Villa Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare

Villa Sant’Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare puts you on the water’s edge, with a private beach, an outdoor pool and views across the Mediterranean. It suits a diving break with a distinctly polished finish: somewhere to return to for a proper meal, a quiet drink and a room that does not ask you to rough it once the wetsuit is off.

The setting works particularly well for couples, with most rooms and suites opening towards the sea and the old town of Taormina reached by cable car. Families are welcome too, with family rooms, a kids’ club and babysitting available. English-language information is available for planning your stay, while the 24-hour front desk, concierge and luggage storage keep the practical side of the trip moving.

The address is in Taormina Mare, at Via Nazionale 137, directly by Mazzarò Beach. The hotel has its own private beach area, with sun loungers and parasols, so the sea is not a distant backdrop requiring a daily expedition. Isola Bella Beach is about 0.2 miles away, and Spisone Beach about 0.5 miles away.

Taormina’s centre is around a five-minute drive away. The cable car station is roughly 0.1 miles from the hotel, putting the old town within easy reach without committing you to the hill road every time you fancy a wander. The Taormina-Giardini Naxos railway station is about a five-minute drive away, while Catania Fontanarossa Airport is the main practical arrival point for the area.

You also have restaurants close by, including Ristorante Sant’Andrea, around 100 feet away, and several other dining options within a few hundred feet. For a change of scenery, the Alcantara river park is around 7 miles away, and the forested slopes of Rupi di Taormina e Monte Veneretta begin around 1.7 miles from the hotel.

The rooms are dressed in refined fabrics and antique furniture rather than stripped-back beach-resort fashion. Most accommodation has a furnished sea-view balcony, which gives you somewhere to sit with a drink while the body remembers that diving is exercise after all. Air conditioning helps with the Sicilian heat, and Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

For two, the sea-view rooms with a balcony or terrace are the obvious choice when the view matters more than extra floor space. The superior rooms are more compact, while the deluxe options give you the same basic idea with a little more room to spread out. Suites make more sense when you are travelling as three, or simply prefer a separate living area and a slower start to the morning.

There are family rooms, and children of any age are welcome. Cots can be requested for younger children, but extra beds are not available, so check the sleeping arrangement carefully if three or four people are travelling together. In-room comforts include a minibar, bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer and Acqua di Parma bathroom toiletries. Daily housekeeping, room service and breakfast in the room are also available.

The main restaurant, Ristorante Sant’Andrea, serves Sicilian cooking and fresh seafood on a terrace overlooking the Bay of Mazzarò. That is the useful detail after a day in the water: you can stay on site, eat something properly local and keep the evening uncomplicated. A snack bar, bar, on-site coffee house and minibar cover the less formal moments.

Brizza adds a fine-dining option by the water, with Sicilian delicacies paired with wine. It is the sort of place for the evening when dinner is the plan rather than something fitted in between showering and falling asleep. Room service is available if your legs have voted for bed before dessert.

Breakfast comes in several formats: continental, Italian, full English or Irish, American and buffet. Special-diet menus can be arranged, and packed lunches are available for days when you are heading out rather than sitting down. The hotel also serves children’s meals.

The private beach and outdoor pool give you two straightforward ways to deal with a non-diving afternoon: go into the water, or sit near it and do very little. Sun loungers, parasols, beach and pool towels, a sun terrace and garden areas make the transition from active morning to horizontal afternoon fairly painless.

The wellness centre offers massages and treatments, including body treatments, scrubs, wraps and facial treatments. In-room massages are also available, which removes the need to put on real clothes and walk anywhere when your idea of leisure has become a horizontal line. There is also a foot bath, an open-air bath and spa facilities.

A fitness centre with Technogym equipment is available for anyone determined to keep moving, with fitness classes, yoga classes and personal training also on the list. Away from the hotel, you can arrange walking tours, bike tours, bicycle hire, hiking, water sports and other coastal activities. Live music, televised sport and board games provide less energetic options for the evening.

Check-in starts at 3 pm and check-out runs until midday, giving you a useful late morning on departure day. The front desk is open 24 hours, with express and private check-in and check-out, concierge service, luggage storage and a tour desk available for the practical details.

A shuttle runs between the hotel and Taormina, and a private airport or station shuttle can be arranged. Private parking is available at a nearby location, with valet parking and advance reservation. Car hire can also be arranged. If you are arriving with a pet, pets are accepted on request; charges may apply.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. Air conditioning and heating are available, as are laundry, dry-cleaning and ironing services. Families can use the kids’ club, babysitting and board games, while a lift, non-smoking rooms, safety deposit boxes and an ATM keep the less glamorous parts of travel under control.