Santa Maria - Pool garden and gazebo

The living area, Santa Maria

Entrance to Santa Maria is through a courtyard with a well in the centre. The ground floor is rented to guests while the co-owners and caretakers occupy the upper floor with a separate entrance. The ground floor has a private walled orange grove with a fountain and a terrace for outdoor dining. The villa is enhanced by olive groves, a mature formal garden, tennis court and Mediterranean pool garden with gazebo. Casa Nuova is a separate villa with a huge garden planted with olives and citrus trees. The sea and nearest town, Mazara del Vallo are only 3 kms away. Mazara, on the very western tip of Sicily, is Italy's major fishing port and is full of excellent restaurants specialising in fish, not to mention beautiful baroque architecture and a not-to-miss museum displaying the Greek bronze statue of 'The dancing satyr'. The stunning Greek site of Selinunte is 30 minutes away by car, while Palermo, medieval Erice, and the temples of Segesta and Agrigento are easy day trips.

Casa Nuova with pergola

Casa Nuova living room

 

Prices Currency Conversion

 

Notes on prices
The prices above apply for groups of up to 6 people for Santa Maria, 8 people for Casa Nuova. 2 more people may be accommodated in either villa on extra beds. There is a charge of £100 per extra person per week. The swimming pool is open for guests of Santa Maria from end of May to 26th September. If guests would like to use it outside this period such as early May, there will be an additional charge.
Both villas can be rented for shorter periods than a week outside high and peak seasons.

Changeover day
Renting is usually Saturday to Saturday, but we can be flexible on this outside high and peak season.
Arrival time is after 4 pm and departure time by 10 am.
Again we can be flexible depending on the circumstances.

Accommodation

 

 

Notes on accommodation
As Santa Maria is on the ground floor,it is suitable for elderly people or small children. Access to the pool is only through the courtyard and locked gate, so there is no danger of small children escaping to the pool unaccompanied.

Casa Nuova is on two floors so may not be suitable for elderly people. It is separated from the grounds of Santa Maria by a patio and wall on one side and fence and gate on the other, so small children cannot get to the Santa Maria pool.
Santa Maria has central heating throughout, but this is
is really only required from December to March. If used in either villa it is charged as an extra cost at €50 per day.
Casa Nuova has both a.c. and central heating in the bedrooms. Use of a.c. is included in the rental rates.
Extra beds (max.2 in either house) charged at £100 extra per bed per week. 2 child's cots are available.

Accessibility
The main property of Santa Maria is easily accessible to wheelchair users.

Casa Nuova is on two floors but a wheelchair user could rent the library/bedroom which leads off the patio.

Outside
Santa Maria is set in 2 acres of grounds. The driveway is lined with date palms and bougainvillea. On each side are formal gardens, with a pine grove to the right and the tennis court to the left. Beyond the pine grove is a walk to a 16th century tower.
The swimming pool, for the exclusive use of Santa Maria guests, is in its own Mediterranean garden of hibiscus, oleander, bougainvillea, lavender and much more. Lined in white mosaic, it measures 12x6m and has steps into the shallow end. There are deck chairs for 8 and shade is provided by the nearby Saracenic olive tree and the gazebo. Beyond the pool garden is our olive grove. The tennis court is shared with the co-owners. We provide racquets. The orange grove adjoining the dining room is completely private. There is a portable barbecue. Casa Nuova and gardens are separate from Santa Maria. It has half an acre of garden with cypress, fruit and olive trees. There is a portable barbecue and patio with pergola for outdoor dining.

Coast/Beach
The nearest beach is 3 kilometres away, 10 minutes by car. The best beach, Tonnarella, 20 minutes away by car, is over one kilometre long with clean white sand. There are bars, deck chairs, beach brollies and paddle boats for hire in summer.
The coastline to the south is dotted with rocky inlets, ideal for swimming and diving. Further afield there is a wide range of sandy beaches of which the most famous is San Vito Lo Capo. There are windsurfing and kitesurfing facilities half an hour away.

