Sorrento Italy Hotel Locations

We stayed at Hotel Settimo Cielo which is on the side of the cliff overlooking Sorrento. Great views but we walked into town for restaurants and shops. If you can deal with the walking, then I would recommend the cliff locations.

Hi there -
You might be a little confused?
The main part of Sorrento is generally considered to be the upper part, on the cliffs above the sea, as shown in the picture here:

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com

This short youtube video will give you some idea as well; notice the cliffs, and that most of the filming is done from above the sea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYeuNQ7KHik

There are some accommodations and restaurants at the base or side of the cliffs but the majority of hotels, restaurants + shopping, especially, is up on top where the terrain is pretty flat. "Street level" can be either top or bottom.

Depending on where one stays at the bottom, you can usually get to the top via local bus, taxi (not cheap) or elevator, (small fee) or a puff up on foot. Even at the top, hotels are spread out enough that some are far enough from, say, the train station, Piazza Tasso, etc. that you'd need to use transport if towing sizable or heavy luggage. Some may also involve walks along narrow, busy roads.

If an easy walk to most of Sorrento's attractions/restaurants and train transport (to Pompeii, for example) is important to you, I'd choose a hotel on top. As always, read reviews carefully for comments regarding distance from the town center and what's involved in reaching it on foot.

Thanks for your reply. I was under the impression that an elevator took you up to a level (or levels) with hotels only. And that to get to anything (shops, restaurants, etc.) you had to take an elevator down to street level and then walk 10 minutes to Piazza Tasso. But it sounds like it is different. If Sorrento is "up", where does the elevator take you down to?

It takes you down to sea level and the port (or up from sea level/the port):

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187782-d7146254-Reviews-Sorrento_Lift-Sorrento_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

See "From the center of Sorrento to Marina Piccola (the port)"
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/getting-around-sorrento-italy

"By elevator: at Sorrento's Villa Comunale, there is an elevator which will take you down to the area near the beach clubs, just a few steps from the port."

Or:
https://www.sorrentolift.it

Sorry, one more note....

There are additional hotels and restaurants up in the hills which rise behind Sorrento (see a map) in case that's where you're getting confused? In that case, you'd descend into town but not by elevator. Accommodations higher up, above the main part of town, are not particularly convenient to the things people usually come to the area for, and you're tied to shuttle or bus services to reach those things. They can be OK choices for people who are driving into the region during high or shoulder seasons but do not intend to drive into the towns (parking can be scarce and avoiding ZTLs can be a pain.) They can also be OK choice for people who just want to relax and not do a lot of sightseeing.

Sorrento is rather flat, up on a cliff. The marinas are down below, ferries.

We stayed City Center at Hotel Mignon, we loved it! We were able to walk to the Train Station for our day trip to Pompeii, walk to dinner and shopping. The hotel itself was wonderful, breakfast every morning, they have a outside patio area and served made to order coffee drinks, had a nightly happy hour, we played card and had drinks on the patio some nights. I purposely did not book a hotel where I could not easily walk to everything as we only had 3 nights there and we like to be in the middle of everything. We also had some lovely strolls to the cliffs and had fantastic views.

We stayed in a fabulous hotel in Sorrento, Hotel Plaza which is around the corner from the main piazza, but with double panned windows that were sound proof. The room was large, the linens and bed very comfy and the breakfast buffet was incredible. The hotel is one of the nicest we have stayed in all of our Italian travels. It was a little pricy, but Sorrento is not inexpensive and this hotel was well worth the price. We talk about the fresh, hand made pastries, delicious pancakes (small, but so light and fluffy) and champagne all the time, part of the fabulous breakfast buffet. The view is incredible front the rooftop lounge, where they have live music at night. The hotel is convenient to everything there, including a small fruit market directly across the street, the harbor, the main piazza and the train and bus station.

Our choice was Hotel Antiche Mura, just a couple of blocks from Piazza Tasso and an easy walk from the train station (unless you have a lot of luggage.) Lovely property with a pool garden and pool bar, and great breakfast in a large, sunny room and terrace. Staff was top-notch, too. No sea view but we spent plenty of time near the water during the day, both in Sorrento and other towns in the region.

We stayed at one of Rick Steves' "Worthwhile Splurges", the Ambasciatori Grand, which is a group of larger hotels with similar positions at the top of the cliff. They overlook the Gulf of Naples, and the extra-price view rooms also see Vesuvius, and maybe on a really clear day, Capri. They tend to have over 100 rooms, higher rates, and bigger rooms. We also wanted fierce air conditioning, which we got, as well as windowshades operated from bedside ... The hotel elevator goes down to the bottom of the cliff, where there is a boardwalk sea bathing platform, hotel guests only.

(Note that Sorrento only has one tiny, sand, beach. It's located between the two marinas, and the air has a distinct diesel odor.)

One reason we stayed at the Ambasciatori is that Sorrento (in past times ... ) books up six to ten months in advance. It was our sixth, at least, choice. But we could afford it, and were happy with our stay. Most nights, we walked into the center of town (many streets close down for the Passeggiata) for dinner, and had a nice (1/2 mile???) walk back after dinner. Level walk all the way.

You need to distinguish between a mountainside group-tour hotel from which you can SEE the Gulf of Naples, and a cliffside "downtown" hotel which is located directly OVER the Gulf of Naples.

Another vote for Hotel Antiche Mura. Good location, just off the main square. You can get a view of the gorge too if that is important.

Kathy & Marie, thanks for these suggestions! Looking at the photos and they both look lovely and within my budget. Both of these are going on my list!

Glad to help. Hotel Plaza is actually in front of the Antiche Mura hotel, so we get the rooftop view of the Bay of Naples which is absolutely beautiful, especially at sunset and sunrise. We loved the rooftop lounge (their snacks and drinks were reasonable and delicious). Good luck with your choice, you will love Sorrento!

Letizia, if considering the Antiche Mura, do try to swing a Comfort or Deluxe room? I got a peek at some of the standard rooms when the housekeepers were making them up and they looked a little tight...not that you probably plan to be hanging out in your room all day. A balcony is also nice, even if it doesn't overlook the sea.

Basically I am looking for hotels that have balconies with sea views and close (10-15 minutes walk) to Piazza Tasso.

https://ilnido.it/

Views and balconies. Free shuttle bus to town.

Check out their webcam--- the real view is even better

OK, so if you must have a sea view, then scratch the Antiche Mura. And as Joe noted, the Nido has sea views but isn't walking distance from town; must use the shuttle or SITA buses. That's one of the hotels that is in the hills above Sorrento, as I'd mentioned earlier.

The view of the Bay from rooftop lounge and live music in the evenings were our deciding factors also in selecting Hotel Plaza. It was a great choice and I would return there in a heartbeat. The others either didn’t have it or was much higher price. Try google mapping and virtually walk around the area.

Another vote for il Nido! The shuttle to town is frequent and convenient, if that's a concern. The view from the rooms makes waking up while on vacation well worthwhile. The rooms are comfortable and substantial. The common rooms are bright, open and very attractive. Breakfast on the balcony is wonderful - especially the orange squeezer! Same place for dinner which, in my opinion as an annual guest for well over a decade, is the best food in Sorrento. Dino and Gianni (brothers who own the hotel - Gianni is the chef) have made subtle changes to the menu over the years. Fresh, creative, real and oh so tasty! Eat dinner on the balcony at sunset to watch the diamond necklace sparkle around the Bay of Naples. During the summer be on the lookout for firework displays that add to the magic.