My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Is Ischia as beautiful as Capri? What would be the main difference between the two islands? I spent some weeks in Capri in the past ( 3 times)at the Hotel Quisissana, the best on the island, with my mother. But I would like to change now, but I'm afraid to be disapointed as I have Capri, which is gorgeous, in my mind.
Which hotel: Albergo San Montano or Mezzatorre? We would like a hotel that has access to the beach.
How are the cities?
Do we need a car?
Are there nice shops and restaurants?

Any comments will be more than wellcome!!!

Thanks everybody!

I love Capri.
I suggest that you choose Capri ( no surprises) and just visit Ischia ( perhaps with an over-nighter). You will probably have to get to Ischia (depnding on the time of the year) by going back to Napoli and getting a ferry from there.
Capri is sandstone Ischia is volcanic so things are a little different. Not as many day visitors on Ischia.
Enjoy
John

The two islands are very different. You do not need a car if you are willing to take the bus or rely on taxis. The Mezzatorre is a fantastically beautiful property but it is a bit isolated from the nearest town, Forio. They probably offer a shuttle,though. I saw the beach close to the hotel and it was dreamy, but I did not see the hotel beach.

If by shopping, you mean fancy boutiques, these are concentrated in the area around Ischia Porto.

Ischia is larger than Capri and, to me, is more a slice of the "real" Italy rather than being virtually totally oriented toward tourists,which is how I remember Capri from my first and only visit, which was many years ago. As I remember, there is no "relief" from the beauty on Capri; on Ischia, there is staggering beauty and there is normal life if that makes any sense to you.

There seem to be very few American tourists on Ischia and English is not widely spoken. Not sure if that would matter to you. I am sure the staff at those two hotels are facile with English and other languages.

We took a one-day tour of Ischia following our week on Capri and, although we found Ischia to be perfectly pleasant, and in parts quite pretty, it definitely does not compare to Capri. It is much larger, not nearly as upscale, although there are areas with very nice villas, and much flatter. Have you considered the mainland (Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, etc.)?