Sorrento-Hilton Sorrento Place
 

Anyone stay here before? Is it in a good location? Easy walk to downtown/trains/restaurants/hydrofoils? Does the hotel offer a shuttle bus? Is it safe to walk around at night? Thanks!

Hi Gail-
Since I am traveling alone I decided to stay at the Hilton Sorrento rather than the Grand Vittorio Excelsior. I like being in a poshy hotel, but the Hilton offers an executive level. The executive level is on a separate floor(s) and has its own lounge with certain amenities. There is also a gym. Have to work off those extra pounds that I am sure that I will be putting on. I know they have a shuttle to Naples airport, but off the top of my head I do not remember if there is a charge. I have it written down somewhere. From what I have read, it is at the top of a hill. Some say it is a six-min. walk, some say a ten-min walk and others say it is longer. I am a walker, so it does not bother me. Give their 800 number a ring and see what they have to say. I am sure that they can answer some of your questions. You can also fax "reservations" in Italy, and they will fax back whatever info you need. I called directly and got a little better rate than I was quoted by calling their 800 number. If you need their numbers, just let me know. As an aside, when will you be in Sorrento?

orchid68-Hi and thanks for your response. We are planning to visit next year some time, most likely September. I have some HILTON HONORS points that should give me a couple of free nights so I figured this might be the place to use them. I don't mind the walk to downtown, but just wanted to make sure it's safe to walk at night, like on the way back from dinner. Will contact the hotel and see what they have to offer... Thanks again...

Hi Gail-
If you would like, when I return in November I could give you more info re the hotel and the area, and whatever else you might want to know, from my point of view. As an aside, I have many HHonor points, but I was unable to use them for the nights that I will be there. I am hoping that I have made the right decision regarding the Hilton, for, as I said, I really wanted to stay at the Excelsior, however you spell it, but I feel that the Hilton has certain features that might make my life more comfortable, being that I am traveling alone. So, just let me know if you want any first-hand info, and what it is that you are looking for, aside from the safety aspect, which is the most important. If you would like, I can pick up their pamphlet, or anything else that they might have, and when I get home I will contact you and I can either fax it to you or mail it to you. Don't know anything about scanning, and I don't want to know. Enjoy your planning.

orchid68- Hi and that would be great if you could let me know how you enjoyed your stay at the Hilton Sorrento Palace when you get back. I can contact HILTON for a brochure so no problem with that. I read a review for the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Conde Naste 2003 Hotel List, and they said the rooms are "plain Jane", so looking at the pictures of Hilton Sorrento Palace, it looks very, very nice! Have a great time and keep me posted.....

Hi Gail

When I return from Italy -- a few days after November 2 -- I will touch base with you as to the hotel. Do you want me to post "Attention GailK" or just post another message on this site? As I had said to you, I hope you are able to use your HH points; I could not. Do you want me to check anything else for you while in the area? That's it for now.

Orchid68-Hi again and I just found out that I can no longer roll my Continental Onepass points to my Hilton Honors account so that means I will only have enough points to use for 1 night, but still not sure if Hilton Sorrento will even accept them. Since I'm not traveling until next year, it might be too soon to book the room now. I'd really just like to know how the hotel is, walking distance to town, etc and if it's safe etc and any memorable travel/dining experiences you may have had while your there. Are you planning to visit any other areas other than Sorrento while you're there? You can just post a reply to this thread and I'll check it back in November. Thanks so much for your responses and have a great trip!

Hi Gail-
I will be going on a two-week small group tour of Sicily and then will be doing Naples and Sorrento on my own for about a week. There are so many things to see that I am hoping that a week or so in the Naples/Sorrento area will be enough time. I want to go to Caserta Palace, which is an all-day trip, but one that should not be missed. If you are into palaces, especially a 1,200-room one, plus fantastic gardens, this should definitely be put on your must see list. Not too many Americans visit it. If you are into art, the next biggie is Capidomonte Palance,which is a museum with some furnished rooms. I am debating whether to extend my stay for a few days, but I have time for that. My plane ticket will permit me to do that. Enjoy the planning; that's part of the excitement of a trip. Will bring back as much info as I can. Will touch base with you again in November.

where is Caserta Palace? I had booked the Hilton Sorrento with HHpts for a week in Oct, i cancelled and booked Malta, i then cancelled that and booked Rhodes Greece. We are using HHpts for Trafalgar Hilton in London, Rome Hilton Airport, i couldn't get the Cavaleri and i tried booking it last december, also using pts in greece. we are planning on going to pompei and spending the night somewhere on the amalfi coast, could we extend it to see this palace? thanks, dollie

Hi Orchid68- Your trip sounds great. I love palaces and love touring big mansions and old homes with pretty gardens. I'm a big fan of Longwood Gardens and all the Dupont Mansions, in DE, and loved Newport, RI mansions and Hearst Castle in CA as well, and hoping to get to Asheville, NC soon to see the Vanderbilt Mansion. But this Caserta Palace sounds right up my alley. I'd also like to know where it's located in Italy so I can put this on my list of things to see... Thanks....

Hi GailLK,

We stayed at the Hilton Sorrento Palace last May for two nights on our trip and found it to be a lovely location. It's a short walk up/down a hill with lemon groves and homes into town. Very safe at night for going to and from dinner. You can also walk down to the hydrofoil terminal to catch a ride to Capri for the day.

Thanks CleoB- The Hilton sounds perfect and a bit cheaper than the Excelsior and I'm hoping I'll be able to use my HH points....

