Hotel Kalura Cefalu

With panoramic views of Caldura Bay and Rocca of Cefalù, Hotel Kalura has direct access to a private beach and platform off which to swim. It offers a pool with diving board, a tennis court and a scuba diving school.

Mediterranean-style rooms at the Kalura are air conditioned and include satellite TV, a safe and minibar. All have a balcony and most overlook the sea. Breakfast can be enjoyed while admiring the Sicilian coastline.

Local specialities are served at the restaurant, along with a list of over 80 Sicilian wines. In spring and autumn, there are walking and cycling tours while yoga, art and photography classes are available from March to November.

STUDIO WITH SEA VIEW
All studios are non-smoking rooms, have a size of approx. 28 – 32 square meters and are characterized by their special location and individual design! Located beneath our impressing panoramic terrace, you’ll enjoy an amazing view directly over the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful Caldura Bay.

All rooms have a separate entrance and offer a roofed, furnished balcony, a kitchenette and besides a double bed also a comfortable 3-seater sleeping sofa, which can be turned into a bed for 2 persons.

They are equipped with free wifi, an individual adjustable aircondititoning/heating, telephone, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a desk, a safe, a minibar and a bathroom with shower, toilet, bidet, cosmetics tissues, hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers and pool towels

FACILITIES
Our hotel complex is very spacious, our guests can relax and find your rest – whether directly by the sea our swim in our pool, a game of tennis or a bike or hiking trip with our guide, during a our seminars or simply sunbathe on our panoramic terrace with stunning views of the Caldura Bay. If you planning a larger event, we have various conference rooms available. Our ample parking directly at the hotel are free of charge.

RESTAURANT
Perhaps the most beautiful part of our hotel: our panoramic terrace with direct view on the coast of Sicily and the Mediterranean Sea. More than 900 square meters of space are at disposal of our guests for extensive morning breakfasts, lunch and candlelight dinners. We will spoil you with Sicilian dishes and a wide selection of local wines!

Without doubt… not only the extraordinary ambience on the big panoramic terrace, the personal atmosphere combined with our helpful service team but espacially the delicious Sicilian food leave a long-lasting impression on our guests. In summer you can enjoy live piano music twice a week.

If you book half-board, you will be served a starter, a first and a second course, of which you can decide between two different dishes each, and a desert. And if you have special needs or want a different menu from the one proposed, please contact our maitre, the staff will be happy to be at your disposal.

PANORAMIC TERRACE
Perhaps the most beautiful part of our hotel: our panoramic terrace with direct view on the Panoramaterrassecoast of Sicily and the Mediterranean Sea. More than 900 square meters of space are at disposal of our guests for extensive morning breakfasts, dinners and relaxation.

Our bar is also located on this level, where you can enjoy life piano music once a week. The terrace may also be used for Yoga and is a perfect place for any kind of festivity on your request.

BEACH
Only 98 steps away from your bed you will find our beach with a 1000 square meter stone terrace, equipped with deckchairs and sunshades that are free of charge. Our bay with its cliffs is perfect for swimming and snorkeling and just the right location for our professional diving school that is located directly next to the hotel.

SWIMMING POOL
is 25 meters long and has five lanes. We are proud to say that it was used professionally even by national swimming teams. For our smaller guests we offer a children’s pool as well, which is located right next to it. The swimming pool is open daily between 9 am and 7 pm during approx. mid April until the mid. of November.

PLAYGROUND
The hotel offers kids a playground, where the little ones can enjoy themselves – far enough away from traffic. A 210 square meter large garden with olive trees is reserved for our small, but important guests.

BAR
Our central bar is situated at the large terrace and taken care of by our barkeeper Angelo and his team. From 09:00 till open end you can enjoy the wonderful atmosphere on the terrace with an espresso, a glass of beer or a nice cocktail. Enjoy our daily happy hour with different offers! Or try out the excellent Sicilian wine of which we offer more than 80 different kinds!

For entertainment, you may also enjoy different games at the bar, including darts and pool billard. Our discotheque is open once a week from March till June and on request. Our beach bar supplies you with little snacks, ice cream, soft drinks and beer.

BIKE EXCURSIONS
Our bike rental service rents race bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes for your tours to explore the surroundings of Cefalu.

YOGA
Group stays or individual – we have the equipment and the space to hold yoga classes. You can book single lessons during your stay or participate at groups retreats which usually last about a week

DIVING SCHOOL
On our premises is situated also a diving school where you can rent the equipment if you already have a license. But they also offer trial lessons, scuba diving courses and diving trips to more distant spots by boat

TREKKING 
The nature park of the Madonie offers a wide variety of tracks with different levels of difficulty. It’s the perfect way of discovering the untouched nature in the north of Sicily at your own pace. Every week our tour guide organizes tours to different spots

SUP & CANOES
Down by the sea you can find all the equipment to enjoy the fresh water during a hot summer day. Our staff will be happy to assist you in renting a canoe and explain the way to the different bays around the coast line.

SURROUNDINGS
We’ve put together some important information about Cefalù, its surroundings and Palermo, the capital of Sicily, which is only 65 km away from Cefalù, in order to give you an idea about major sights here and close by as well as about some places that you should not miss when visiting Cefalù.

