You can’t beat the Italian Adriatic for sun, sea, sand and local food, as Michelle Dickson discovers.

The view...

Terme Beach Resort is a small, friendly waterfront hotel on the outskirts of Ravenna on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Bag a beach-facing balcony room or enjoy uninterrupted ocean views over breakfast on the roof terrace.

The food...

Everything we ate at Terme Beach Resort was a treat – from the seafood fritto misto at lunch in the beachside Marlin restaurant to cheese-filled cappelletti pasta at dinner. Alternatively, it’s a 15-minute walk up the coast in one direction to Punta Marina, where we tucked into big plates of hearty food at Il Molinetto and a 30-minute walk in the other to Marina di Ravenna for macaroni with crayfish at Le Corti.

Chill out…

With its mineral-rich thermal spring, the hotel’s clinical spa and wellness centre is popular with guests and locals. Try an invigorating salt and olive oil scrub followed by a soak in the thermal waters.

Enjoy an away day...

It’s a 15-minute taxi ride to the centre of the Roman city of Ravenna with its eight World Heritage sites and famous mosaics. Or, borrow free bikes from the hotel and cycle in. For rustic Italian fare around communal tables, Ristorante Ca’ de Vèn, housed in an ancient spice warehouse, is a local lunchtime favourite. Half an hour’s scenic drive inland brings you to the picturesque town of Forlimpopoli, the home of Casa Artusi. This gastronomic cultural centre in a converted church is dedicated to Italian cooking and has a lovely restaurant, cookery school, bookshop and wine cellar.

For more information, visit termebeachresort.com.