Cambiocavallo

Minimalist hotel with pool occupying an 18th-century post-house in the deep south, between the sea and the Baroque town of Modica

Cambiocavallo – literally ‘change of horses’, a reference to its 18th-century beginnings as a post house – is an intimate 8-room hotel, whose original limestone walls alternate with bold contemporary washes of lavender and raspberry. It lies on an agricultural plain in the deep south of Sicily, a fascinating zone of dramatic limestone gorges, magnificent Baroque towns and endless sandy beaches thrashed by breakers.

Hot dry winds make Africa seem but a breath away, a feeling reinforced by cool minimalistic rooms, shady bamboo-roofed terraces, geometric Arab gardens and a figure-of-eight pool whose water stays warm well into the night. This hotel, designed and owned by local architects who are new to the hospitality business, was in its infancy when we visited, but charming staff and a genuine desire to make your stay as comfortable as possible augur well. It would suit couples wanting a quiet retreat from which to explore the area, its fine restaurants and beaches by car.

Highs

• High-spec bedrooms with the comfiest pillows we've seen in Sicily
• Charming Italian, French and American staff, who do their job with the air of hosts
• Exquisite decorative touches – a leaf of prickly pear in a cubic vase, a waist-high glass wedge full of almonds – root the hotel firmly in its environment
• Breakfast is brought to your terrace at no charge - a lovely start to the day
• 2 Blue Flag beaches at Pozzallo, 5km from the hotel: golden sands and clear seas (and some ugly development)

Lows

• Breakfast, though beautifully styled, includes commercial cakes and disappointing fruit; and for other meals you'll have to drive to nearby Modica or Pozzallo
• There can be smells of silage from the nearby fields
• Lack of room numbers on doors may be taking minimalism too far!
• There were some minor niggles in our room