Sardinia’s Forte Village is Holiday-Themed Escapism
A world within a world.
Italy has an uncanny way of taking what would be considered kitsch elsewhere and making it feel cool—whether it’s a hotel lobby with elaborate Murano chandeliers, a cone stacked sky-high with gelato, or a resort like Forte Village, the holiday complex in Sardinia’s southern coast that blends high-gloss luxury with sports and celebrity culture. Spanning nearly 50 hectares of verdant gardens and lined by crystal-clear waters, this gated holiday retreat of five-star indulgence, elite sports training, wellness, and family fun consistently earns the title of World’s Leading Resort from World Travel Awards.
Forte Village is a world within a world, with eight boutique hotels, 137 garden bungalows, and 13 private villas camouflaged by over 3,000 species of plants. Forte, as the holiday destination is called, isn’t big, it’s colossal—like a miniature city devoted to indulgence. Walking through it feels like strolling through a Mediterranean town: boutiques line piazzas, music drifts from open-air stages, golf carts whisk guests between restaurants, bike paths lead everywhere. Families could spend weeks here without leaving: kids disappear into themed villages (think Barbie mania), teens race at the go-kart track, and everyone gets a turn at the lanes at the bowling alley. One moment you’re lounging on the beach as a DJ spins club beats; the next, your child is learning soccer tricks from a World Cup champion while you head to a thalassotherapy pool.
Over the years, Forte Village has become a refuge for the world’s elite—the Beckhams, Beyoncé, and Madonna have vacationed here. Amid the constellation of A-listers, the Italian national soccer team—gli Azzurri—have made the resort a favoured pretournament retreat. During peak season, Forte Village can welcome upwards of thousands of guests, yet its sheer sprawl and thoughtful design keep it from feeling crowded.
Forte Village takes sport as seriously as it takes luxury, offering a Sports Academy program where guests can choose from more than a dozen academies—soccer, tennis, basketball, padel, rugby, fencing, boxing—each led by world-class athletes and professional coaches. On the water, options range from sailing to windsurfing, while land-based activities extend to swimming, triathlon, and even chess. The Sports Academy program is not just for budding champions but also adults, who can immerse themselves in intensive clinics or recreational lessons.
Wellness is a defining pillar at Forte Village, with the Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa at the resort’s heart. Harnessing the curative powers of Sardinia’s crystal-clear sea, six seawater pools, each with varying salinity and temperatures, will drain toxins, boost circulation, and restore balance. The Thalasso pools are dotted throughout the spa in a circuit linked by open-air pathways. The first two at 38° Celsius are filled with slippery brown water that doesn’t look particularly inviting, but the regenerative brine has very high concentrations of magnesium (which contributes to the murky colour), making it excellent at aiding sleep and reducing muscular aches. It’s hard to do anything but float as you dip between the first two pools before segueing into cooler temperatures where seawater is combined with the pummelling motion of hydrotherapy massage jets to increase micro-circulation. The final pool is set at 25 degrees, which constricts blood vessels and, upon your exiting, has an energizing effect. The Thalasso circuit is a 90-minute ritual that most guests will do daily. The spa menu at Forte Village goes on for multiple pages, including the trendy cryotherapy as well as ayurvedic treatments.
When it comes to eating, Forte Village stages dining as performance, with 21 distinct restaurants led by Michelin-starred chefs and visiting culinary celebrities. There are authentic Sardinian dishes—spaghetti ai ricci di mare (sea urchin spaghetti), porchedu (slow roasted suckling pig), pane carasau (thin crispy flatbread), seadas (fried pecorino drizzled with honey)—but also international flavours from Japanese omakase to Mediterranean grills.
Forte Village is the place where choices feel endless, and the only real challenge is convincing yourself to leave. Be forewarned: trying to return to “normal” might take some adjustment.
