Grand Hotel Resort Ma&Ma

Although the Grand Hotel Resort Ma&Ma attracts some vacationing families, its clientele tends to skew towards couples looking for a measure of solitude. While the hotel's peach exterior resembles a traditional Sicilian building, interiors are bright and modern, decorated in a mostly monochromatic, minimalist flair. The lobby's beige-tiled floors are topped by black rugs and white-leather couches with deep-red throw pillows, and walls have panels with geometric cutouts. An adjacent bar has walls covered in black leather squares, bright-white bucket seats, and a black piano underneath a modern chandelier. When the weather is nice, most guests spend their days out by the lovely bay-view pool, or at a nearby beach. The atmosphere is quiet, upscale, and romantic, but facilities and rooms fall short of the advertised five-star rating.

The hotel is located in a quiet area on the island of La Maddalena, just off Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda. The island’s capital, La Maddalena, is a 20-minute ferry ride away from the Sardinian port town of Palau. From the hotel, it's a five-minute walk to the pretty bay and sandy beach, and either a 30-minute walk or eight-minute drive to La Maddalena. A free resort shuttle bus runs to the center of town. Expect a 90-minute transfer to Aeroporto di Olbia Costa Smeralda by car and ferry, while it’s a three-hour transfer to Figari Sud-Corse on Corsica. There almost no dining or shopping options in the immediate area, but a supermarket is 10 minutes away on foot.

Rooms here are modern, boldly decorated, and outfitted with all the typical amenities of an upscale property. The design varies a bit between room category, but expect dramatic accent walls with blue or red paint, or patterned wallpaper, clean-lined black and white wood furniture, pale-wood floors, and linens in blue, black, or brown hues. Suites have more elegant and extensive decor, plus sitting areas and jetted tubs -- some on the outdoor terrace. All rooms have furnished outdoor spaces, but views vary between distant sea and parking lot vistas. Also standard are desks with chairs, air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, closets with electronic safes, and minibars. Most rooms lack kettles and coffeemakers, but suites have espresso machines. Most bathrooms have lovely mosaic tiling in blue or pearl shades, plus rainfall showers, bidets, hairdryers, and high-end Acqua di Parma toiletries. 

The standout feature of the Grand Hotel Resort Ma&Ma is the well-equipped spa, which offers a range of massage therapies and wellness treatments, an indoor pool with dissolved magnesium and potassium salts, a Turkish bath, sauna, flotation tank with chromotherapy, and a hot tub. Guests have free access to the pool, Turkish bath, and the sauna. As well as this, there is a small gym with a handful of machines and free weights.

A decent-sized outdoor pool sits in a sunny terrace with a small pool bar serving light snacks and drinks. Some dining sets and limited loungers surround the pool. The pool is set within three acres of lushly verdant grounds, dotted with olive trees and sofas positioned to make the most of bay views -- a set of stairs by the pool leads to a daybed. As well as the bar by the pool, the hotel has a lobby bar with a grand piano. The hotel’s L’Antica Isola restaurant serves free buffet breakfasts with hot and cold fare, as well as lunch and dinner made from local and seasonal Sicilian ingredients.

The hotel has a business center with two conference halls, capable of holding 105 guests. These can also be hired out for various events. There is a free shuttle bus service to the town of La Maddalena. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.