I've been to Italy about 15 times so feel that I've covered most of this beautiful country. This hotel in Sorrento was built in the 1950s and much of its grandeur still remains especially around the entrance and the reception area. Lots of marble, huge urns and splendid artwork. What I will say is that they build this hotel using the very best of materials and that is reflected in the bedroom and bathroom fitments in the rooms. Things are of good quality and stand the test of time.
So, the hotel is a 10 minute drive up above Sorrento town. That's a good location because the town centre is a busy place especially around the Corso Italia. The hotel provides a regular shuttle service (queue early as it can be busy) which is great if you need to go to the town for shopping, sightseeing, to catch ferrys, hire a car/bike or maybe catch the train. In the evenings its great to take the shuttle into town for an evening meal. Sorrento is full of great restaurants.
We found the room (we were on the 4th floor) to be spacious and clean with a great big, comfortable, super king-size bed, a lovely bathroom (shower in the bath but lashings of hot water and a powerful spray any time of day) with marble fittings, nice balcony with view over the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, great black-out curtains and...I've been to Italy about 15 times so feel that I've covered most of this beautiful country. This hotel in Sorrento was built in the 1950s and much of its grandeur still remains especially around the entrance and the reception area. Lots of marble, huge urns and splendid artwork. What I will say is that they build this hotel using the very best of materials and that is reflected in the bedroom and bathroom fitments in the rooms. Things are of good quality and stand the test of time.
So, the hotel is a 10 minute drive up above Sorrento town. That's a good location because the town centre is a busy place especially around the Corso Italia. The hotel provides a regular shuttle service (queue early as it can be busy) which is great if you need to go to the town for shopping, sightseeing, to catch ferrys, hire a car/bike or maybe catch the train. In the evenings its great to take the shuttle into town for an evening meal. Sorrento is full of great restaurants.
We found the room (we were on the 4th floor) to be spacious and clean with a great big, comfortable, super king-size bed, a lovely bathroom (shower in the bath but lashings of hot water and a powerful spray any time of day) with marble fittings, nice balcony with view over the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, great black-out curtains and daily maid service.
The pool is rectangular (a proper pool) and large with a spacious sun terrace with some lovely views. There's a smaller kids pool as well. It was never a problem to get a decent sun bed. The bar serves drinks and snacks and the restaurant opens around 1pm for lunch. We were there in September so mostly an older clientèle and few children. It was very relaxing indeed and the weather was lovely every day.
The hotel also has some lovely gardens with sun loungers so you can always find a quiet corner with a view.
The only thing that lets the hotel down a little is the food. We were just B&B and it wasn't brilliant. No fresh fruit, poor quality juice. You can ask for eggs done in a variety of ways but no bacon, sausage etc. Considering lots of their guests are British they could do with providing more choice. It was adequate. As a result of that, we chose to eat out in Sorrento every evening.
We flew from Gatwick to Naples and a transfer (Chrysler our, Merc back) arranged with the hotel and paid in cash was 100 euros each way. There are probably better deals to be had. The driver on the way back to the airport was rude and arrogant.
The hotel is great and you won't be disappointed. While we were there we visited Pompeii (easy direct by train from Sorrento), Capri by ferry which was lovely, we also hired a small scooter and spent a day around the peninsula visiting pretty harbour villages such as Marina di Puolo and Nerano/Marina Del Cantone. 2nd day we drove down the Amalfi Coast drive to Positano/Amalfi/Ravello. It was breathtaking.
WiFi was available in rooms. It was free but didn't work for 3 out of seven days.
We did Vesuvius and Herculaneum 10 years ago when I first visited with two of my daughters. This time it was just me and my wife. A very enjoyable & relaxing holiday.
I would recommend the Grand Hotel Vesuvio. You won't find it a disappointment.More
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