Imperial Hotel Tramontano

Imperial Hotel Tramontano details

“Sensational views, peaceful gardens and a 19th-century grandeur that’s attracted royalty and poets – the Tramontano is a Neapolitan classic.”

This cliffside hotel has a grandeur befitting its history. Royalty has stayed here, as have Keats and Byron. Ibsen even penned a work in one if its rooms, no doubt drawing inspiration from its spectacular views over the Bay of Naples.

As you’d expect, the hotel’s heritage shines out inside. Take the entrance hall. It’s a parade of classical columns graced with Oriental rugs and inlaid furniture. To one side is a lounge. Another showpiece, its frescoes, heavy chandeliers and majolica floors take centre-stage. And doors take you out to a sea-facing terrace where you can admire the vistas over a glass of prosecco.

Step outside and you’ll find the hotel’s other trump card – its gardens. Filled with palms, citrus trees and camellias, they’re set with wrought-iron tables and chairs where you can sit back and take in the scented air. A staircase from here leads to the pool, which is fringed by terraces and sunloungers. And just up from here, you’ll come to a little brasserie, spread under cream canvas parasols.

In terms of rooms, they’re dressed in pale yellows, with rich blue-and-gold drapes. Modern refinements come by way of plasma-screen satellite TVs and air-conditioning. There’s also a choice of garden view rooms or rooms with a view of the sea.

On the cuisine front, you’re in for a treat. The head chef here is internationally renowned, and the food is Neapolitan through and through. The Continental breakfasts are grand affairs, with fruit, pastries and eggs exactly how you like them. It’s all served up in the main restaurant with its picture windows overlooking the waters below.

On top of all this, the Tramontano is just a couple of minutes’ walk from Sorrento’s heart. What’s more, the hotel has its own elevator to whisk you down to the beach below, where you’ll find bathing platforms and a little ribbon of black sand.