Best Western Plus Fontana Falconieri Hotel

A historic early-1900s building puts you in the middle of Messina rather than in a resort bubble. The Best Western Plus Fontana Falconieri Hotel suits divers who want a city base with a proper bed, air conditioning, a drink downstairs and the freedom to walk out for dinner without organising a small expedition.

The setting is polished but not overdone. Rooms were renovated between 2024 and 2025, while the building keeps its period character. You have a lounge, a bar and a coffee shop for the useful moments between arrival and dinner, plus free WiFi throughout the hotel when photographs, messages or tomorrow’s plans need sorting.

This is a good fit for a couple combining diving with Messina’s historic centre, and for families who prefer a central hotel with larger room options. A 24-hour reception, private check-in and check-out, luggage storage and room service keep the practical side from becoming another task on your list.

The address is Piazza Basico, in Messina’s historic centre, about 0.6 miles from the port. That makes the hotel useful for a ferry arrival or departure, as well as for a few days spent exploring the city on foot. The Cathedral of Messina, the Fountain of Orion, the Vittorio Emanuele Theatre and the main shopping streets are all part of the central-city circuit.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Catalans is about 0.4 miles away, and Duomo Messina takes roughly a seven-minute walk. Messina Centrale station is about 1 mile away, while Messina Marittima station is also about 1 mile away. You can reach Parco Aldo Moro in around 0.5 miles, with the Regional Museum of Messina about 1.6 miles from the hotel.

You are staying in town, not on the waterfront. Lungomare Biagio Belfiore Beach is about 1.5 miles away, with other beaches farther along the coast, including Lido La Spiaggetta at about 2.5 miles and Pace Beach at about 3 miles. The sea is available, but your immediate surroundings are cathedral bells, city streets and restaurants rather than sand between your toes.

The room choice matters here because the hotel covers both straightforward city breaks and groups who arrive with more luggage than the brochure photographer. A Deluxe Queen Room is the natural pick for two people who want a large bed and a compact base for sleeping, showering and heading back out. Twin rooms make sense when sharing with a dive companion and protecting your personal sleeping territory remains important.

For a family or a small group, the Deluxe Suite with a queen bed, a single bed and a balcony gives you more room to spread out. There is also an accessible suite with a walk-in shower. Children of any age are welcome, cots can be requested for younger children, and the accommodation offers family rooms; extra beds are not available.

Every room has air conditioning, a private bathroom, a desk, free WiFi and a balcony with city views. The air conditioning is the useful kind of luxury when you return hot, tired and still carrying the day’s salt on your skin. A minibar and tea and coffee-making facilities cover the first drink before you make it downstairs, while soundproof rooms help keep the city from following you all the way into the night.

Breakfast is the broadest meal of the day here: continental and Italian choices sit alongside vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, with fresh pastries, fruit and juices part of the morning spread. You can also have breakfast in your room, which is handy when an early start leaves little enthusiasm for small talk before coffee.

The hotel’s restaurant, ’A Cucchiara, serves lunch and dinner and is described as a cosy Sicilian restaurant near the Duomo. Dinner service runs from 8.00 pm to 11.00 pm. That gives you time to return from the day’s plans, shower properly and decide whether you are hungry enough for a full Sicilian meal or only capable of pointing at the menu.

There is one hotel bar, alongside the coffee shop and snack bar. Room service runs around the clock, and the hotel also offers wine and champagne. For more choice, Night & Day is about 700 feet away on foot, while Taverna San Paolo is about 1,300 feet away. Ritrovo Elegant and La Fabbrica Alcolica - Messina are both around 2,250 feet away, with Bar Leo roughly 3,250 feet from the hotel.

Messina does the entertaining once you step outside. Walking tours, bike tours and tours about local culture are available, with bicycle rental for exploring at your own pace. Cycling, hiking, canoeing, fishing and horse riding are also available away from the hotel, so the menu ranges from a gentle city wander to something that requires rather more enthusiasm than most divers can summon late in the afternoon.

For a quieter evening, the shared lounge and TV area give you somewhere to sit without retreating straight to the room. Live sport broadcasts, evening entertainment and board games provide low-effort options, while temporary art galleries and local cultural activities add something to do on a surface interval that lasts more than a few hours.

The city-centre position is the main leisure feature. You can walk to the cathedral and theatre, browse the shopping streets, visit the Regional Museum of Messina or head towards Parco Aldo Moro. If your legs still work after diving, Dorsale Curcuraci Antennamare is about 3.6 miles away for a more rural outing.

Check-in runs from 3.00 pm to midnight, while check-out is available from 1.00 am to 11.00 am. The 24-hour front desk helps if your travel day runs outside normal office hours, and luggage storage is available when your ferry, flight or city plans do not match the room timetable.

Reggio di Calabria Airport Tito Minniti is about 16 miles away by road, with a journey of around 1 hour 11 minutes. Catania Fontanarossa Airport is about 61 miles by road, with a journey of around 1 hour 10 minutes. An airport shuttle and a general shuttle service are available through the hotel, and car hire is also offered. Arrange the transfer with the hotel before travelling.

Free public parking is available nearby, without reservation. The hotel also has a lift, heating, air conditioning, daily housekeeping, laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services. Pets are welcome on request, and parties or events are not permitted. Facilities include wheelchair access, an emergency bathroom cord, a lowered sink, raised toilet and grab rails.