The best hotels in Sorrento, Italy

Few hotels have a guest list as glittering as Sorrento’s Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria – we’re talking Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Oscar Wilde and more. This legendary five-star stay has been run by the Fiorentino family since 1834 and still radiates the same cinematic glamour that’s drawn stars, royals and travellers for nearly two centuries. Perched on a cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, this historic hotel features 79 spacious elegant rooms (including 50 suites) with period furniture, the occasional frescoed ceiling and 19th-century antiques, and all have terraces overlooking the sea or gardens.

The property’s cliffside setting is one of its greatest luxuries. A private lift carved into the rock whisks guests straight to Marina Piccola, perfect for hopping on a ferry to Capri or Positano. Back at the hotel, a heated outdoor pool sits among lemon trees and hammocks, and La Serra Spa, housed in a converted 19th-century greenhouse, offers bespoke treatments using natural ingredients. A holistic centre is set in the hotel’s renovated 19th-century greenhouse, and there’s Michelin-starred dining to be enjoyed at the Terrazza Bosquet restaurant, which has spectacular views over the Bay of Naples.

Staff are brilliant, and breakfast is a highlight, served in the grand Sala Vittoria ballroom. For dinner, the hotel’s restaurant Terrazza Bosquet is pretty exquisite, with an almighty tasting menu. With Piazza Tasso on your doorstep, plus ferries and trains minutes away, this hotel is perfectly placed for exploring the Amalfi Coast (and beyond). Overall this isn’t a flashy, modern hotel choice – rather it’s a historic stay stuffed full of old-school glamour, and every room has a story to tell.  

Time Out tip: While many hotels in Sorrento close for the off-season, Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria embraces it with open arms, going all out with a Christmas and New Year’s celebration. The best part? There’s far fewer crowds here during shoulder season anyway – a win-win. 

Address: Piazza Torquato Tasso, 34, 80067 Sorrento, IT

Price: Starting from €637 per night on a B&B basis

Closest transport: Sorrento Circumvesuviana Train Station is a five-minute walk, Naples International Airport (Capodichino) is one hour by car or train

Once the residence of the Savarese family, this 15th-century building has been sensitively converted into an intimate luxury hotel while maintaining plenty of the original Catalan-Durazzo architectural features in the public areas. The hotel, overlooking the gardens of Piazza San Francesco and not far from the 14th-century San Francesco cloister and Villa Comunale, is located near an abundance of shops and restaurants. Rooms are more contemporary (although you’d expect that from a boutique hotel in a 15th-century structure), and the Marziale Suite has its own interior garden patio. It is a spectacular suite, covering 120 square metres and offering guests a traditional take on Italian luxury in the south. If you can afford it, the Marziale Suite is a fabulous experience.

If the opulent suite is a little bit beyond the budget, don’t despair. The standard rooms at Palazzo Marziale are exceptional, with contemporary ivory decor, parquet floors, and spacious bathrooms. They are the ideal middle ground between budget-friendly and charming comforts. There are also deluxe and superior rooms, as well as junior suites. It all comes down to how much space you need and how much you are willing to spend. All rooms come with coffee and tea facilities and other modern conveniences.

The breakfast buffet at Palazzo Marziale is one of the best in town. Expect the finest pastries, the freshest fruit juices, and some of the best coffee going, all coming together to make the most important meal of the day the most delicious. The breakfast is served on the finest china for an added layer of luxury. We’re not afraid to call this one of the best hotel breakfasts in the region. In summer, breakfast is served in the hotel’s outdoor terrace, and that is just as beautiful as you assume.

Time Out tip: There are bookable cooking classes and excursions, as well as boat hire and scooter rental available. 

Address: P. Francesco Saverio Gargiulo, 2, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €150 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Piazza Tasso bus stop

From the outside, the Magi House Relais is an 18th-century feast for the eyes, a relic from another time with a broad range of stylistic influences. Step inside, however, and you’re catapulted (in the nicest way possible) forwards into the here-and-now. The name of the game here is ‘sleek’ with everything beautifully and coolly designed. Magi House is another quality-over-quantity option, with just a small selection of rooms, suites, and apartments available, each of which doffs its cap to the long and storied history of this marvellous part of the world.

