Parco dei Principi ★★★★★

The Hotel Parco Dei Principi stands magnificent in a seven-acre garden overlooking the sea, only a few kilometres from the centre of Sorrento and the port of Marina Piccola. The gardens are dotted with small, stone-carved benches and statues, and even a little round pillared temple of Venus with an Italian bust in the centre. What a breath-taking location! My husband was overjoyed to spot Seagulls over Sorrento… We walked into what can only be described as a blue heaven. Blue armchairs in the lounge, abstract blue patterned tiles on the walls and floors, blue furniture and lighting in the bar, long low sixties-inspired blue sofa and chairs, walls generously enlivened with abstract blue artworks, and from the lounge bar you could wander out on to the terrace and contemplate the infinite blue of the Bay of Naples.

Our room was light and bright with the white of the bed and blue of the headboard reflected in the gentle blues and whites of the paintings on the wall, blue and white Italian floor tiles, blue chairs by the coffee table and in front of the work desk, and sheer French doors opening on to our blue-furnished balcony with those sparkling azure seas stretching to the blue horizon. Every little sixties design aspect has been lovingly preserved by Italian architect Gio Ponti, from to the blunted triangular shape and tapering slim legs of the coffee table, down to the rounded water jug and glasses and the anglepoise lamps on the bedside tables.

Outside, there is a blue salt-water pool fringed with lush Mediterranean greenery, and blue sunbeds basking under pure white shades. Little islands jut out of the water and the diving board appears to hang in mid-air over the water. We took the adventurous path down through the rock tunnel to the hotel’s private beach, where the blue of the sunbeds is interrupted by a turquoise-green strip of shallow warm water before returning to the azure blue of the endless sea. Also on the private beach is a jetty where we dined that evening on the deck of the Poggio Siracusa, the marine restaurant. What a perfect place to enjoy seafood specialities, accompanied by the sound of the waves.

In the morning we sat on our balcony enjoying that wonderful view. You can see across the Bay of Naples, right over to Vesuvius and Capri on the west side. Then followed by a leisurely breakfast in the Gio Ponti Restaurant, where a good continental choice sustained us for the whirlwind sightseeing tour we had planned. We were ideally located for an exploration of the Amalfi coast, and a trip to Capri, which I have always wanted to see. Of course that prompted my husband to start crooning the song Isle of Capri in his best Frank Sinatra imitation … Apart from that, we had a wonderful time and will fondly remember the infinite blue and magnificent gardens of the Hotel Parco Dei Principi. Soon my husband will be singing Come Back to Sorrento!