RESORT 4 STELLE AD ISOLA D'ELBA
HOTEL DÉSIRÉE
Tours of Elba Island, from the sea to the mountains that surround Désirée Hotel
Discovering the beauty of the largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago
Désirée Hotel offers guests a number of thrilling tours of Elba that start out from the heart of the island, where the hotel is located.
Just a few kilometres from the coast of Tuscany, the richly beautiful landscape of Elba Island is surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and coloured by stretches of Mediterranean shrub. Visitors to the island can enjoy a relaxing stay or embark on some exciting trips across both land and sea.
With an area of more than 22,000 hectares, Elba is the third-largest Italian island, and the largest in the Tuscan Archipelago.
The geological events that have shaped the island, and its largely mild climate, with a narrow temperature range, have created the ideal conditions for the proliferation of a highly distinctive flora and fauna that have earned 50% of the land and sea of Elba protected biological heritage status as part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.
For hikers and nature lovers, Elba Island is a treasure trove of biodiversity, offering the chance to admire endemic, Mediterranean or exotic plants, such as Elba Saffron, broom and wild roses, bringing colour to woodlands that offer frequent encounters with local species of butterflies, wild boar, foxes and swifts.
Elba, nature with a rich biodiversity
Continual opportunities to explore a rich sea
The biodiversity of the island continues on its protected seabed, which can be explored thanks to the diving and snorkelling sessions organised by Désirée Hotel, which offer the chance to admire turtles, dolphins, coral and moray eels in their natural habitat, as well as numerous fish in a surprising array of colours.
Elba Island’s main claim to fame however, is its coastline, ideal for spending a leisurely day with your partner and family until sundown. The entire coastline of the island is composed of a succession of little bays and lidos that differ wildly: little beaches with extra-fine white sand, such as Spartaia Bay, which Désirée Hotel looks onto, alternate with wilder, secluded bays such as La Crocetta, also known as the “beach with 100 steps”, as well as small equipped bathing areas such as La Paolina, a favourite with Napoleon’s sister, and long stretches of sand that are also suitable for children, such as La Biodola beach.
A tour in a dinghy or sailboat is the best way to observe the changing hues of the coastline in all its splendour.
The history of Elba, with Désirée Hotel
Following the traces of centuries of life on the island
Throughout history, the beauty and the riches promised by the coasts of Elba Island have attracted a variety of civilisations, who have prospered here: from the earliest settlements dating back to the Palaeolithic to the Etruscans, drawn here by the island’s rich iron deposits, the Greeks, who intensified the island’s wine-growing activity, and the Romans, who built their seaside residences here.
The island’s long history can be explored by visiting the remains of the Le Grotte and Linguella villas, and of Capo Castello, the unconquerable fortress in Portoferraio built on the orders of Cosimo I de’ Medici, as well as the Capoliveri mines and the abandoned goat stalls on the western side of the island.
The island also offers plenty of opportunities for pure entertainment, with the lively night life of Marina di Campo or Marciana Marina, packed with beach bars and pubs that come alive after dark with DJ sets; or little tourist villages ideal for leisurely walks, such as Capoliveri or Porto Azzurro, where you can stop to sample and purchase regional products.
A land just waiting to be discovered
Set out from Désirée Hotel to experience the history of Elba Island
From the abandoned mines - the legacy of a bygone age of economic development that has left its mark on the islanders - to the traces of the time spent on the island by Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most important figures in recent history, Elba boasts a rich, multi-faceted history just waiting to be explored.
The island is also synonymous with biodiversity, illustrated with expertise and enthusiasm at the Marina di Campo Aquarium.
Désirée Hotel invites visitors to explore the rich natural and human diversity of the island, offering customisable individual or group tours.
Abandoned
mines
Napoleon's
villas
Marina di Campo
Aquarium
