Sicily is not a golf island like the Algarve. It has a handful of courses worth flying for, and they sit far apart: one on the south-west coast, one on the slopes of Etna, one in the citrus groves outside Syracuse. Pick the wrong base and you spend your holiday on the SS115 instead of the fairway. This guide is about where to sleep: which hotels put you on the first tee, which city hotels make sensible golf bases, and how to link them into a road trip.
This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Quick answer: the best golf hotels in Sicily for 2026
- Best golf resort overall: Verdura Resort, Sciacca (45 holes on site)
- Best for golf plus Etna and wine: Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa, Castiglione di Sicilia
- Best on-course hotel in the south-east: Dolce by Wyndham Siracusa I Monasteri Golf & Spa
- Best city base with golf access: Villa Igiea, Palermo (winter golf offer with transfers to Verdura)
- Best luxury base for non-golfing partners: Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina (about 45 minutes to Il Picciolo)
For how the courses actually play, see our guide to golf in Sicily; for the rest of the country, our hub on the best golf resorts in Italy.
Check prices and availability
Verdura books out early for spring and autumn, the two prime golf seasons. Compare rates now if your dates are fixed.
What changed for golfers in Sicily in 2026
Two pieces of news matter. First, Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa near Ragusa is closed. It shut in 2020, changed hands in late 2025 and is now managed by the Portuguese operator Details, which is renovating both 18-hole courses ahead of a planned 2027 relaunch. Some booking sites still list it, so do not plan around it this year. The new Mangia’s Costa Ragusa resorts next door opened in summer 2026 without golf.
Second, Le Madonie Golf in Collesano, east of Palermo, closed in 2012. The property has since been sold and a revival discussed, but we could not confirm it is open for green fees, so ask the club directly. Sikania, which you may see mentioned, is a beach resort near Butera with no course.
The good news: Il Picciolo on Etna reopened in 2025 after an €18 million upgrade under Hilton’s Curio Collection, and the I Monasteri resort near Syracuse relaunched the same year under Wyndham’s Dolce brand.
Golf hotels in Sicily at a glance
| Hotel | Area | Nearest course and drive | Golf on site? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdura Resort | Sciacca, south-west | Verdura East, West and Short Course, on site | Yes, 45 holes | Serious golf weeks |
| Mangia’s Torre del Barone | Sciacca, south-west | Verdura, roughly 20 minutes | No | Families, value |
| Villa Igiea | Palermo | Parco Airoldi 9 holes in the city; Verdura about 1 hr 40 min | No | City break with a golf day |
| Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa | Castiglione di Sicilia, Etna | Il Picciolo, on site | Yes, 18 holes | Golf plus wine country |
| Grand Hotel Timeo | Taormina | Il Picciolo, about 45 minutes | No | Mixed golf and non-golf couples |
| Dolce by Wyndham Siracusa I Monasteri | Outside Syracuse | I Monasteri, on site | Yes, 18 holes | Relaxed golf in the south-east |
| Ortea Palace Hotel | Syracuse | I Monasteri, about 20 minutes | No | Golf with Ortigia evenings |
The best golf hotels in Sicily
Verdura Resort, Sciacca
This is the reason most golfers come to Sicily. Rocco Forte’s resort spreads over roughly 230 hectares of the south-west coast, with about two kilometres of shoreline and a private pebble beach. Kyle Phillips designed all three layouts: the East Links (18 holes, par 73), the West Shore (18 holes, par 70, with sea views on the back nine) and a nine-hole par-3 Short Course next to the practice ground. Guests get guaranteed tee times, plus a pro shop, rental clubs, buggies and lessons. Around 200 rooms, suites and villas look towards the sea, and the Irene Forte Spa, pools and several restaurants keep non-golfers happy.
Read our full review: Verdura Resort review
Two practical points. The hotel is seasonal, generally open mid-March to mid-November. And it is remote: allow roughly 80 to 100 minutes from Palermo or Trapani airport. The obvious half-day trip is Agrigento, see our guide to the Valley of the Temples.