Travel
As the property is in the the country, a car is essential. Palermo airport is about 110 kms, one hour by car, an easy drive by motorway. Birgi airport, Trapani, not on the motorway, is also about an hour's drive away
Most of the international car rental firms have desks at the airports. Alitalia runs several flights per day from Heathrow to Palermo, changing planes in Rome or Milan. Ryanair runs flights Stansted-Palermo and Luton-Trapani. EasyJet flies from Gatwick to Palermo in summer.

Distances
Mazara del Vallo is 3 kilometres away, 10 minutes by car.
Access to the motorway to Palermo is even closer.
The temples of Selinunte, near Castelvetrano are a 30 minute drive away, while it will take you 45 minutes to get to the temple and theatre of Segesta, off the motorway to Palermo.
You can get to the Phoenician island of Mozia in an hour and the medieval hilltop town of Erice in an hour and a half. To reach the magnificent Vale of Temples of Agrigento takes just under 2 hours.

Further details
There is abundant choice of places to eat in Mazara from sophisticated fish restaurants to child-friendly pizzerias. Local specialties are fresh tuna and swordfish, and couscous made with fish broth. The "dolci" available from local pastry shops are to die for. Don't leave Sicily without tasting cassata and cannoli both made with fresh ricotta. Sicilian ice cream has to be the best - after all the Sicilians invented it, didn't they? Try it the Sicilian way - sandwiched in a bun for breakfast. A lemon granita - sherbert ice - is a perfect way to combat the effects of the Sicilian sun in the height of summer- Fish straight out of the sea can be bought from the fish market but supermarkets sell it too. The local butchers are excellent and will make Sicilian sausage - fragrant with fennel seeds - before your eyes or prepare you involtini - beef slices stuffed with savoury breadcrumbs - ready for the barbecue.

Greengrocers and supermarkets sell fresh fruit and vegetables from local farmers available according to the season - huge round aubergines in summer, artichokes in winter and broad beans and asparagus in spring for example. But if you don't feel like shopping and cooking, we can arrange a catering service for you. As for wine, the local region produces more than any other in Italy. While we offer our guests 2 courtesy bottles from the Baglio dei Monaci, owned by members of the Manzo family, there is an excellent selection of local wines available at local wineshops at reasonable prices. Marsala is not just a sticky sweet drink. The wineries of Pellegrino and Florio produce high quality dry Marsala and offer wine tastings and guided tours of the factories. Apart from the cultural attractions in Mazara and neighbouring towns, there are good shops in the town centre offering hand made ceramics, local food produce and jewellery. Children will love the street fair held on the promenade in July and early August.

Booking notes
On booking, you will be asked to pay a deposit of 30% and the remainder 8 weeks before your arrival. Cancellation fees are as follows: more than 56 days prior to arrival 30% of total rental sum,14–56 days prior to arrival: 50% of total Rental Sum; Less than 14 days prior to arrival: 100% of Rental Sum; Rental Deposit of 30% is non-refundable. A welcome pack is provided at Santa Maria. We do not charge for final cleaning at either villa. Beach towels are not provided at Casa Nuova.

Guest comments
A wonderful beginning to the year. Such a fabulous villa in a beautiful setting, the garden ablaze with oranges and clementines. Fantastic visits to temples, not to mention wine tastings. Dinah and John Bentley

We enjoyed a hugely relaxing week here, delighting in the spaciousness and comforts of this lovely house and the tranquillity of the gardens. We also had a great time in the pool. The Middleton family

The house itself is ravishing. First and foremost everything works. It is decorated in a way that lends an air of comfort, of coming home. The bathrooms are a joy and the kitchen is out of this world. Tom Aslanian

The villa is stunning and we have alternated restful days by the beautiful pool with outings to fascinating places: Selinunte and Trapani, Erice etc. and evenings spent wandering around Mazara, where the girls restocked their jewellery boxes at the market. The Pindell family

For booking and further information

 

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