Azure blue, yacht-embellished shores, sun-kissed rays, and sundowner aperitifs by a rippling infinity pool. The iconic emerald bay oasis of Costa Smeralda has served as a sybaritic paradisal playground, dripping with ravishing raw beauty for noble royals and pedigreed café society alike across the sphere, with their chi chi eateries, designer laden avenues and decadent five-star sanctums.
Still not placated with such brazen unabashed prestige, this jewel green coastal destination plays host to one of the world’s most prestigious golfing fraternities, Pevero Golf Club. Stretching to 6,107 meters, this 18-hole haven rests by the shimmering emerald ripples of the Cala di Volpe bay and sweeping crystal lakes.
With the UK heatwave a faraway memory as it descends into the bone-chilling, dark winter months, the glistening Costa Smeralda offers a semi-secluded, winter sun escape for well-heeled clientele looking to sharpen their golfing mastery, before indulging in a bon vivant fest of datterini tomato dressed prawns, homemade linguine and tender grilled lamb washed down with ice-chilled Aperol Spritz, all the while luxuriating in the balmy mild sun rays by the iconic jade tinged shoreline.
Golf
A trivial 10-minute drive from the café society of Porto Cervo, the Pevero Golf Club sits stamped as one of Europe’s most arduous golf courses since its inception in 1872 by landscape architect Robert Trent Jones, challenging even the most adept golfers to further earn those pro battle-scars.
The verdant terrain heavily plays on daring design perched right on the edge of a jagged coastline, with temperamental impact of the north-westerly wind keeping the players at their paces, sending their golf balls afar on the sprawling landscapes. Abundant bushes, fragrant with juniper, myrtle and wild strawberry, add to the bounty of the scenic panoramic haven, completed with the glistening spectacle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Pevero Golf Club offers a brimming calendar of stimulating golf tournaments and a programme of activities organised by the Pevero Golf Academy, including not only dedicated courses for adults, but also for future champion teenagers and children who want to get closer, even for the first time, to the world of golf. Some of many of the copious golf course features include an expert putting and pitching green, a bunker, chipping green, and a driving range with 20 outdoor and five indoor spaces perfect for instruction and practice. A golf pro is also available for private lessons.
Where to stay
Haughtily titled as the impassioned heart and soul of the spirited seaside resort retreat of Porto Cervo, the Cervo Hotel is continuing to welcome and host their elite cultured clientele throughout the winter season, as they seek to hone up on their golf techniques whilst escaping from the peak frosty interval to revel amongst luminous ambience of the Emerald Coast.
A one-time untrodden anchorage with no water, telephones nor electricity in reach with exception to some grazing goats, it was in 1964 that Luigi Vietti took to the design board to create the flamboyant, architectural resort landmark doused in intense shades of red, orange and pink stone, overlooking the glamorous Piazzetta of Porto Cervo while sitting just a leisurely stroll away from the from the glint of the pristine Marina, Cervo Tennis Club and pulsating nightlife.
Eighty lavish rooms and suites await their polished guests’ presence, enriched in a medley of state-of-the-art refined intricacy with a Sardinian rustic flair of snow white walls against terracotta tiles, pastel ornamentation and exquisite craft tapestries that flows in harmony with the rich heritage of this quintessential community. The presidential suite stands in a league of its own as a distinctive gem with two luxuriant bedrooms, and a lavish rooftop terrace boasting its own private heated jacuzzi as you overlook the hypnotic sweeping views of Porto Cervo’s unspoilt landscape, that promises an indelible vacation.
An array of piquant local and far-flung culinary festivities await to gratify those post golfing ravenous appetites, right in the ritzy abode of the Cervo Hotel. Jet-setting from the London’s cream of society recreation ground of Mayfair, the glitterati haunt of the Costa Smeralda’s own Novikov outpost serves up the signature Asian menu swirled with a Sardinian flavour essence. Distinguished diners can enjoy a gourmet fiesta of miso baby chicken, langoustine tartar and quail eggs and truffle gunkan, washed down with a deluxe collection of full bodied and delicate wines.
For a more authentic expression of the Mediterranean Sea, Quattro Passi Al Pescatore is a haven for seafood devotees where two-Michelin Star chef Antonio Mellino, has offered up a bona fide menu for guests to tuck into silken burrata dressed in lashings of pure olive oil, and meaty squid swirled in homemade tagliatelle whilst soaking up the enchantment of the glistening Marina, aperitif in hand.
A forever enthralling quarter of unblemished rapture, the Cervo Hotel hosts their glamorous visitors immersed in true Italian culture, with a vibrant atmosphere that breathes life into the epicentre of this debauched village.
Factbox
Pevero Golf Club
The Pervero Golf Club welcomes hotel guests and day visitors, with rates starting from Eur 100 in the low season.
Address: Via del Golf, 20, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy
Telephone: +390789976400
Website: peverogolfclub.com
Cervo Hotel
The Cervo Hotel remains open throughout the winter season with rates starting at approximately £250 a night.
Address: Piazzetta Costa Smeralda, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy
Telephone: +39 0789 931111
Website: marriott.com/en-us/hotels/olbsi-cervo-hotel-costa-smeralda-resort