Hi Gail and Cleo-
Caserta Palace is about 25 mins. by train from Naples. Five train stops, to be exact. The train stops across the street from the palace. There is also a bus from Naples. By car, it should not take more than half an hour. From Sorrento, if my memory serves me correctly, it is about one hour by car. If you took the train from Sorrento, you will have to change trains in Naples. When I was checking tours from Sorrento, there is one from Sorrento to Caserta, but it is also going to the Abbey. I want to see as much as I can at Caserta and not just here today and gone tomorrow. When I get there I will check it out further. Caserta was built by King Charles to rival Versailles in France. Some of the writings say that it is even more wonderful than Versailles. The gardens are so large that there is a tram that will take you around. You can check it out on the Internet.
Gail, I went to Ashville, and it was truly beautiful. You will enjoy. I have been to the other places that you had mentioned. I hope you visited New Castle, Delaware, when you were there. It is a very old town. It is situated on the water. The same road that took you from Longwood Gardens to Dupont Estate will take you to New Castle. I would like to go to Germany and see the castles there. Portugal has some fantastic palaces. They are in pristine condition. I guess I have never grown up, and I do not think I want to. It's no fun. I guess that is it. I do not want this to turn into a book. Just check out Caserta Palace either on the Web or in a travel book. I know someone who has been there, and he said it is not to be missed, and this is from a man man. That's it for now. Any further questions, I check in every once in a while. TTFN

orchid68-Hi and checked out the Caserta Palace on the web and it looks fantastic! When my husband found out that portions of a Star Wars movie was filmed there, he now really wants to see it too! Since we are going to be based in Sorrento (probably the Hilton Palace Hotel), we will probably just take the train to Naples and head out from there (maybe be gutsy and stop and visit Naples). I'm sure the hotel offers some bus tours, but I always hate being confined to a schedule on those tours. Like to be free to stay as long as we like. I'd love to do a Castle Tour of Europe one day, and maybe Neuschwanstein (Mad King Ludwig's) Castle. Missed it on my last trip to Europe. Thanks so much for the info...

In response to the Conde Nast ""plain Jane" comment :

The Hilton is a typical Hilton - lacking character, mediocre service, amenities and services.

The Excelsior Vittoria is a Leading Small Hotel Of The World. The rooms are pleasantly decorated, with stunning views, the service is excellent, as is the bar and restaurants. Conde Nast Traveller is a rather snotty publication that is somewhat too far up itself! Rooms do not have to be dripping with gold fittings and rich, dark fabrics to be luxurious - get into the 21st century!

MKingdom- True, Conde Naste is a rather "snotty" publication, and I'm lucky if I can afford to stay in just a few on the hotels on their lists, but the HILTON is a bit cheaper than the Excelsior and if I can use HH points for a free night, it's even a better choice for me. Where I can save money here, I can splurge some place else. Have you stayed at the Vittoria Excelsior recenty? Would love to hear your opinions of the place since I have not "officially" made my choice of hotel stay in Sorrento...

The Vittoria is a very relaxed, and refined property benefiting from arguably the best postion in Sorrento.

However, if you just wanted a virtually free holiday using your points the Hilton won't disappoint - just don't expect the uniqueness and personal feel of the Excelsior Vittoria.

Further regarding Conde Nast Traveller - Many fine hotels I have stayed in, Leading... or otherwise have not featured in the "gold list" and some which have really let me down - pay little attention to this heavily overrated publication.

m_kingdom-Thanks for your feedback and I'd really love to stay in Vittoria Excelsior since I noticed the location is great, near everything. Will have to see what my budget allows since I'm going to be in Italy for 16 days including VENICE and the hotels there sure aren't cheap... But is anything cheap in Italy!?!?!?!? Thanks again..

Gail,

We were in Sorrento this July and checked out some of the public rooms and guest rooms at the Excelsior. Quite honestly, I didn't think it was as nice as the Tramontano, which is where we based, and it was about $80 more per room/per night. We had a medium sized room with a huge terrace overlooking the Bay of Naples for $250/night, and the hotel was only a few minutes from the old town, maybe 10 minutes walk from Piazza Tasso. Another hotel in this same category is the very popular Bellevue Syrene, which is just down the street from the Tramontano. I know that it's gotten consistently good reviews here at Fodors. Both of these hotels offer private beaches, (although in Sorrento that's nothing to get excited about) and the Tramontano has a small pool.

Good luck with your choice!

Hi Gail-
Came home yesterday from Italy. Couldn't sleep and before the crazyness in my life starts I wanted to get a note off to you. There are a lot of pros and cons re the Hilton, but I would still opt for the Hilton again. I did stop in at the Excelsior and walked around. I even saw a room on the main floor when the maid was cleaning it. I do not want to post everything here since it might be a little long. If you want, you can post your e-mail address -- or if there is another way to handle it, since I am not familiar with the ins and outs of posting on this site -- I will go into all aspects, and then you can make your decision. Also, in one of my posts somewhere I might have mentioned the Holiday Inn near the Naples airport to get out early in the a.m. According to what I had read, it is a four-star hotel. Maybe it should have been rated a minus four-star hotel. I could not believe it. When I was checking out a woman was really complaining about the hotel. I met her at the airport, and she went into detail. So, if you want me to get in touch with you in detail on this site, or any other way, that is fine. Since I want to go into detail and why, from a female point of view, I thought another avenue might be better. It is up to you. Before going to Naples and Sorrento I was in Sicily for two weeks with a group. Sicily was the greatest, especially if you are into history. My body clock is a little off kilter so that's it for now. Back to sleep.