Sirene is the classic room, complete with a comfortable double bed (or two singles, if required), coffee-making facilities, and the ability to connect to a private sound system via bluetooth. That’s right, you can ensure a good night’s sleep with all the white noise your phone can store. Not that you need to worry about the quality of sleep, of course, as these rooms are designed with comfort and relaxation in mind. The Bacco and Dominova options complete the classic rooms, while the suites are divided into Zeus, Fauno, Minerva, and the Neftuno luxury suite. The latter is tremendous, a gorgeous space complete with a private hot tub. There are also three apartments for rent (Mediterranea, Vesuvio, and the brilliant Penthouse), ideal for those looking for a longer stay in Sorrento.

A major highlight is the breakfast served each day on the rooftop terrace. Take your time enjoying fresh pastries and coffee with a side order of Mount Vesuvius views in the hot months of the year, then head out to the harbour (only ten minutes away) and catch a boat to Capri for a decadent day trip. If that isn’t the most idyllic adventure that awaits you in this spectacular part of the world, we don’t know what is.

Time Out tip: Make sure you experience at least one sunset from the terrace. 

Address: Via Padre Reginaldo Giuliani, 56, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €300 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Piazza Tasso bus stop

A short stroll from Sorrento’s centre, La Minervetta is easily one of the most stylish places to stay on the Sorrentine coast. Run by Marco, an interior designer, and his wife Eugenia, it’s brimming with character. Each room is individually styled in bold colours, with a nautical theme, plus books, boats, and other ephemera collected over the years. You don’t need a keen eye to deduce the expert touch of an experienced designer, and each room has little touches that help create a truly charming atmosphere. We’re talking excessive globes (in the best way), maps, decorative boats, comfortable beds, and quite delightful views of the waters. These rooms are sumptuous, and almost too pretty to miss a moment when the time comes to close your eyes.

The hotel was actually built in the 1950s by the current owner’s grandparents and was essentially one passionate love letter to Sorrento, born of a deep love for the city. The hotel's management eventually passed into other hands before returning to the family in 2006, at which point the love letter received new life. Today, it shimmers as one of the best hotels in Sorrento, one packed with curious artefacts, mementoes, souvenirs, and more. There is a dreamlike quality to La Minervetta that enhances any stay in Sorrento.

A dining area serves excellent breakfasts, and beyond it lies a lounge area and sun terrace. Another terrace with a small (unheated) pool has private steps down to Marina Grande, another example of intimacy that makes this place so charming. Unfortunately, there is no restaurant on-site, but this is Sorrento; you are never far from some delicious food and good conversation. Still, you won’t worry too much about the lack of an on-site restaurant, because those spectacular sea views will provide all the sustenance you could ever require.

Time Out tip: There's a giant outdoor hydro massage tub that opens each year in May. 

Address: Via Capo, 25, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €450 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Via Capo 46 bus stop

Another gorgeous hotel, the four-star Grand Hotel Aminta has retained its 1960s styling in the common areas, including a wonderful curved central staircase, wide windows, and tiled flooring. It might be a little way out of Sorrento (there's a shuttle bus), perched on a hillside, but the hotel has excellent views of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. There is a selection of cheaper rooms without a view, but who wants to stay in Sorrento without some sort of sweeping sea vista? If you have a chance to stay with a view, you should always take it. The views from Grand Hotel Aminta are well worth the “grand” moniker, and while the garden views are delightful, it's the sea views we’re all after.

Why not go all out and get a room with a sea view and a balcony? These gorgeous rooms are meticulously designed with comfort and enjoyment in mind, and some even feature a jacuzzi bath. There are also rooms available in Vila Aminta, the hotel’s annexe building. Each room has tea and coffee-making facilities, a mini bar, tiled bathrooms, and air conditioning (a must here in summer). Many of the double beds can be converted into two single beds, making this another excellent option for families on holiday in Sorrento.

