Hotel Signum Malfa - Salina - Isole Eolie - Sicily

Some twenty years ago Michele Caruso and his wife, Clara Rametta, decided to transform a cluster of old coastal dwellings on the Sicilian island of Salina in unique guest accommodation: a labour of love which resulted in Hotel Signum.

Hotel Signum has a total of 30 bedrooms, each one individually appointed and bearing the name of one of the fragrant plants which grow spontaneously on this, the greenest of the Aeolian islands. Many of the rooms open out on to terraces and balconies from where to admire breathtaking views of the sea and the gardens which surround the hotel.

The relaxed atmosphere of the hotel's restaurant is particularly conducive to leisurely meals spent savouring the island's flavour-packed cuisine and perusing Hotel Signum's wine list - where to find any number of excellent red and white wines, champagnes and, of course, the local Malvasia dessert wine.

When not basking in the sunshine by the hotel's panoramic swimming pool, guests might well be whiling away the day in Hotel Signum's brand new Salus per Aquam Spa. The design of this beautiful wellness facility has been inspired by that of the traditional Aeolian thermal baths, as have many of the treatments - such as the steam baths to be taken in the "Thermal Stove", a reproduction of the 3500 year old stove found in the ancient Roman baths of San Calogero in Lipari.