Kale Beach Club

Kale sits in Contrada Guardiana at Portopalo di Capo Passero, on the beach locals call Carratois, at Sicily's southernmost point with Isola delle Correnti and its lighthouse directly offshore. This is where the Ionian and the Mediterranean meet, which is why the water shifts colour and why it can get breezy in the afternoon. The set-up is 90 umbrellas thatched in African cane over 180 loungers, plus four canopies and four larger family shades. Each station gets a lockable wooden box for phones and wallets and a courtesy kit, which is a practical touch on a beach where you will be in and out of the water. The restaurant serves lunch every day, mixing traditional Sicilian dishes with more worked plates, sourcing from producers in the surrounding area, and the fish cooking gets consistently good notices along with the wine list and cocktails. The bar runs from morning through to dusk. Prices sit at the higher end for this coast and reviewers say so plainly. Loungers and deckchairs drop to half price after four in the afternoon, which is the cheap way in. Pets are welcome and there is parking.