There is an on-site restaurant and bar, and the terraces are lovely for lunch, dinner and cocktails. The restaurant has picked up its fair share of awards over the years, as much for its convivial service as its delicious dinners, with a professional service staff providing a gorgeous atmosphere for some seriously good food. The menu is dominated by Sorrento’s gastronomic traditions, with local ingredients taking pride of place in the kitchen.

Time Out tip: Around the fabulous heated pool, there is summer entertainment, and plenty of excursions are available.

Address: Via Nastro Verde, 23, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €145 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Colli Parisi - President bus stop

There are few better views of the sea and Vesuvius than from the terraces of this four-star grand hotel. Public frescoed areas are furnished with oriental carpets, majolica tiles and antique paintings, while elegant rooms have views of the sea or the beautiful Mediterranean gardens. There is a wide range of rooms available, from classic single rooms to doubles with sea views and beyond. The classic singles are perfect for solo travellers, complete with comfortable beds and air conditioning through the summer. The doubles are more spacious and feature plenty of modern conveniences. The rooms tick all the expected boxes, but it is those views that take the crown. The best in the city? Imperial Hotel Tramontano might be the one. The hotel’s suites are fantastic, spacious rooms with rare plants and jacuzzis.

There’s a pool, access to the beach via a lift, and the kitchen is under the supervision of Alfonso Iaccarino, of two-Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890 fame. The menu at the excellent restaurant is heavily influenced by Neapolitan dishes, letting local ingredients do most of the heavy lifting and creating a culinary experience that celebrates regional traditions. The Belvedere restaurant might well be the hotel’s crowning jewel, although those stunning views might have something to say about that.

There is something engagingly historical about Imperial Hotel Tramontano, although that might be the innate nostalgia of those sumptuous views. The Tramontano family have been in the hotel business since the 19th century, running businesses of various monikers before adding their own name to the headline in 1857. The hotel has hosted numerous illustrious guests over the years, many of whom would have spent considerable time in the gorgeous garden, with its rare, centuries-old trees. There is a lot to love about the Imperial Hotel Tramontano.

Time Out tip: There is even a chapel, a frescoed jewel dating back to 1500 that was completely restored in 1890.

Address: Via Vittorio Veneto, 1, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €170 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: Piazza Tasso bus stop

A mile from the centre of Sorrento, this wonderful Modernist creation, set within a park, was dreamt up by Giò Ponti. One of Italy's most important architects, Ponti designed the 'Superleggera' (a 'super-light' chair that a child could pick up) and the iconic Pirelli building in Milan, and here at Parco, he created everything from the furniture to the floor tiles, which are all set differently to create unique designs in each room. A wonderfully fresh palette of blue and white extends throughout, from the simple rooms to the restaurant and the lovely saltwater pool. The hotel has almost 100 rooms in total, straddling the divide between quantity and quality with aplomb.

The building was erected in the late 18th century as a getaway for Sorrento’s rich and famous, and it has largely fulfilled the same role in the many years since. The villa was developed with every passing owner, becoming a popular place for parties, until the Russian Revolution of 1917 compromised the owners at the time. It wasn’t until 1959 that the villa was restored and transformed into the modern seaside hotel that attracts countless visitors to Sorrento each year. Enter Giò Ponti, and the rest is history.

Gorgeously comfortable and intricately designed history. The rooms of Parco dei Principi are described as “treasure chests of functionality and beauty,” and the description fits. The rooms are invigorating in their brightness, with stunning views and clever quirks throughout. Villa Cavalieri is the top draw, a renovated guesthouse divided into three apartments that pay homage to the building’s traditions while staying in touch with mod cons. Elsewhere, the botanical garden is a gorgeous place for an afternoon stroll, a former Jesuit orchard transformed into one of the most magical green spaces in the region.

Time Out tip: There's a lift to the seasonal private beach with free sun loungers and parasols.

Address: Via Bernardino Rota, 44, 80067 Sorrento

Price: From €220 per night based on two people sharing

Closest transport: S. Agnello - Cocumella bus stop