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Airone
Neilson’s Airone hotel sits away from surrounding villages.
You can access these using brand new road or mountain
bikes Neilson have for guests to use. Alternatively hire a car
and go exploring. During our two week stay Neilson laid on
transport to one of the medieval mountain settlements
around 15 minutes away. Rossano town is famous for
liquorice and even has a museum dedicated to the
Glycyrrhiza glabra root. It also has a good selection of bars
and restaurants for those not enamoured by the aniseed
tasting snack.
WORDS: TEZ PLAVENIEKS
PICS: CE PHOTO, DAVID
GREEN, FI PLAVENIEKS
IT’S HARD NOT TO LOOK AT
WIND FORECASTS WHEN
HEADING AWAY ON A TRIP –
ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A
WINDSURFER WHOSE DAILY ROUTINE
INVOLVES POURING OVER WEATHER
CHARTS. And yet, when readying for our
recent jaunt to Neilson Holiday’s new
Airone Beachclub, Calabria, Italy, I held fast
and didn’t even once sneak a peek.
Reports on the grapevine were that Airone – located
just outside Sibaris on the Gulf of Taranto – is a light
wind resort. With that in mind I’d made the decision to
treat it as a holiday, rather than specific windsurfing
trip. If we got anything in terms of blow then Brucie
bonus…but I certainly wasn’t banking on it.
Back in resort there are a whole host of facilities that any
returning Neilson guests will be familiar with. Tennis courts,
a fab kids club, yoga, fitness and wellbeing/spa centre,
huge swimming pool and of course the beach with its
associated watersports toys.
Travellers of all types will find plenty of suitable
accommodation, from double rooms to garden villas which
we stayed in. There’s plenty of (authentic) choice at the
restaurant buffet which also saw our nine-month old son
well looked after in the face of having a number of allergies.
The hotel staff couldn’t do enough to help – big up!
The beach
Flanked by dense pine forest the walk to Neilson’s Airone
beach front is extremely pleasant. During hot spells it offers
sanctuary from the heat as it remains cool and shaded.
Emerging into the light you’re treated to a huge expanse of
sandy beach that stretches for miles in either direction.
Azure coloured Ionian waters lap the shoreline with
watersports toys– dinghies, windsurf kit, kayaks and SUPs –
to the left. For those simply wanting to chill then plenty of
sunbeds and umbrellas are available to use.
The beach is dominated by a huge lifeguard tower in the
middle. Manned by both English and Italian staff this instils
confidence. There’s also a well-stocked beach bar for post-
session refreshments. As far as Neilson beaches go (and
I’ve stood on a few) Airone is sublime.
uk
WIND
SURFING