chris1999

Greetings all,

I have an october trip to italy planned. And based on the recommendation of some here, I'll have 4 days in venice at Casa Rezzonico (hotel galleria was booked).

I have been obsessing over where to stay in sorrento (4 days) and have probably run through two dozen hotel choices and cant pull the trigger on any

I'm a photographer, so, I know I'd like some great views from my hotel for sunset/bay/city photography.

My requirements would be balcony or private terrace, a KILLER view of the city and bay. And my girlfriend wants a bathroom and a nice looking place. 150 euros a night is about the range for me.

Ive tried using the search to find what I'm looking for, with mixed result, thus, the new thread.

Thanks!
Chris

bobthenavigator

Try to find a place named something like Londres e Loreley--this is close.

kybourbon

Many of the hotels in town don't have views except on the upper floors. There are quite a few hotels 10-15 minutes outside of town and they usually have free shuttles. The Aminta has nice views and a live webcam. www.aminta.it.
Il Nido is a little further than Aminta with great views (balconies, roof deck, restaurant), perhaps not as luxurious as you want, but the price is only 100E. www.ilnido.it

Try www.sorrentoinfo.com for other hotels. Ask about the bathrooms if your girlfriend needs a bathtub as many have showers only.

caroline_edinburgh

I'd say you need one of the hotels right on the cliff edge.

chris1999

Thanks for the quick replies!

shower only is fine. she just doesnt want the communal things. I'm fine with questionable things she's not, haha.

Id rather not stay out of town, if possible. If i wanted to do that, I'd just stay in Positano. The reason I picked Sorrento is for the convenience of being in the "hub city".

Jean

A couple more websites for you to peruse:

www.esperidi.com

I haven't stayed here, but the pictures tempt me to jump on a plane tomorrow. It's about a mile from the historical center of Sorrento and seems to be well within your budget and other requirements.

www.virtualsorrento.com

A good site for an overview of Sorrento but also includes a good link to all types of accommodations.

Have a great time!

nytraveler

I think that most of the hotels right on the cliff edge aren;t in that price range.

The Hotel where we stay in Sorrento would be perfect for you - entrance right in the center of town, surrounded by beautiful gardens, terraces utside the public rooms overlooking the bay of Naples - and some rooms with private balconies and many others with direct views - and a private elevator down to the ferry dock.

Perhaps in October you can get a deal - we always do in May. Try the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria.

travelbuff127

Chris1999 - Here is my two cents: Considering your budget, I would say for what you want it's the La Tornarella (sp??) If you search Sorrento hotels you will find it. For a splurge I would do the Hotel Grand Vesuvio. Fantastic views, rooms with balconies and nice bathrooms, lemons groves around the pool, just fabulous!

chris1999

Thanks. the budget is a little flexible. i suppose i would go to 180 euros a night or so..

Ive seen the "La Tornarella (sp??)" .. My brother actually stayed there a decade ago. That was on my list of places I couldnt decide between


according to the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria website its close to 500USD a night when i want to go, so, thats right out.

EnglishOne

Does it have to be Sorrento? Ive just got back on Monday from staying at Conca Dei Marini, further around the coast and it was PERFECT. See my trip report! It is romantic, peaceful and all you can see is spectacular views

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

chris1999

"Does it have to be Sorrento? "

yes.

EnglishOne

ok not my choice

TexasAggie

If you don't mind a 30-40 minute walk to the city center (hotels up on Via Capo are a 20-30 minute walk, just FYI), I highly recommend Hotel Villa Garden in Sorrento Sant'Agnello. Room 105 has a huge terrace and you are right out over the water. Room 205, where we stayed, has a small balcony. Check out the reviews on www.tripadvisor.com. I posted a very detailed review. The hotel is lovely, the service is wonderful, and the location is beautiful and much quieter than Sorrento. I also like Sorrento a great deal, but it can become overrun by tourists. Sant' Agnello was much less so.

