Hotel Il Portico, Favignana; Favignana, Egadi hotels

Hotel Il Portico, near Trapani

The largest of the Egadi Islands, Favignana lies off the western coast of Sicily, in the glittering blue waters of the Italian Mediterranean. This butterfly shaped island is a joy, with beautiful beaches, a landscape that is craggy and volcanic in parts and beautifully green in others. The Hotel Il Portico is a newly built structure in the main town, Favignana itself, which sits at the centre of the island and has a regular hydrofoil service, running to Trapani on the Sicily mainland.

Favignana has become very popular for watersports, and there is diving nearby. The hotel has a jacuzzi and a solarium, for those of us who simply prefer to while away the days with a book - enjoying the unfailingly sunny southern Mediterranean climate. Facilities at the hotel include a bar, garden, rooms and facilities for guests with disabilities, 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and express check-in and -out. Each room has minibar, bathroom, balcony, safe, phone, air conditioning, TV and work desk.

The Egadi Islands are historically important, having been a possession of the Phoenician trading empire, before they lost them to Rome around 241BC, with one of the biggest and bloodiest naval battles of Classical times. These days, tourists visit for the marvellous limestone caves that pit the coastline, and for some gorgeous beaches. Between April and July each year you can witness the 'mattanza', the extraordinary mass cull of tuna which takes place off the coast.

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Double room from €55