Best for: A dedicated golf week where you never need to get in the car.
Mangia’s Torre del Barone Resort & Spa, Sciacca
The sensible alternative if Verdura is full. Torre del Barone reopened as a five-star resort in 2023 after a €15 million renovation, with 231 rooms in a five-storey block facing the sea, an outdoor pool, and a spa with a heated indoor pool. Whether every room has a true sea view was not clear from our research, so book a sea-view category if it matters. It borders Sciaccamare beach and sits about four kilometres from Sciacca town. There is no golf on site and no published golf package, so ask the hotel to book Verdura tee times and transfers.
Read our full review: Mangia’s Torre del Barone review
Best for: Families and groups where only one or two people play.
Check rates at Mangia’s Torre del Barone
Villa Igiea, Palermo
Villa Igiea is the Art Nouveau grande dame of Palermo, also run by Rocco Forte, with 72 rooms and 28 suites set above the sea at the edge of the city, gardens that run down towards the water, a pool and an Irene Forte Spa. It is about 30 minutes from Palermo airport. What makes it relevant here is a winter offer from the hotel: two nights with breakfast, one day of unlimited golf for two at Verdura and a return transfer arranged by the concierge, with golf days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The drive is about 1 hour 40 minutes each way, so it is a long day, but it is the most elegant way to combine Palermo with a round of proper golf. Clubs and buggies are not included, extra rounds cost around 50 euros per person per day, and the offer has been blacked out over Christmas and New Year (roughly 22 December to 8 January). Check whether it is running for your dates.
Read our full review: Rocco Forte Villa Igiea review
For a quick nine without leaving the city, Golf Club Palermo at Parco Airoldi is a short par-32 course in an 18th-century park, with views towards Monte Pellegrino. It is charming rather than championship standard. Our guide on where to stay in Palermo covers more city options.
Best for: A city break with one serious golf day, especially in the cooler months.
Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa, Castiglione di Sicilia
The only hotel on Etna with its own championship course: 18 holes, par 72, opened in 1989, on the northern slopes of Etna with the volcano above you. A 2025 renovation worth €18 million refreshed the hotel, spa, bunkers and tees, and brought it into Hilton’s Curio Collection. Expect about 100 rooms in a restored manor, a spa with hydromassage pool, sauna and steam room, outdoor pools and three restaurants. Tee times book online.
Read our full review: Il Picciolo Etna Golf Resort review
It is about an hour from Catania airport. The resort has sold winter golf packages and reopened for 2026 in mid-February after works, so ask about winter dates. Choose it if Etna wine matters as much as your handicap: see our Mount Etna wine tours.
Best for: Golfers who want to play daily and taste Nerello Mascalese in the afternoons.
Check rates at Picciolo Etna Golf Resort
Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina
Not a golf hotel, and that is the point. If one of you plays and the other wants Taormina, Belmond’s Timeo is the most glamorous compromise: next to the Greek Theatre, with gardens and a pool above the Bay of Naxos. Il Picciolo is about 45 minutes by car. There is no published golf package, so ask the concierge to arrange tee times and a driver. Timeo has stayed open in recent winters, but confirm your dates. Our guide on where to stay in Taormina has alternatives at different price points.
Read our full review: Grand Hotel Timeo review
Best for: Couples where golf is one part of the holiday, not all of it.
Check rates at Grand Hotel Timeo
Dolce by Wyndham Siracusa I Monasteri Golf & Spa, Syracuse
Set in orange and lemon groves a short drive inland from Syracuse, this resort reopened under Wyndham’s Dolce brand in June 2025. The course is 18 holes, par 71, designed by David and Vincenzo Mezzacane, and spreads over around 90 hectares of citrus plantation with views towards the Iblei hills. The hotel occupies a converted monastery with 102 rooms and suites, a spa with indoor and outdoor pools, and the Le Ceramiche restaurant. It is about 71 kilometres from Catania airport, and the hotel says Syracuse is 10 minutes away (allow 15 to 25 minutes to reach Ortigia and park). Important for 2026: the hotel states that the golf course and the spa are closed for renovation until November 2026, so confirm in writing that both have reopened before you book around them.
