Hotel Miramare Stabia ★★★★

As if the fiery Italian spirit of Naples wasn't enough, my love and I have opted to nestle at the foot of a volcano with the gorgeous Tyrrhenian Sea before us, bordered by a stunning black beach. We have chosen the town of Castellammare di Stabia for two main reasons: The first is its incredible location that makes it fantastically easy to visit all the many incredible sights in the area such as Pompeii, Vesuvius, the island of Capri and it's electric blue water in the Blue Lagoon and, of course, Naples itself, to name but a few. The second draw is the town's famous thermal waters, discovered by the Romans and still healing visitors from far and wide to this day. Now, as we reach the Hotel Miramare I find I have to add a third, unforeseen reason – the hotel itself!

Tall, dazzling and all in white, it stands out strikingly against the volcanic sand of the beach and creates a cool haven of air and sea within, to counter the heat of the sun that has set its surroundings aglow. The décor is refreshing and chic, with aquatic tones and materials that have been solely transported here by sea in order to respect the environment. In fact, it is the environment and surrounding nature in all its awe-inspiring beauty that is truly the star of the show and the hotel simply offers a luxury oasis from which to explore and appreciate it. This is all the more apparent in our spacious bedroom, which is modestly chic, allowing its terrace with spectacular views over the sea to take centre stage, flooding the room with light that glints off the flat screen TV and bounces onto the vast, cosy bed.

As I discover we have free wi-fi and nose about in the minibar, my man has made a beeline for the bathroom and is duly gratified to discover a large bathtub along with divine smelling bath products, which is always a sure sign for him that we have come to the right place. I am more taken, however, with that glittering square of turquoise that sparkles between the white hotel and the stark black sand of the beach at our feet. What joy to have our VeryChic special access to the pool, along with all the comfortable necessities such as towels and deckchairs, and it is toward this that we now head, eager to cool off after our hot trip in the rental car – thank goodness our room has air conditioning!

On the way we are somewhat waylaid by the temptations of a delicious welcome drink, compliments from the hotel and so we take it on the seventh floor roof terrace with panoramic views over the entire town and well beyond.  This becomes our evening ritual during our stay here, as we watch the magnificent sunsets over the island of Ischia and toast night by night our great fortune for landing in this majestic, perfectly situated, serene retreat, right in the heart of it all!