Experience Relais " Il Termine Elba "

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. There are simply no words to describe our experience at El Termine. It is way more beautiful and glorious than the pictures show. Attention to details, sophistication, most beautiful nature, comfort, and many, many unexpected experiences all around, all day long. On top of everything else, you make real friends there. Silvia, Mateo, their family and all the staff are just fantastic individuals and the best company. We still miss them, each one of them! Our family of four stayed for a week and we already dream of coming back.

The prior reviews here are what convinced me to book Il Termine and they did not disappoint. If you are looking for a special, and unique experience, Il Termine is it. From the moment we arrived we felt like we were part of the Il Termine family, Silvia, Maya, Clara, and Assa took good care of us, dropping us off and picking us up for a hike, sharing the best place to go to the beach and of course the boat ride with Matteo and Silvia was our favorite. But what sets Il Termine apart is their food, all local products and made with care. Breakfast overlooking the sea and a four course dinner meal each evening - we didn’t have one complaint. Except that our stay wasn’t long enough! Silvia made the logistics simple, helping us with the train and ferry schedule, and booking us taxis when we needed one. Elba island is a slice of heaven, and one you should not miss. We will be back one day and look forward to reuniting with our Il Termine family.

We were debating about doing a review for Il Termine on TripAdvisor, because we found it so rare and special, we almost wanted to keep it to ourselves. But Sylvia, Maya, Matteo and their staff are SO exceptional, and the experience they create is SO special, it really would be selfish not to share it. Il Termine is a high-touch, boutique relais experience. With just five lovely and comfortable rooms, it is tiny and intimate. But what makes it so special and unusual is its physical location, the incredibly warm and generous attention and service, and the Michelin-quality meals prepared by Liza and Federico—and served by lovely Maya—in a jewel-like farmhouse setting. It is definitely "off the beaten path," a few km up a winding dirt road in the middle of a national park (thank you for the rides, Isa!) So if you’re visiting Elba to shop, wander about town, or go out to restaurants, this may not be your place. If, however, you appreciate a Garden-of-Eden-like setting on a rambling property with olive groves, lemon trees, mountain-high views to the sea, private jacuzzis in the woods, white-tablecloth dining al fresco, a lovely pool, and the option of day-boating or fishing with Captain Matteo, you’d be hard pressed to find a more delightful spot on Elba. Part of what makes the experience so delightful are Sylvia, her charming and knowledgeable daughter Maya, and Matteo, the visionary behind the property, which he’s crafted by hand—literally—over many years. They are gracious and lovely Elbans, with a deep knowledge of the island, and an abiding respect for its natural beauty and specialness. Hire them to take you to Portoferraio or Porto Azzurro by boat (Matteo captains a comfortable Rampage 38 Express—plenty of room for up to 8 people) and to swim in some of Elba’s crystal clear coves. Not inexpensive...but as an experience, truly EXCEPTIONAL. We also took a cooking class with Liza, filleting freshly-caught occhione (a local fish), and preparing citrus-cooked crudo. It was incredibly fun and delicious. If you decide to visit and stay at Il Termine (and you should) you will also have an experience you may want to guard jealously as your own. Grazie mille, Sylvia, Maya, Ricky, Matteo, Liza, Federico, and Isa. We absolutely adored staying with you.