Read our full review: I Monasteri Golf Resort review
Best for: A calm, mid-priced golf stay within reach of Ortigia and the Baroque towns.
Check rates at Dolce Siracusa I Monasteri
Ortea Palace Hotel, Autograph Collection, Syracuse
For golfers who would rather wake up in the city, Ortea Palace is the most polished option, housed in the former 1920s post office at the northern entrance to Ortigia itself, facing the Porto Piccolo marina. It has 75 rooms and suites, an indoor pool, a spa and the Incanto rooftop restaurant. I Monasteri is about 20 minutes away, so you can play in the morning and walk Ortigia by sunset. The hotel sits outside the ZTL traffic zone, handy when loading clubs into a car. Ask the concierge about tee times.
Read our full review: Ortea Palace review
Best for: Golf by day, Ortigia by night.
Check rates at Ortea Palace Hotel
Check prices and availability
Playing on Etna? Compare Taormina hotels against the on-course rooms at Il Picciolo before you decide on a base.
Build a Sicily golf road trip
The island is bigger than it looks. Rather than criss-crossing, split the trip into a west leg and an east leg, or pick one side.
West: Palermo and Sciacca (5 to 7 nights)
- Fly into Palermo. Spend two nights in the city, with nine holes at Parco Airoldi if you are itching to swing.
- Drive south to Sciacca and stay four or five nights at Verdura or Torre del Barone. Play East and West on alternate days, and save the Short Course for an evening loop.
- Take one morning off for Agrigento, roughly an hour east along the coast.
East: Etna and Syracuse (5 to 7 nights)
- Fly into Catania and pick up a car with a boot big enough for golf bags.
- Stay three nights at Il Picciolo, or in Taormina if your partner prefers the sea. Add a winery lunch between rounds.
- Drive south to Syracuse for three nights, playing I Monasteri twice once the course has reopened (the hotel announces November 2026; confirm before you book). Spend a day in Noto; see where to stay in Noto if you would rather base yourself there.
Doing both legs? Allow at least ten nights and one long transfer day: Sciacca to Syracuse or Etna is a full morning on the road. For the bigger picture of the island’s regions, read our guide to the best luxury hotels in Sicily.
Charlotte’s tip: play Verdura in the off-season from Palermo
When Verdura’s hotel closes for the winter, the golf does not disappear from your options. Villa Igiea’s winter golf weekend sends you down with a driver for a day on the Phillips courses and brings you back to Palermo for dinner. Pick the Friday, before the weekend crowd, and ask the concierge for the earliest possible departure so you can fit in 27 holes before the light goes.
When is the best season for golf in Sicily?
April to early June and late September to early November are ideal: warm, dry, green fairways and hotel rates below August peaks. These are also the busiest golf weeks at Verdura, so book tee times with your room.
July and August are hot, often well above 30°C on the south coast, and you will want to tee off at dawn. Etna is a little cooler thanks to the altitude.
Winter is mild by the sea, but options narrow: Verdura’s hotel generally closes mid-November to mid-March, and Il Picciolo has alternated between winter opening and works. Etna mornings can be cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hotel in Sicily has the most golf?
Verdura Resort near Sciacca, with two 18-hole Kyle Phillips courses and a nine-hole par-3 course, 45 holes in total. No other hotel on the island comes close.
Is Donnafugata Golf Resort open in 2026?
No. It closed in 2020 and is being renovated, with a relaunch planned for 2027. The new Costa Ragusa resorts next door do not have golf yet.
Can I stay in Taormina and play golf?
Yes. Il Picciolo on Etna is about 45 minutes by car from Taormina. Ask your hotel to book the tee time and a driver, especially if you want to join a winery visit afterwards.
Do I need a handicap certificate to play in Sicily?
Italian clubs commonly ask for proof of handicap or club membership. Requirements vary by course, so bring your card and ask the club or hotel when booking.
