Cala di Volpe: history, renovation, and a new era for the iconic hotel

New spaces, contemporary design, and a timeless hospitality experience

There are places that stand the test of time without losing their aura. Hotel Cala di Volpe is one of these: not just a hotel, but the very symbol of a unique place, the point where architecture, landscape, and the art of hospitality shaped a new idea of the Mediterranean. Conceived in 1963 from the vision of Prince Karim Aga Khan and the genius of Jacques Couëlle, it was imagined as a village overlooking the water, made of towers, arches, terraces, irregular plasterwork, and coloured glass. A liveable work of art, able to seem both ancient and futuristic, it became the favourite haunt of the international jet set in the 1960s and 1970s and even a backdrop for a James Bond movie. But to remain so, icons must be able to transform. In recent years, Cala di Volpe has undergone a true renaissance, with a renovation process that began in 2018 and concluded in 2023, designed not to erase the past, but to restore its strength and contemporaneity. Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille have reinterpreted much of the structure with the sensitivity of those who enter a masterpiece without intending to overwrite it.

Cala di Volpe

The lobby, bars, restaurants, rooms, suites, and common areas have been reimagined using natural materials, custom furnishings, sand tones, wood, terracotta, fabrics, and coloured glass, preserving Couëlle’s organic grammar while almost invisibly integrating modern creature comforts. Rodolfo Dordoni and his studio worked on the original wing and the wellness area, translating the hotel’s ambience into something more streamlined and sophisticated.

The spa, created in the spaces once used as a nightclub, has become a sensorial refuge made of stone, wood, light, and references to Nuragic culture. The rooms and suites in the historic section have rediscovered their proportions, functionality, and understated elegance, always in dialogue with the landscape.

Cala di Volpe

Today, Cala di Volpe is a destination within a destination. The rooms and suites open onto the bay, the terraces become seaside lounges, the pool and beach set the pace of the day, while restaurants and bars create an international culinary journey with interesting trend-related excursions. Wellness, sports, family-oriented experiences, boutiques and exclusive services make up a complete universe, designed to attract different generations without sacrificing its legendary status.

This is its true modernity: continuing to evolve while remaining instantly recognizable. Cala di Volpe has not ceased to be an icon; it has learned to be reborn once again.