Global - Technology - Review

Italy, February 2012: One of the best times to visit the Tuscan island of Elba is between late April and early June, before the crowds arrive and temperatures rise too high.  It’s also a good time to pick up a great holiday deal with rates at Hotel Ilio (www.hotelilio.com), the island’s only boutique hotel, starting from just Euros 770 (approx £645) for two people sharing a double room for a week, on a half-board basis.
Spring is a perfect time for hiking in Elba.  Several walks start from Hotel Ilio, including one to the island’s highest mountain, Mount Capanne (with its many chestnut trees, religious icons and historic mule tracks), and one that hugs the coastline towards the pretty harbour town of Marciana Marina.  Horse trekking and archeo-trekking, following the history of Elba via ancient trails, are other options.  Hotel Ilio provides itineraries, as well as intimate knowledge of the local area, and guides, if required.
For the more active, there is mountain biking, ranging from beginners’ trails to tortuous single tracks for expert free riders in search or an adventurous descent; there are also outdoor activity centres offering guided excursions and courses to improve your bike skills for the less than confident.  Road racing is also a possibility.
For bio watching, April and May are definitely the best months to be in Elba, when nature starts emerging from its winter hibernation and the flowers, with their exquisite scents, start blooming.  Visitors can walk through woods, alongside lakes and on cliff tops, observing a wide range of fauna and flora from migrating birds to rare species of fern to granite sculpted by the wind and small mammals to wild orchids.
From land to sea, where there are an equal number of opportunities when staying in Elba.  SCUBA diving off the island has been rated amongst the best in the Mediterranean – crystal clear waters and the fact that Elba is part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park mean the aquatic world remains relatively untouched; there are even a couple of Roman wrecks within a few hundred metres of Hotel Ilio.  For those without a SCUBA diving qualification, the crystal clear waters mean that you can see almost as much by snorkelling.
On the beach of Sant’Andrea, just a few minutes’ walk from Hotel Ilio, a rental centre hires out sea kayaks, windsurfers and boats for those who wish to explore the coast-line in more depth.  Lessons are available for those who have not tried these sports before, and there are guided tours and trips for those who do not wish to venture out alone.  Your destination might be a deserted cove just round the corner from Sant’Andrea or it might be as far afield as Capraia, a wild and enchanting island that housed a prison in the 19th century.
For more information on Hotel Ilio and to book, visit the website www.hotelilio.com; more information on Elba can be found at www.visitelba.com.

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Notes for editors
The 20-room Hotel Ilio (www.hotelilio.com) is a small and simple, but stylish, boutique property on the Tuscan island of Elba, one of the best-kept secrets in the Mediterranean.
Discreetly set amongst lush gardens and private terraces laden with citrus fruit trees, which provide sheltered spots for sunbathing and quiet spaces in which to simply relax with a book or magazine in hand, Hotel Ilio is an idyllic destination for those in search of a peaceful holiday.  The hotel is located in Capo Sant’Andrea, a seaside hamlet and one of the most fashionable retreats in Elba, which is located on the north-west coast of the island.
For those who also enjoy some activity while on holiday, the hotel organises weekly outings that make the most of Elba’s natural environment, such as snorkelling in the clear sea waters, mountain hikes along gentle and well-maintained paths, sailing trips to nearby islands and wine tours to local vineyards.
Food is a highlight at Hotel Ilio.  Breakfast is a glorious affair on the open terrace overlooking Capo Sant’Andrea, when only the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below disturbs the peace.  In the evening, Chef Giancarlo Pollidini cooks dinner to a standard that has been widely praised by Italian food critics.  A typical meal might start with red mullet and ginger pasta, followed by grilled wild Tuscan steak and a side dish of tomato gratin, and end with a plum frangipane tart. 
All the guest rooms are spacious and simply furnished in keeping with a seaside hotel.  There are doubles, as well as family rooms, with one very special room that is set apart from the main hotel and is located right on Cap Sant’Andrea’s beach – honeymoon couples and those celebrating a special anniversary usually opt for either this room or the Bougainvillea Room with its four-poster bed.
Hotel Ilio was founded by Guiseppe Testa in 1959 and is still family run, now being owned by his son Maurizio.   Though the main building is 150 years old, the hotel is very modern in many ways, with – for example – solar panels and the heat generated by the kitchen both being used to produce the hot water used by guests.  Innovations such as these have been introduced by Maurizio, a tourism specialist who lectures in the off-season, who likes to keep abreast of the latest advances.
Hotel Ilio re-opens for the start of the season on 20th April 2012 and closes on 14th October 2012.
Elba: 10 reasons to visit
1. Go in 2012 or 2013, before the crowds arrive in 2014, when the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s exile to the island will be celebrated.
2. The Brits go to Tuscany in the summer; the Italians go to Elba.  Need I say more?
3. The island has 150 beaches of all different shapes and sizes.
4. It’s a secret Mediterranean gem: do you know anyone who’s been to Elba?
5. Reputedly some of the clearest Mediterranean waters are be to found around Elba, so it’s a top destination for snorkelers and SCUBA divers.
6. To experience an old-fashioned, unmanaged peace; it really is for those who enjoy the simpler pleasures in life.
7. Walking tours in the autumn, when daytime temperatures are warm but not hot for longer hikes.
8. A cheaper alternative to Sardinia or Corsica, with all of the same attractions (great beaches, climate & food), as well as history.
9. It’s an adventure, within Europe; getting there’s an adventure as there are no direct flights (it’s either two flights or a plane, train and ferry ride) and there’s plenty of controlled adventure on arrival (mountain biking, mine visits, SCUBA diving, hiking and sea kayaking).
10. It’s a National Park of outstanding natural beauty.
www.visitelba.com