14 Best Hotels in Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula, Italy

Overlooking the Bay of Naples, this luxurious Belle Époque dream has been in the same family since 1834, which means that public spaces are virtual museums—with elegant Victorian love seats and stile liberty (Art Nouveau) ornamentation—and guest rooms are spacious, with soigné furnishings and balconies and terraces that overlook gardens or the bay. Dine in the open-air seaside Bosquet restaurant or the magnificently grand Vittoria. Grounds lined with arbored promenades, shaded by orange trees, and studded with statues contain a giant pool.

This luxurious retreat, magnificently set on a bluff high over the Bay of Naples, is one of Italy's most legendary hotels, complete with Art Deco touches throughout; lounges and salons decorated with avant-garde artwork and trompe-l'oeil frescoes; and guest rooms that range from sleekly modern to sumptuously fanciful. Breakfast and dine in style in the Mimmo Iodice room surrounded by gorgeous photography and panoramic vistas over the bay---or under the cliff-top wisteria pergola.

In a cliff-top garden overlooking the Bay of Naples, the Cocumella occupies a Baroque monastery, complete with frescoed ceilings, antique reliquaries, and a marble cloister; the lobby and grand suites (with stone fireplaces, Empire-style bureaus, and marble-clad bathrooms) have Italian-Victorian grace, although some of the smaller rooms and bathrooms are due for a revamp (check before booking). Added amenities include a vast pool, a beauty spa and exercise room, a 90-foot-long 19th-century yacht for daily excursions on the bay, and even summer-night chamber-music recitals in the monastery's former church. Although its luster has faded a bit, many cognoscenti adore this hotel, once one of the most aristocratic in Italy.

This centrally located, family-run hotel close to Sorrento's major hub, Piazza Tasso has pleasant common areas, the occasional antique, fresh flowers, a solarium, a breakfast terrace, and basic rooms—some of which have courtyard entrances. Reception is on the second floor (an elevator is provided from the street). For a quieter stay, opt for a room that doesn't overlook the busy Corso Italia.

This stylish 1960s hotel, designed by Gio Ponti, is all white walls and blue glass accents and funky geometric shapes; outside blooms the fabled Parco dei Principi, a lush 19th-century giardino, and paths lead to a romantic, bayside, Rococo villa—a splendiferous setting for the pool area. A shuttle bus connects with downtown Sorrento.

Lush, landscaped gardens surround this large hotel, an oasis of quiet and cool with lots going for it: an elevator whisks you to and from sea level and a private beach; the pool area practically leans out over the bay; guest-room decor marries cool hues with bright accents; and there are both indoor and alfresco dining options.

At this family-run hotel, the lobby's marble columns and ceramic tile make a lasting first impression, bright pastels make guest rooms feel comfortable and airy (despite the lack of views), and a citrus garden with sections of ancient city walls makes even the swimming pool feel classically elegant.

Combining understated old-world charm and contemporary chic—and blessed with a garden with citrus trees, sweeping bay views (ask for a room with a balcony), and beach access—Hotel Mediterraneo seems worlds away from bustling Sorrento, though it's just a 1-km stroll from town. There's dining and quaffing in style with panoramic views from both the Vesuvio restaurant and Vista Sky Bar, plus a pool and the relaxing LePietre spa facilities. 

The lobby might be a glamorous white-on-white extravaganza of Caprese columns, tufted sofas, shimmering crystal chandeliers, silver ecclesiastical objects, and gilded Baroque mirrors, but the charming staff ensure the vibe is elegantly casual, the guest rooms are well equipped and spacious, and the rooftop pool area has magnificent bay and Vesuvius vistas. The garden is also a delight, but that's no surprise, as owner Enzo Manniello also runs Sorrento's famous garden restaurant O' Parrucchiano.

Opened in 2018, this well-run B&B, in a striking burnished yellow and Pompeiian red stile liberty palazzo, has spacious, high-ceilinged, whitewashed rooms with azure tiles; the two doubles have garden views, and the cavernous three-person room has a mezzanine with an extra bed.

The focus at this famiglia Mellino–run hotel and Italian nouvelle restaurant is on both fine food and relaxation: the becalming Nerano environs and gorgeous rooms—all of them whitewashed with splashes of bold color and some of them with two-person whirlpool tubs—make it a pleasure to fall into bed. Dine indoors in the chic modern dining room with new open kitchen, on the big terrace in a lemon grove, or have a homemade limoncello in the brick-arched cantina stocked from fine vineyards north of Salerno. "A hop, skip, and a jump" is how the name translates colloquially—appropriately so, because it's in Nerano, a five-minute drive from Marina del Cantone, in the groves of the peninsula hillsides.

For those not requiring an elevator, this small, well-managed B&B—with simple but stylish, high-ceilinged rooms and a fabulous and funky breakfast setting overlooking Corso Italia—is an excellent choice near all the action.

If you wish to stay in hilltop Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, this efficiently run hotel provides airy and pleasant lodging and a good bed to fall into after a meal at Don Alfonso 1890 or a walk to the Deserto belvedere. The second floor on the road-side has a glimpse of a sea view, but for more stylish furnishings you should opt for the newer annex. The swimming pool is a welcome addition if you don't want to trek down for a dip at sea level. There's a quirky wee vintage motor museum.