Hotel Orsa Maggiore

Twenty-four rooms face Porto Ponente's black-sand beach on the volcanic island of Ustica, where Hotel Orsa Maggiore sits at the edge of one of Italy's oldest marine reserves. Balconies look directly over the Tyrrhenian, making the property a natural base for the island's acclaimed diving and snorkeling routes.

The restaurant draws on the day's local catch, with special diet meals available on request and breakfast delivered to rooms for guests who prefer the view over the dining room. A mobile app handles room service, bicycle rental opens the island's interior paths, and the tour desk arranges guided dives into the protected reserve waters.

Ustica is reached by hydrofoil from Palermo in roughly an hour. The hotel's shuttle meets arriving ferries at the port.