We spent two weeks in Lampedusa, in the Dammusi di Cala Creta. Our stay has been extremely relaxing, and life easy going, also because of the helpfulness of the staff. The rooms are charming and clean, not huge but definitely comfortable, with a private terrasse. Although there is no air conditioning, we managed to sleep perfectly thanks to fan in the room.

We stayed 8 nights at the Dammusi di Borgo Calacreta. On the day of arrival our flight was delayed in Palermo and arrived in Lampedusa very late. Upon checking in Maria made sure we had dinner and arranged a table for us at a nearby pizzeria (walking distance from the hotel serving excellent wood fired pizza and seafood). The hotel is so charming and very reminscent of the cottages you see in Santorini. We had a fantastic, clean room, great bed and bathroom and a patio where we would sit and have drinks. From the patio we had a small view of the water but to be honest, you dont need a sea view since you are out on the water all day long.The entire hotel staff was so gracious and was happy to help us out with questions about the island. They even set us up with a scooter to drive around the island. As the previous reviewer mentioned, Cala Creta is definitely the best part of the island. This area felt less crowded and commercialized than other parts of the island.There are small houses and a few stone cottage hotels in the area. We had a great lunch at the nearby restaurant that overlooks the water. Originally I tried contacting another hotel via email (in perfect and proper Italian) in the area that includes all meals and boat rides around the island. Looking back now, I am glad they never responded to my numerous requests for a room. Staying at the Dammusi di Borgo CC was far better. We had a chance to experience some fantastic restaurants on the island (La Perla, Gemmeli and the fish restaurant on the end of via Roma that displays their fish). If you have experience driving boats then renting a boat is the way to go. Its was the highlight of the vacation. The beaches are gorgeous on the island but in July they were too crowded for our taste. So if you want to escape the crowds, the boat is the way to go. There are also private and group charters as well for those who prefer leaving the driving to someone else. One note to mention, for those of you who dont speak Italian.... you may find it difficult to communicate as there are very few english speakers on the island. Everyone is absolutely friendly and welcoming but it does help tremendously if you are able to speak at the very least conversational Italian. Lampedusa is a fantastic island if you are looking for a gorgeous sea and fresh seafood.

How did I get in this place is a story on its own.
Lampedusa is a relatively unknown island in the southern part of the Mediterranean Sea for the Western European tourists, it is popular though for the Italians and for the refugees trying to escape the horrors of Africa. Lampedusa belongs to Italy, but is positioned close to Libya and Tunisia in Northern Africa.
I saw a film (Respiro 2002) who was made on this island. It tells the story of Grazia, played by Golino, a free-spirited mother of three married to shy fisherman Pietro and living on the idyllic but isolated island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. This film touched my girlfriend and myself because of the atypical landscapes and houses. We have been hearing as well of all the poor refugees arriving in Lampedusa , that’s why we wanted to visit this place. All the accommodation sites on this tiny island are drafted in the Italian language… cala creta was one of the only ones offering a website (partially) in English
This is not a typical hotel , but rather African style houses, called dammusi . I called them and was lucky to find someone speaking English, so I booked reservations. We went shortly after the touristic season, prices were much cheaper (60€ for a double room). We first took a flight to Palermo and from there we took a local flight with a small plane to Lampedusa. We arrived in the evening, it was very dark and before we realized it, we were standing all alone outside of the airport. We were lucky to find someone bringing us to Cala Creta.
Cala Creta is not a typical hotel, they rent small 2 piece bungalows called dammusi. This place has definitively an African touch. The white walls are round, it looks very nice. The owners of this place arranged that we could rent a “Vespa” to drive around the island, this Italian motorcycle is the best way to discover the island of Lampedusa
Cala Creta is located adjacent to the Airport, this is not annoying although planes are mainly flying at night. The refugee camp is nearby, but we were not able to get in touch with anyone there. This island arranges very well to “hide” their refugee problem.
The island has a beautiful beach which you should visit, it made me feel as I was back in the lagoon of Bora Bora. This place is called Rabbit beach, it is completely unspoilt and there are giant turtles visiting this beach. Wonderful ! Our Vespa proved to be the best bet to get to this remote beach.
The Cala creta staff was very friendly although you had to search them if you needed something