Hotel La Baia

Some hotels are built for staying put; this one is built around the island's daily movement. Hotel La Baia sits above Ponza's ferry port and harbour, with typically decorated, air-conditioned rooms and the promenade close enough to reach without turning the walk into an expedition.

You can come back from the sea, shower, cool down and be at dinner without needing another transfer. The address suits couples who want the harbour on the doorstep, but the family room with terrace gives larger groups more room to spread out. A practical base, then, with a proper restaurant opposite and the island passing by below.

Via Nuova 16 places you in Ponza, Italy, in a central and panoramic position over the ferry port and harbour. The hotel stands on a quiet street leading towards the Corso Carlo Pisacane promenade, so you can move between the waterfront, the bus terminal and the town on foot.

Spiaggia S. Antonio is only a few steps away, while Spiaggia Giancos is about 0.2 miles from the hotel. Cala Feola is farther out, around 1.7 miles away by the mapped route. The pier for ferries and motorboats to Frontone beach is also nearby, which is handy when your idea of transport involves boarding a boat rather than finding a parking space.

You have several places to eat close by, including Il Pizzicotto around the corner, Lo Scirocco a short walk away and Il Timone roughly 150 feet from the hotel. Aperitivo al Melograno is about 750 feet away, with Bar Tripoli around 0.2 miles away.

The room choice is mostly about the view and the amount of space you need, rather than a parade of wildly different layouts. For two, the Double Room with Balcony and Sea View is the one to look at if you want the harbour scenery to be part of the stay rather than something glimpsed on the way to breakfast. The standard and economy doubles keep things simpler, with a king-size bed.

For three, choose the arrangement with a king-size bed and a single bed, with a sea-view version available when the outlook matters. The Family Room with Terrace is the clear practical option for a larger group, with space for up to six people and a combination of king-size and single beds. It is the room that gives you somewhere to put yourselves down properly after a day out, rather than asking everyone to negotiate the same small corner.

Every room has air conditioning, heating, a fan, television, wardrobe space, a desk and a minibar. The private bathroom includes a shower, bidet, toiletries and hairdryer. Daily housekeeping, a wake-up service and a lift to the upper floors cover the useful basics; free WiFi is available in the public areas.

Breakfast follows the Italian pattern, with cakes and coffee served in the morning between 08:00 and 10:00. That is the sort of start that works well on an island: coffee first, then enough sweet fuel to get moving. Breakfast can also be taken in your room.

Dinner is served at The Prince, the hotel's restaurant in the building directly opposite. Its terrace looks over the harbour, and the menu works with local recipes and seafood specialities in an à la carte format. Fish from Ponza is very much the point here, rather than an afterthought added to a generic menu.

The wine cellar brings carefully selected wines from representative Italian regions to the table. The hotel also has a bar, snack bar, minibar and room service, so you have options when a full restaurant meal feels ambitious but going completely without food feels even less sensible.

The main non-diving activity is on the water. Hotel La Baia can arrange excursions around Ponza aboard an approximately 10-metre gozzo with a shower, toilet and an experienced skipper. The boat reaches coves that cannot be accessed by land, including outings towards Palmarola or Zannone.

That gives you a useful second day plan when you want to see the island from the water without organising every detail yourself. You can also walk to Spiaggia S. Antonio or continue towards Spiaggia Giancos for time by the sea; both are close enough to keep the afternoon uncomplicated.

Back at the hotel, the terrace, harbour outlook and air-conditioned room do more of the resting work. There is no need to manufacture a timetable: Ponza supplies the movement, while your room supplies the pause.

Check-in starts from 14:00 and check-out runs until 10:30. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the hotel asks you to provide your expected arrival time in advance. The reception is open around the clock, with luggage storage and lockers available when the timing between ferry and room does not line up neatly.

The hotel is close to the ferry port, harbour, bus terminal and the pier for boats to Frontone beach, making arrival on Ponza straightforward once you are on the island. An adult accompanies each booking detail in practical terms here: keep your arrival time to hand and allow for the island's ferry schedule when planning the day.

Children of any age are welcome. Cots can be requested for children aged from 0 to 2, while children aged three and over are charged as adults; extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed, and payment in cash is not accepted.