Adler Spa Resort: Wellness in Sicily
Perched on a hill overlooking the beach and azure sea of the Agrigento coast is the Adler Spa Resort Sicilia, a holistic retreat for well-being and rejuvenation.
Immersed in the wildly beautiful Torre Salsa nature reserve is the Adler Spa Resort Sicilia. It’s a pristine location, the private estate tucked away in nature and untouched by urban development with only blue sky and sea, and the white limestone Capobianco cliffs in the distance. Architect Hugo Demetz’s contemporary bio-architecture is skillfully integrated into the landscape: linked by walkways, low-rise structures of cedarwood, tuff sandstone, and floor-to-ceiling glass open up to the sea views.
The reserve stretches along the un-spoilt coastline of Agrigento, covering more than 700 hectares comprising wetlands, chalky outcrops, and endless dunes of golden sand. The Adler ethos is rooted in sustainable tourism, but the Sanoner family (hoteliers since 1810) still needed uncompromising determination to construct the resort on the protected coastline. This newest Adler is the seventh in the family’s portfolio of hotels, all in Italy.
While there is plenty of beach, this is not a beach resort. The Adler Spa Resort Sicilia is a tale of well-being and rejuvenation. Days are filled with quiet time at any of the pools or on loungers that dot the expanse of green grass, practicing yoga on a secluded platform amidst the gardens, meditating, having spa treatments, lazing in the light-filled relaxation lounge, sweating it out in the Finnish and bio saunas or the steam rooms, and dipping into the Thalasso pools that make the most of the panoramic setting. To get the heart pumping, the resort offers extensive fitness sessions along with e-bike rides in the countryside or hikes in the nature reserve.
While the resort is secluded—it’s an hour and 40 minutes from the Palermo airport—there are Fiat 500 electric vehicles available for hire to visit the surrounding areas, notably Scala dei Turchi (Turkish Steps) and Valley of the Temples. Though the balmy climate and warm sea water are blissfully Mediterranean, there is a wind that picks up, and at times, napkins from the two on-site restaurants can take flight.
