Some of my favorite memories of our honeymoon were on the balcony of the Hotel Belair in Sorrento.
After arriving in Naples via train from Rome, we had reserved a car to take us to Sorrento which is just about an hour’s drive. The Hotel Belair is about a 15-minute walk west from the city center on a cliff that overlooks all of Sorrento and Marina Grande. The hotel’s decor captures the glamour of Italy from the 1960s while also still having modern amenities. The romanticism of southern Italy can be felt the moment you walk into the lobby and take a walk out on the terrace.
Our room was not quite ready yet but the bellman said we should enjoy some Prosecco on the terrace while we waited – Don’t mind if we do! We had reserved a superior room with a balcony and it did not disappoint. The room was surprisingly much larger than what we expected with plenty of space and a large bathroom. The balcony had a little table for two with a gorgeous view of the Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius and all of Sorrento. We couldn’t help but smile. We were on our honeymoon and it felt like it.
When I was planning our trip, the one thing I looked for in all of the places we stayed was a balcony. We are the type of travelers who spend so little time in the room as it is that as long as a place is comfortable and within walking distance of the places we want to see and go, we are happy. But with the Amalfi Coast having some of the best views in all of Italy, a balcony was one of those non-negotiables I was not willing to compromise on. It was worth ensuring that each of the places we stayed – Sorrento, Positano and Capri – all had one.
Something we do no matter where we are staying or no matter where we are, is buy a few bottles of wine (A great way to save $$) and keep them in our room so we can make our own apertivo “happy hour” before we head to dinner. Sometimes our apertivo starts early which results in a pre-dinner nap. 😉 But having a little outdoor space to ourselves (ideally with a view) is a nice perk of any hotel stay.
The Hotel Belair also has a great pool and patio that lies several floors below the main lobby and still shares the same views of the rest of the hotel. Stunningly beautiful and pretttty dreamy. 🙂 We enjoyed an afternoon lounging poolside with a spritz and bubbly after hiking to the Bagni della Regina Giovanna (More to come on our hike!).
Tips and Recommendations:
- Hotel Belair is not in the city center of Sorrento (approx. a 15-minute walk to the main center of town)Â but we found it nice to be away from the crowded tourist parts of the city.
- This was the largest of any of our rooms on our whole honeymoon while also being the most budget friendly. It can be very difficult to find reasonably priced hotels during high season in the popular cities of Campania. Hotel Belair is an excellent choice. Highly recommend!
- Hotel Belair would be a great place to stay to not only see Sorrento but to also do day trips to Naples and Pompeii. The train is easily accessible.
- We had the hotel organize car service for us from the train station but you could also easily take the ferry or train to Sorrento instead. We made that decision based on our luggage! 😉
- The complimentary bar in the guest lounge for drinks and snacks is open Noon-7pm daily. Nice perk!
- The hotel itself also has a restaurant. We did not eat here during our stay (so can not vouch for the food) but it does have a beautiful terrace and they had live music one of the nights we were there.
- But we did eat at Ristorante Verdemare just a short walk from the hotel and the pizza was fantastic! Check it out when you are there.
- Breakfast is complimentary during your stay.
- Free parking for those exploring the coast by car
