a contemporary prism, as one of the best hotels in Sicily. Honoring its past life as a Palmento, the cool innards of the main house (a peachy, peeling vestige of grand Sicily) now pose as a smart, destination restaurant, below it, a dimly lit spa gurgles and steams, echoing the volcanic surroundings. Rhythms are docile, set by shifting fruit trees and occasionally interrupted by the rumble of the train (worth booking a room that doesn’t back onto the track). Lava stone slabs line the walls in Iraci Architetti’s photogenic Iconic Rooms and Poolside Villas, whose cubic, glass structures and sharp furniture greatly contrast the main house’s soft antiquity, and cleverly pull the clementine trees indoors. This is one of Sicily’s lesser-known hotels, a favorite with Italians wrapped in fluffy towels, oscillating between spa and pool (sliced into volcanic rock with contemporary finesse), before tucking into Guiseppe Raciti’s signature uovo poche croccante and soul-stirring pasta plates. Book now with Expedia Book now with Booking.com This gallery was originally published by Condé Nast Traveller UK." - Rosalyn Wikeley