La Cocumella

Grand Hotel Cocumella in Sorrento has the most beautiful mature gardens with views of Ischia and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. It may happen while you are taking a walk in the gardens or perhaps while you are having a swim in the pool. Maybe it will happen after a long and wonderful lunch but, it will happen. Of course in todays world this can be preceeded by a game of tennis, a work out in the hotels gym, or a spa treatment. Cocumella has managed to discreetly move into the 21st century while still maintaining the illusion of the past. It was once a glamorous stop on the Grand Tour along dramatic coast of Italy. Before that, Grand Hotel Cocumella was a 16th-century Jesuit monastery, and it occupies the grounds where a once-lavish Roman villa stood 1,500 years before that. Grand Hotel Cocumella has operated as a hotel since 1822, but it's the magnificent centuries-old grounds filled with botanical wonders and lavish floral displays that most guests remember about this deluxe hotel in Sorrento. Indeed the grounds of Grand Hotel Cocumella are so special that long after you return you'll dream of those magical moments where you were taken far away to a moment where everything was able to fall into perspective. The common expressions "a change of scenery" or "time stopped" when referring to travel experiences are so appropriate here. Grand Hotel Cocumello in Sorrento is an engaging hotel for traditionalists, and much of the historic aura remains intact. Most guests take pleasure in sauntering on the balustraded terrace with its distant sea views. (The more energetic can walk the 1.5 km into Piazza Tasso Sorrento in 15 minutes.) The main restaurant, Scintilla, specializes in regional fare, much of it pulled fresh from the sea, and draws as many locals of Sorrento as guests. It is regarded as one of the best along the cliffs of Sorrento. A seasonal dining area is set up by the pool for buffet lunches and the open air piano bar, open July and August, is ideal for pre-dinner cocktails. The newly opened "Coku", a Japanese Robata Grill Fusion Restaurant and Cocktail Bar overlooking the bay of Naples has become one of the 'in' places in the area. The varied accommodations are well-kept, with wear and patina co-mingling with mostly sunny exposures. All show traditional style with period lamps, original antique furnishings, paneled walls, armoires, air-conditioning, TVs, minibars and phones. Alll have been updated with flat-screen TVs and DVD players and complientary Wi-Fi is now available throughout the hote and groundsl. One-third of the accommodations are suites, of which most boast vast terraces. One occupies two floors, and two sport private Jacuzzis.