Hotel Clelia

Right in the historic heart of Ustica, Clelia Hotel & Apartments gives you the sort of base that suits a diving island: practical rooms, a terrace for breakfast and the village close enough for dinner without turning the evening into an expedition. The atmosphere is family-run and welcoming, with a lounge, a bar and a 24-hour reception when your return from the harbour does not quite follow the plan.

The hotel team speaks Italian and English, so you can be understood in English on arrival and when arranging the useful details of an island stay. Couples, families and groups of friends are all catered for, while the adjoining apartments and houses give you more choice if a conventional hotel room is not quite your shape of holiday.

There is air conditioning for the warm months, soundproofing for the night and free WiFi throughout. In other words, you can rinse off the salt, find a cold drink, and get on with the serious business of deciding whether dinner comes before or after tomorrow's first dive.

You are in Ustica, Italy, on a small rocky island in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, north of Palermo. The hotel sits in the village centre, just a few steps from the main square, with the narrow lanes and coloured houses of the historic centre on hand rather than somewhere you need to reach by transport.

The setting is by the sea, although this is not a conventional resort beach with a long strip of sand. Ustica's coastline is made up of small coves, including dark-pebble Cala Sidoti, the natural pool below Punta Cavazzi lighthouse and the bathing area at Spalmatore. Cala Sidoti and other coves offer clear, shallow water; several of the island's more secluded places are reached only from the sea.

For food beyond the hotel's own bar and breakfast, Il Terrazzino - Ustica, Pizza la Piazza and Rosso di Sera are all around 50 metres away. That is close enough for hungry post-dive legs. The island itself covers roughly 9 square kilometres and is protected as Italy's first Marine Reserve, so village streets, rocky coast and the water are all part of the same compact daily landscape.

For a couple, the Double Room is the straightforward choice: one large bed, private bathroom and the useful combination of air conditioning, soundproofing and a mosquito net. It is a room for sleeping properly rather than staging a gear explosion, so it suits two people who want a comfortable base and intend to spend their daylight hours outside.

Travelling alone, the Single Room keeps things simple with its own single bed and private bathroom. The apartments and houses, managed alongside the hotel, are the more flexible option when you want a sea view, a historic-centre setting or a little more domestic space. The sea-view houses have a terrace with sun loungers, a swing, a barbecue and an outdoor dining area; the historic-centre apartments sit around a private Sicilian courtyard.

Across the accommodation, the practical details do their quiet work. Rooms have air conditioning, soundproof windows, ceramic floors, hypoallergenic bedding, a shower, bidet, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries. A minibar and refrigerator help with water and snacks, while daily housekeeping means the room can be reset while you are out. Some accommodation has a balcony over the village streets, and the apartments add an equipped kitchen and indoor and outdoor showers.

Breakfast is included and served on a panoramic terrace on the third floor. You get views over the village roofs, the Rocca della Falconiera, Torre Santa Maria and the sea of Ustica while the table brings out fresh bread, homemade tarts, fresh fruit, fritters, fruit juices and espresso, American coffee or cappuccino.

The homemade element is not just a polite adjective here. Clelia's own jams and marmalades are part of the breakfast, and Ustica's lentils and broad beans are linked to the island's Slow Food presidium, cultivated through organic and traditional methods. It gives the morning meal a proper sense of place rather than the usual anonymous parade of sealed portions.

There is one hotel bar for a drink when you return, plus a minibar in the accommodation. Special-diet menus can be requested. For a fuller evening meal, you can walk roughly 50 metres to Il Terrazzino - Ustica, Pizza la Piazza or Rosso di Sera, keeping the journey home short when the day's diving has left you more interested in food than fine urban planning.

The terrace and shared lounge give you somewhere to sit without having to make the room do every job. If your legs still have an opinion after diving, Ustica offers hiking and cycling across its rocky landscape, with the village's lanes and steps providing a gentler version of exercise when a full walk feels ambitious.

On the water, the island lends itself to snorkelling, kayaking and boat excursions. Those excursions open up the coves and sea caves that cannot be reached from land, including places such as Grotta Azzurra, Grotta Verde, Grotta Pastizza, Grotta delle Barche and Grotta dell'Oro. You can also spend a slower afternoon birdwatching or exploring the island's archaeological routes and museums.

Summer evenings bring musical and cultural events across the island, with pubs for an aperitif and streets lit up in the village centre. That gives you a choice after the dive log is closed: a quiet drink on site, a wander through the historic centre, or a boat trip and a meal somewhere new. No enforced programme. Sensible.

Ustica can be reached only by sea. From Palermo, the island is connected by ferry, hydrofoil and catamaran services; the crossing takes around three hours by ferry, around one hour and twenty minutes by hydrofoil, or around one hour and thirty minutes by catamaran. The port of Palermo is about 25 miles from Falcone–Borsellino International Airport, with buses running every half-hour and a journey of roughly 30 to 45 minutes to the port.

The hotel offers a shuttle service, and you can arrange the practical details directly with the property. Check-in runs from midday until midnight, while check-out is from 7am to 10am. You need to tell the hotel your expected arrival time, which is worth doing when your day includes a mainland transfer and a boat timetable. Photo identification and a payment card are required at check-in; cash is accepted for payment.

A 24-hour reception, luggage storage, a lift and facilities for disabled guests make the arrival and departure routine easier. Upper floors are accessible by lift, while some areas are reached by stairs only. Free WiFi covers the hotel, and free parking is available. Children of any age are welcome, but cots and extra beds are not available, and the minimum age for check-in is 18.

The environmental story here belongs first to the island. Ustica is Italy's first Marine Reserve, protecting a coastline known for its volcanic rock formations and marine habitats. That protection is part of what makes the island a serious destination for divers, snorkellers and underwater photographers.

Ustica is also a Slow Food presidium for its lentils and broad beans, grown with organic and traditional methods. Bringing abandoned land back into cultivation has supported the local production and delivered environmental benefits alongside the food on your breakfast table.

For exploring above the water, cycling and mountain biking are encouraged as an eco-sustainable way to move around the island. The compact setting helps: village, coast, coves and walking routes are close enough for you to leave the car out of the day.