Borgo Egnazia: The chicest family resort, just ask the Beckhams

Forget any negative ideas you had about kid-friendly resorts and take a tip from the A-list. This Puglian retreat is the ultimate Italian summer vacation to make all la famiglia happy.

Whenever the Beckham family go on holiday, they must feel like the star attraction in a travelling circus.

But when they arrived at the Borgo Egnazia hotel in Italy last week, refreshingly they were merely part of the side show along with the rest of the elegant holidaymakers, and us.

It took a second glance before we realised the man in the crowd perched behind us on a low whitewashed wall with a tattooed arm lovingly draped over his wife’s shoulder as she sipped on a large glass of red wine, was David and Victoria, one of the most famous couples in the world.

Sitting alongside were their children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, Harper and friends; faces lit up by the magic unfolding beneath them in the Puglian piazza.

Flame throwers, illuminated butterfly dancers on stilts, juggling acts, prancing horses, break dancers and a mass traditional dance. The majority of the 400 guests got up on their feet weaving their way around the courtyard, drawing everyone’s attention away from the famous family, leaving them to indulge in the wonder that is Borgo Egnazia.

The family had arrived during fiesta time, when the place bursts into life showcasing the best of the region; rustic trestle tables heaving with delicious local food, craftsmen sharing their wares and creamy Italian gelato on tap for adults and children alike.

But the main draw to the resort for the Beckham army, and people like singer Michael Bublé who had stayed with his wife and children just weeks previously, isn’t just the incredible parties; Borgo Egnazia is one of the chicest family resorts in the world.

The strapline says this is a place like ‘Nowhere else’ and it’s true. Here they have managed the impossible - a luxe resort that makes every generation feel special and uncompromised in their mission for holiday fun and relaxation.

Much like the Beckham’s other favourite haunt, Soho Farmhouse, the Borgo is a purpose built Italian wonderland, with flickers of soporific candlelight and delicate, relaxing scents wafting in the breeze.

Locals rallied against the building when the Melpignano family started their 10 year mission in the early 2000s. But what has been created by architect Pino Brescia, is a beautiful love letter to the region. The muted tones of the local tufa stone, turquoise splattered ceramics from the Grottaglie region, artwork incorporating protective symbols from the nearby Trulli houses and creamy soft furnishings from local craftspeople - all meld easily with the five star touches (including a newly extended Vair spa which boasts such indulgences as a ‘happiness’ programme).

The newly extended Vair spa boasts such indulgences as a ‘happiness’ programme and the hotel has just become the first Blue Zone approved hotel in the world. Using scientific Blue Zone research they have unlocked secrets to longevity of life and encourage wholesome activities such as walking through the olive groves with your family, a digital detox and my personal favourite 'Wine at 5'.

Watching the sun go down from the rooftop of our Cosetto, the whitewashed two-storey mini-townhouse which our family of four stayed comfortably, the vast gated compound resembled a Moroccan village to get lost in, not a hotel.

The faint noise of a donkey braying from the children’s farm could be heard alongside the smack of a club hitting ball on the lush green golf course beyond, and children playing in their three designated swimming pools opposite the Trullari kids club. (Adults have two separate expanses of water to splash around in closer to the main building). To the delight of burnt-out parents, kids skip with glee into the club, which caters for all ages from eight months upwards with an attention-grabbing collection of crafts, messy cookery lessons, swimming lessons and water-sports for the older teenagers at the hotel’s adjacent Cala Masciola beach club. It is win, win.

Famiglia is central to the beating heart of the hotel. In the Michelin-starred restaurant Due Camini, tables are laid with a traditional ‘Nonna’ crocheted throw and spare chair to represent extra family members that may pass by. (The menu is created from seasonal ingredients on the estate by Puglian-born sustainable chef Domingo Schingaro, who is described as a man of ‘few words and a thousand dishes that disclose ancient stories.’)

The unique addition to the luxury 250 square foot villas, which we heard Richard Branson and his family had also stayed in last year, is they come with their own Massaie or ‘Mama’; the Borgo’s version of a butler service.

‘They become part of the family and do everything from preparing dinner from scratch, cleaning, arranging special excursions or activities… some of our guests have cried when they have had to leave them behind,’ our hotel guide Lisa Nitti, confided. But that was as much as she was giving away. Discretion and the chance to be able to disappear on one of the free bikes around 20 hectares of countryside as the Beckhams showed on Instagram, or just stroll down the dreamy alleyways decorated with splashes of bougainvillea, that still feel uncrowded even during the peak summer, is what gives Borgo Egnazia an A-List endorsement for a family holiday.

As the Beckhams would attest, Borgo Egnazia truly tops the premier league of family holiday destinations.

Visit: borgoegnazia.com. Strada Comunale Egnazia,72015 Savelletri, Fasano BR, Italy.