There are, of course, a lot more interesting and historically important places in Sicily that you can reach starting in Cefalù. Our reception will be happy to point them out to you when you’re at Hotel Kalura!

CEFALU’
With its 16.000 inhabitants is located at the North Coast of Sicily at the Rocca di Cefalù. The mountain has given Cefalù its name. Already in the fourth centrury BC the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus called the town Kephaloidion.

During the Roman period it was called Cephaloedium. Both names refer to the form of the mountain that reminds of a “head”. Take a walk up the mountainside and enjoy the magnificent views from the height of 270 meters.

Follow the trails of history and visit the ruins of a Norman castle, the Diana temple built in the 5th century and an Arabian cistern. Enjoy the breathtaking 360° view of Cefalù, its harbor and beautiful surroundings! At the foot of the Rocca you’ll find the most famous symbol of Cefalù – the cathedral ilDuomo, which is an UNESCO World Heritage since 2015.

Built in 858 AD by the Arabs and conquered in 1063 AD by the Normans Cefalù was given this jewel in Sicily’s Arab-Norman crown by Roger II. Legends tells that the cathedral was built to fulfil his vow to God after his fleet was saved during a violent storm off Cefalù.

If you take the street Via Mandralisca starting at Piazza del Duomo you’ll reach the Museo Mandralisca with ist collection of Greek, Roman and Arabic ceramics and coins as well as paintings of Italian and Flemish artists of the 15th and 18th centuries.

It is based upon a private collection of Enrico Piraino, Baron of Mandralisca, who donated it to Cefalù in the 19th century. The most famous piece of art is certainly the Portrait of an Unknown Man by Antonello da Messina whose smile is often compared with that of Mona Lisa’s.

It’s considered one of the most distinctive portraits of the Italian Renaissance. Close to the old port of Cefalù in Via Vittorio Emanuele there is the pittoresque Lavatoio medievale – a public wash basin of 16th century that has been used by the inhabitants until the 20th century.

It was built over a spring that was already well known in antiquity. Enjoy Cefalù’s sights and the postcard-prettiness of the medieval town with its small streets, squares and churches! Take a walk along the sandy beach of Cefalù or the 1.8 kilometers long seafront promenade! And should you have time, discover the nature park Madonie close by or visit one of the many worthwhile sights nearby!

COAST TO COAST AT THE SUNSET
Among the most beautiful shows that nature gives us there is undoubtedly the sunset, the moment in which the sun settles on the horizon to melt into the sea. There is nothing more romantic than a trip on board of the boat the “Rivage”, for an unforgettable moment in front of the sunset of the Gulf of Cefalù

We will meet at pier 2 of the port “Presidana” and we will go on board of the motor boat “Rivage” with which we will do a little tour along Cefalù, where we can observe the skyline of the town during the sunset, when the city is tinged with red. On board you can relax with some music and enjoy an aperitif with prosecco and appetizers.

GIBILMANNA
Only 14 km outside of Cefalù there is located Gibilmanna – a place of pilgrimage in a beautiful position on the slopes of the Pizzo Sant’Angelo (1081 m). Visit the famous sanctuary Santuario di Gibilmanna rebuilt in the 17th century. You’ll reach it at the end of a winding street that leads you through a spectacular landscape!

After having visited the church, the Capucchin’s museum with sacral objects of the 17th- 19th centuries and the famous Santuario di Gibilmanna, we recommend to take a walk through the nearby woods with elms, beech trees, chestnuts and oaks! It’s so beautiful! And if you’re lucky, you’ll see a group of black wild pigs – typical for this region!

POLLINA
Only 20 km away from Cefalù there is Pollina. You can see the picturesque town, that is located on the top of the mountain (ca. 800 m), from our terrace! Even today Manna is being extracted from the bark of manna-ashes, which is used for sweetening dishes, for producing natural cosmetics and for pharmaceutical reasons.

From the top of Pollina you have a fantastic view over the North-East coast of Sicily, the woods and the nature reserve, the Madonie Mountains. When the weather is clear, you can even see the Aeolian Islands and Europe’s highest volcano, the Etna. Visit the church of the 19th century and the amphitheatre. Enjoy the quietness of this hill town!

CASTELBUONO
Approximately 25 km south-eastern of Cefalù, not far away from Pollina, you’ll find Castelbuono – a perfect starting point for different hiking tours! The charming town was given its name by its Castle built in 1316 by the noble family Ventimiglia, who ruled here in the 14th century and made Castelbuono to the economical center of the Madonie.

Visit also the Chiesa Madrice Vecchia of the 14th century, the octagonal Chapel of the Ventimiglias with tombs of the family and the fountain Fontana della Venere Ciprea of the 15th century. And don’t miss to taste the delicious Panetone and Torroncini in Castlebuono’s best pastry shop that is well-known all over Sicily and even outside of Italy – Fiasconaro! It is located directly in the center of the town at the piazza.

TUSA
Located at the north-western corner of the province of Messina, the small town Tusa is approx. 28 km outside of Cefalù. It is well-known for its medieval center, quite a few lovely churches built in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries and the Ruins of Halaesa, an ancient town of the 5th century BC. Visit also the picturesque little town Castel di Tusa, located at the sea, and its famous art hotel Atelier sul Mare, where you can find contemporary art.

Rooms: 80

Price: from 116 EUR per night

Source: www.hotekalura.com