The Delphina Valle dell'Erica resort in Sardinia is huge . Even the name is on the big side and when I looked at its website I had misgivings , not least because I have stayed in so many unwieldy hotels around the world that I always long for something small and personal . I had visions of elbowing fellow holidaymakers at the breakfast buffet and setting the alarm to grab a sun lounger that might actually face the sun . Mum 's the word : Jodie and her son Indio enjoyed their first trip to Sardinia . What 's more , this was to be an important holiday for my three-year-old son , Indio , and neither of us had been to this Italian island before . But , from the moment we set foot in the 28-hectare resort near Santa Teresa Gallura , I realised my worries were entirely misplaced . Frankly , we were bowled over . Yes , it is big - in fact it is really two hotels joined together - but it never felt big and there were days when we hardly saw a soul . It helps , of course , that there are five or six different beaches to choose from , four swimming pools ( three with salt water ) , five restaurants , five bars , a mini football pitch and golf course . Our room faced the sea . On clear days we could see Corsica looming over the Strait of Bonifacio and every evening we were treated to spectacular sunsets . Whoever designed this place should take a bow . There were children 's areas , adults-only areas , family areas and ones where no one seemed to go at all . Everywhere there was an abundance of trees , shrubs and pots spilling over with all the colours of the Mediterranean . You could potter about for hours along shaded walkways as if wandering around your own private garden . The word that kept coming into my mind was 'tranquil ' , which , given there are more than 250 rooms , is amazing . Even the staff seemed completely relaxed , but they were also highly efficient and went out of their way to make everyone feel special . On a couple of occasions I arranged for a babysitter for Indio and , believe me , I am not a mother who readily leaves her child with a total stranger . But I trusted them completely and Indio seemed to look forward to their arrival . There were very few British people staying - and lots of Italians . I took that as a good sign because Italians love children . They also love food and wine and are at their best in the sunshine . Come to think of it , food , wine and sunshine rate high on my own list of priorities — especially food , after MasterChef , where to my astonishment I reached the final . The big morning decision was whether to make camp by the pool or on one of the beaches . Bolts from the blue : The hotel sits on the serene waters of the Strait of Bonifacio . I liked having that choice and what I liked especially was that the beaches were quiet and not overrun with jet skiers . One day , I dropped Indio off at the kids ' club and booked in for a day of windsurfing and kitesurfing . I learned to windsurf in Barbados , where my mother and brother still live and where I try to visit as often as I can . But I had never attempted kite-surfing . Kite-surfing is great fun once you get the hang of it - and you need a good teacher . It 's also fantastic exercise , because it depends a lot on core muscles and , as we are relentlessly told by fitness gurus , it 's those core muscles that form the basis of a well-toned body . With kitesurfing , you first have to learn how to fly a kite , which means getting to grips with the direction of the wind . In fact , there 's a lot of preparation work to do before going on the water and having a board strapped to your feet . I seemed to get the hang of it . Perhaps our best day was when we went out on Poseidon , one of the resort 's fishing boats . We went exploring around the north point and then visited the island of Maddalena . It was magical - and the ice creams were the best ever . We called in at the church of Santa Maria Maddalena and then I swam back to the boat and was met with drinks and canapes . Delphina has a Thalasso spa , where I spent as much time as I could . It has lots of jets that pummel your body into submission but afterwards you feel amazingly invigorated and ready to conquer the world . Actually , I think Indio and I both felt ready to conquer something or other after our a week at Delphina . More importantly , our holiday worked brilliantly for both of us . I know we will be back and just hope it 's soon . Double rooms at Resort Valle dell'Erica Thalasso & Spa ( 0039 0789 790316 , www.delphinahotels.co.uk ) start at £103 per person per night , half-board . easyJet ( easyjet.com ) flies from London to Olbia from £58 return . More information on Sardinia at www.sardegnaturismo.it/en .
writer and illustrator Jodie Kidd ##berg took her son Indio to Italy . They spent their holiday on Sardinia - neither had visited the island before . They stayed at the family - friendly villa Valle dell'Erica ##o .