Therasia Resort Sea & Spa

Originally we planned 4 days and by the 3rd we had extended to 8. A great move. We had planned on staying on another island but it made so much sense to use Therasia as our base, as it is the closest to the mainland (40 min crossing) and consequently has a good local ferry/hydrofoil timetable to whisk you around ??? a long lunch on Salina and dinner on Lipari. There is the added bonus that the hotel can arrange a water taxi back from one of the closer islands if you run late. After the end of the day exploring it was magical to return to the hotel in time for sundowners and a simply stunning sun set before dinner. It is the unique position of Therasia ??? you can see the 6 other islands as you lie by the pool and watch yachts and fishing boats meandering between them. At night another scene greets you with the gentle twinkling lights from the towns afar and the magical star laden sky. We had a garden room and the day beds on the new balcony extensions were blissful to quietly relax on, ours faced the main volcano as an impressive back drop. Genuine service and care comes from all the team; the front desk keeping us informed of ferry times before we arrived, the exceptional Graziano with his local knowledge and eye for detail as he oversees the Grusoni restaurant and our menu/wine choices(consistently delicious). Pierre Paolo the GM seems to graciously pop up throughout the day to keep an eye on the happiness of his guests. We also love ??? the direct sea access and sun loungers discretely positioned in the cliff side. The hourly bus service into the port to wander around the quirky shops. Hiring a Vespa to visit the far side of the island. The gardens and walks around the hotel including climbing to the small crater, Valle dei Mostri and the moon scape of the hotels Nature walk with its wonderfully exotic cactus plants.

Before writing this review, I offer a bit of context. My wife and I are in our late 50s and early 60s respectively and generally have one ???big holiday??? a year. While we always go ???high end??? we work hard to afford it and still look for value for money (so, for example, we still believe that ???tips??? need to be earned but we tend to be generous when they are!). We have always booked through Scott-Dunn who always come up with a special trip that includes some amazing accommodation. We tend to have 10 days or so sightseeing followed by 4 or 5 days relaxation but this year, due to Covid, we did Sicily and Vulcano at the last minute. The hotel is excellent and in a lovely location ??? perfect for watching the sunsets! Given we are quite late in the season it was not busy so no trouble staying Covid compliant! The Island is quite small ??? probably about 15 miles from end to end with 2 dormant volcanic craters. The first is a good climb (if you are quite fit) with some stunning views of the Island and its neighbours from the top. We also hired a small jeep for one day ??? given that the vendor could speak very little English we have no idea what the insurance situation was! The jeep was quite expensive (70 Euro) and not in a great state of repair so think carefully before hiring ??? a quad bike is probably a better bet as they all looked quite new. If you have 3 or 4 days you can walk to most locations and the scenery is worth the visit. The hotel room was not the top of the range but was very comfortable, roomy and with great views over the pool (which was freezing in late September!) and surrounding gardens. Everything is tidy, well cared for and functional. The only minor criticism is the cost ??? everything on the Island is expensive so no big surprise but eating in the hotel is pricey ??? the Hotel has a Michelin Star restaurant which you must try but expect to pay around ??400 for 2 with a wine package to compliment the 13 course taster menu! That said, as you would expect, the food is incredible, both to look at and to eat! All of the staff at the Hotel are simply lovely ??? they can???t do enough to help and are very conscious of the Covid issue so you feel entirely safe and well looked after. Overall, while things are expensive, Vulcano is well worth the visit ??? it???s a short ferry journey from Sicilly and sits in a chain of small volcanic islands ??? until we came we didn???t even know it existed!