5 Best Hotels in Naples, Italy

This 18th-century palazzo has a great location, and its apartments, all on the first floor, have plenty of atmosphere. It was originally owned by the Marchese Nicola Le Caldano Sasso III, whose portrait hangs above the lobby's fireplace, and is still run by his descendants. Antiques from when the palace was new add a personal touch to the elegant guest rooms, some of which have whirlpool baths. One section was once a brothel; rooms there are named for the ladies who then occupied them.

Time seems to have stopped at this charming hotel housed in a 19th-century convent belonging to the Stimmatine Sisters. It is located at the base of the Capodimonte hill and adjacent to the Catacombe di San Gennaro and the Madre del Buon Consiglio church, but a fair walk from the central city sights. The large, tastefully furnished Bourbon-style guest rooms open onto an internal courtyard, dominated by an ornamental skylight. Ask for a quiet room on this side of the hotel.

In the courtyard of a building on the Mergellina waterfront, this hotel is handy if you're coming or going from the Mergellina pier. On the other hand, perhaps this is why some guests have said they suffer from cabin fever after just a few nights—the constant presence of boats and the portholelike windows might make you think you're on board a ship. The spic-and-span rooms are—no surprise—done in a nautical motif.

Set in a centuries-old palazzo that's just a two-minute walk up from Via Toledo, beside the Teatro Nuovo and not too far from the Centro Storico, this boutique hotel has Spanish-style architectural and design elements and a rooftop terrace.

It's not every day you can be a "guest" of a famed 17th-century church, but this distinctive B&B was once part of the giant complex of Santa Maria della Sanità, the main landmark of the Sanità quarter. Before visions of gilded frescoes fill your head, keep in mind that this church was erected by the Franciscans: the hotel's decor would please the spartan taste of their patron saint, though modern majolica flooring and art photographs of local street life inject an upbeat flavor. Guest rooms, however, are minimal modern. La Sanità is a lively, sometimes rough neighborhood, busy with scooters and other traffic, but double-glazed windows cut down on the noise. The owner, Sergio, also offers a comfortable apartment sleeping up to six in the same building, runs an excellent trattoria nearby, La Locanda del Monacone, and  is also responsible for selling tickets to the catacombs of San Gaudioso, situated next door, and those of San Gennaro.