Monna Lisa

You come here for a straightforward island hotel with the useful things in place: a restaurant, a bar, free Wi-Fi, parking and a beach nearby. Hotel Monnalisa has 33 rooms across two floors, with a garden and terrace for the less energetic parts of the day.

The atmosphere suits divers who want a base rather than a stage set. You can head out for the coast, return to air-conditioning and a proper meal, then leave the evening to the terrace or the bar. English and Italian are spoken by the hotel team, so you will be understood without turning dinner into a linguistic exercise.

There is also a fitness area, a garden and room service, giving you a few ways to spend the hours when your legs have had enough of both fins and sightseeing.

The hotel is in Marciana, on Elba, in a coastal setting close to Procchio and its golden-sand beach. Sun loungers and parasols are available by the beach, which gives you an easy option for a day when the dive plan has been sensibly replaced by doing very little.

Portoferraio, the island's ferry port, is about 7.5 miles away. Marciana Marina is roughly 4.3 miles from the hotel, while Marina di Campo is about 3.1 miles away. That puts several useful bases within reach if you have a car or arrange one for the island roads.

The nearest airport is about 2.5 miles away. Free parking on site makes the hotel particularly practical for an island trip built around a hire car or your own wheels.

For a couple, the double rooms give you the obvious starting point, with air-conditioning, a fan, private bathroom, shower, television, Wi-Fi, safe, wardrobe and toiletries available in the better-equipped categories. Some double and standard options also have a balcony, which is the useful choice when you want somewhere to sit rather than simply somewhere to sleep.

Travelling alone? Single rooms keep the arrangement simple. For three or four guests, triple and quadruple rooms provide the relevant capacity, while family rooms and family rooms with balconies cover the larger-room side of the menu. Room service is available, which is handy when the day has left you more interested in food than conversation.

Air-conditioning matters on warm island nights, while the fan gives you another way to keep the room comfortable. A mini-bar is available in some categories, and selected rooms also include a desk, hairdryer, safe and wardrobe. The standard double with a double bed is the practical couple's choice; the balcony version is the one to consider when outdoor space matters more than keeping the room purely functional.

Breakfast is served as a buffet, and you can book either bed and breakfast or half board. The restaurant serves meals at the table, with a varied menu that moves between national dishes and specialities from Elba. The cooking follows local traditions and uses straightforward, balanced ingredients rather than trying to turn dinner into theatre.

There is one bar, along with a snack bar, so you have somewhere for a drink or a lighter bite without making every return from the coast a formal occasion. Coffee and tea are available for guests, and breakfast can also be served in your room.

Celiac-friendly options are available. That is worth knowing before the first meal, particularly if your appetite has been working as hard as your dive computer.

The beach is the main answer when you want the sea without a cylinder: golden sand, sun loungers and parasols. The garden and terrace offer a quieter place to sit, while the hotel's outdoor furniture keeps the arrangement pleasantly simple. No complicated programme is required; a chair and a patch of shade can do a respectable job after a morning outdoors.

For a little more movement, the hotel has a fitness area and offers access to hiking and cycling activities. Windsurfing is also available for days when sitting still has lost its appeal. The island setting gives these options more purpose than a token exercise room beside a corridor.

Families have a children's play area, babysitting and a children's menu. For everyone else, the useful rhythm is clear enough: beach, walk, terrace, dinner, bar. Repeat until the ferry home becomes unavoidable.

Reception is open around the clock, while standard check-in runs from 4 pm to 8 pm and check-out is by 10 am. Express check-in and check-out are available, and the hotel offers luggage storage for the awkward gap between leaving the room and leaving the island.

Free parking is available on site. Car hire can be arranged, and the hotel also offers excursion assistance, which is useful when you want to see more of Elba without spending the evening assembling a route from scratch. Laundry and dry-cleaning services are available as well; useful after several days of salt, dust and clothes chosen mainly for their ability to dry quickly.

The hotel accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and bank transfer. Bring an official photo ID or passport for every guest, including children, at arrival. The hotel closes in November, so the calendar matters before anything else.