TexasAggie

P.S. Sant'Agnello has it's own Circumvesuviana (commuter train that runs from Naples to Herculaneum to Pompei to Sorrento) station. The hotel I mentioned, Hotel Villa Garden, is a 10-12 minute walk from the station. There is also a bus stop 5 minutes from the hotel that goes to the heart of Sorrento

misscarol

About 5 years ago we stayed at the Hotel Minerva. We had one of the rooms with private terrace with a gorgeous view of the bay. I believe this is in the area of La Tonella (sp). It was not right in the center, but certainly within walking distance. The room was quite large with private bath, breakfast on the terrace-nice pool. Not sure of the price currently, but at the time was quite reasonable.

chris1999

Great info TexasAggie (p.s. whoop 99!), Thanks so much. via Capo didnt look like that far of a walk to the docks..

That hotel villa garden looks reasonable too. I wonder what the catch is

misscarol, thanks for your recount of your experience. that hotel was also on the list.

TexasAggie

I'm class of 2002. We ran into a group of kids wearing Class of 2011 in Sorrento during the first week of June... gosh I felt old!!

I had only 2 things I didn't like about Hotel Villa Garden.
#1. Their laundry prices were unbelievable. We had been traveling for 2 weeks and really needed to do laundry, but 4€ to wash a pair of socks? Humorous.
#2. There is a mini fridge in the room but they do not allow you to put anything in it. A minor annoyance. We're normally not rule breakers, but we did chill our own bottle of wine in the mini fridge one afternoon after the cleaning crew had come through.

Otherwise, everything was fantastic. We met a lot of friendly folks from England and Scotland. Apparently, a lot of them have been vacationing at the hotel for decades... literally! They book next year's stay while they are there and stay in the same room every time. The front desk staff remembers them and they chat about their kids and stuff. Very cool. The grounds are lovely and the pool area is really nice. The breakfast room is all glass on three sides and it is literally out over the sea. Great views and to-do-for custom omelettes as well as the usual buffet (but with more variety than usual). You can reserve a table by the ceiling to floor window at the front desk. We never did, and managed to find a table there every morning.

After reading your requirements, the only downside might be the price and the walk into town. We paid 200€ for our room (both Room 105 with the huge balcony and Room 205 with the small balcony go for this price). But that was June and October may be low season with a lower price. You might also offer to pay cash and see what that knocks off.

Also, it is in a quiet area. There are other hotels, including some 5-stars, but it is much more residential than Sorrento. We enjoyed the walk a lot and also took the bus a couple times and it was very convenient. The hotel gives you a schedule and sells the 1€ tickets, although daypass Circumvesuviana tickets get you on the bus for free too.

We've stayed at the Lorelie (sp?) in Sorrento proper before (never again, EVER) and also at La Tonnarella up on Via Capo. La Tonnarella is very pretty and charming with great terrace rooms and fantastic tile floors, as well as a great view from its restaurant/breakfast room. The terrace balcony rooms are pretty pricey though (170-185€ I believe), and the service at the hotel is mediocre. Our shower and toilet were broken for 3 days and we finally had to catch the manager in the hotel restaurant to get it fixed. We also noticed a lot of traffic noise, worst early in the morning. Also, you need to get down to breakfast early because they don't refill once the buffet starts getting empty.

So all in all, while I liked La Tonnarella and enjoyed its beautiful views, for essentially the same price, I loved Hotel Villa Garden.

TexasAggie

The Antiche Mura in Sorrento proper gets really good reviews. One of my coworkers stayed there in 2006 and loved it. The prices are good but the catch is there is no view of the ocean.

SeaUrchin

Along the via capo by the Minerva and along the califano are the best views.

Lorelei and Londres is closed for reno and the Minervetta is now first class.

I would suggest for views in your price range:

Settimo Cielo
Hotel Belair
La Tonnarella
Hotel Desiree

The Grand Hotel Riviera has specials.

Be sure you look at different websites which may get you rooms at a lesser price than the rack rate on some of the other hotels too.

caroline_edinburgh

"via Capo didnt look like that far of a walk to the docks"

Just in case you haven't realised - the town of Sorrento is up on the clfftop. The port is quite far down below. You need to get a bus or taxi between the two - for going up, anyway !