Hotel Blu Marlin

A practical base in Villasimius for a diving holiday built around the sea, the town and a sensible place to sleep. The hotel has a Mediterranean-style feel, with classical furnishings, tiled floors and balconies looking over Villasimius or the surrounding hills.

You get the essentials for an easy return from the coast: air conditioning for hot Sardinian nights, a fridge for keeping water cold, WiFi and a bar with snacks. There is no grand resort theatre here; the appeal is having a room, a balcony and the town close enough for dinner without turning every evening into a logistical exercise.

Via Giotto places you in Villasimius, in southern Sardinia, rather than directly on the beach. Piazza Gramsci is about 0.5 miles away, around five minutes on foot, so you can reach the town centre without needing the car every time you fancy a walk.

Simius Beach is about 1.6 miles away, with Spiaggia di Campulongu around 1.3 miles away and Spiaggia Cuccureddus around 1.5 miles away. Is Traias and Porto Luna are roughly 1.6 and 2 miles away respectively. For a meal close to the hotel, Sandalyon Villasimius Restaurant is about 200 feet away, while Sa Tankitta is around 450 feet away.

Monte Minniminni, rising to 725 metres, is about 4.4 miles away for a change of scenery between dives. Cagliari Elmas Airport is about 37 miles away by road.

Every room has a balcony, so you have somewhere to step outside rather than treating the bed as your only available furniture. Views are over Villasimius or the surrounding hills, with tiled floors and traditional-style furnishings giving the rooms a simple, unfussy character.

For two, the double or twin room is the obvious choice, particularly if a king-size bed matters more than extra floor space. The triple room adds a single bed, while the quadruple room uses a bunk bed alongside the king-size bed; that makes the family layout clear, but not especially generous if four adults arrive with luggage and dive bags. Family rooms are available, and children of any age are welcome.

Air conditioning helps take the edge off warm evenings, while the fridge is useful for cold water after time in the sun. Rooms also have an LED television, a desk, a private bathroom with shower, toiletries and a hairdryer. Cots and extra beds are not available, so the existing bed arrangement matters when you choose.

Breakfast is included, giving you a straightforward start before heading out for the day. Beyond that, the hotel keeps the food offer modest: a bar and a snack bar are available when you need a drink or something quick rather than a full sit-down meal.

For proper dinner, you are not stranded on a roadside. Sandalyon Villasimius Restaurant is only about 200 feet away, and Sa Tankitta is roughly 450 feet away; Caffetteria Crilos di Simone Impera is around 1,400 feet away for a coffee stop. The useful part is the choice to eat out without first organising transport.

No half-board or all-inclusive formula is specified, so plan around breakfast at the hotel and meals in Villasimius or nearby restaurants. That leaves your evening flexible, which suits divers who may finish the day hungry, salty and unwilling to negotiate a complicated menu before the first drink.

When the sea is off the agenda, the hotel can arrange or provide access to several ways of filling the day: bicycle rental, hiking, fishing and a golf course within 3 miles. The surrounding area also lends itself to excursions around the territory, so you can swap fins for walking shoes without turning the hotel into an entertainment complex.

Sailing, windsurfing and boat excursions are also available for days when staying completely dry feels like wasted potential. If the plan is simply to sit with a drink, read and let the legs recover, the balcony, terrace, air conditioning and nearby bar do the more important work.

There is no spa to build your afternoon around, but that may be a fair trade for a town-centre base with beaches and restaurants within reach. Couples can walk into Villasimius, choose a restaurant, and leave the timetable to someone else for a few hours.

Free public street parking is available nearby, although spaces cannot be reserved. That is useful if you are hiring a car for the beaches and coves, but it is still worth treating parking as first-come, first-served rather than as a private hotel bay. Car hire is available as a service, and an airport shuttle from Cagliari Elmas can be arranged on request.

Plan to arrive for check-in between 14:00 and 19:00. Check-out is in the morning, so confirm the exact departure time attached to your booking before you settle into the post-dive routine. There is no age restriction for check-in, and children of all ages are welcome, but cots and extra beds are not available.

WiFi is available, with free access in the public areas. The hotel has non-smoking rooms, a designated smoking area and a safety deposit box. Pets are not allowed, which is worth knowing before you make plans around bringing one along.