Sorrento hotels

Perched above Marina Grande is La Minervetta, a family-owned boutique bed and breakfast that is one of the best hotels in Sorrento. With just 13 guestrooms, this nautical-themed coastal retreat is quirky and colourful and feels more like staying with stylish friends than checking into a hotel.

What I love most about La Minervetta are the views. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal unobstructed panoramic vistas over the sparkling Bay of Naples, towards legendary Mount Vesuvius and Naples itself. If budget allows, treat yourself to one of the Superior Corner Rooms, where you can soak up the panoramas from dual windows.

Equally magical are the breakfasts at La Minervetta, served in the blue and white tiled kitchen. Enjoy sticky buns, fresh-from-the-oven cakes, made-to-order eggs, fresh mozzarella and juicy tomatoes.

One of the things I love most about Marina Piccola 73 is its family history. Housed within a 19th-century palazzo right by the port, the building dates back to the 1860s. Over the years it has housed the local boat club, the offices of the Port Authority, and the most famous tailor in Sorrento. Today, it's one of the best hotels in Sorrento.

Abandoned for a period, the family set about restoring the historic property and today it’s run by a fantastic mother-and-daughter team, Roberta and Alice. Each of the five rooms and suites (they also have two apartments) have been individually decorated with colourful tiled floors and a mixture of antiques and modern furnishings.

I'm a big fan of the port-facing Deluxe Rooms with sea-view balconies, perfect for watching life on the water below.

If you want to escape the everyday, then I highly recommend Hotel Capa La Gala and Wellness. Tucked away on a low cliffside along the palm-lined Sorrento peninsula (the hotel is five miles from Sorrento itself), Capo La Gala is one of only a handful of hotels in the area to stand right on the sea.

The hotel first opened in the late 1950s and quickly became the place to be seen. Today, it's been reimagined as a glamorous hideaway and is especially popular with couples.

Check in at this luxury retreat for the infinity pool with sea views, the marine-inspired Aquarium spa and Maxi, the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant. We stopped for dinner one evening and enjoyed the best spaghetti alle vongole in town.