The Vibe: Opened in 1777 in a late 16th-century Jesuit Convent, it has welcomed for over 200 years the most illustrious travelers of the “Grand Tour”, such as Goethe, Andersen, Freud, Mary Shelley and the Duke of Wellington, enjoying Italy’s cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance. Today, more frivolous pursuits as sun, sea and sand prevail.
The Area: In a privileged, quiet setting amongst lush clifftop gardens with stunning views of the bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius in Sant’Agnello, a 10-minute walk to Sorrento proper.
The DNA: The Cocumella is the oldest hotel in the Sorrento peninsula. It offers an authentic experience: tradition, fine dining, and splendid amenities, including a lovely swimming pool, a private beach and pier plus trip with its 1880 sailing ship “Vera”. The marvelous garden which reaches down to the sea, is an enchanting oasis of silence. The Jesuits planted the lemon grove in front of the building and created a garden with medicinal and aromatic plants. At the cliff’s end an enchanting pathway through the caves leads down to a more modern pastime: the ‘spiaggia’, the hotel’s private beach and sunbathing pier. Speaking of modernity: you can also take the elevator. Take lunch under the orange trees around the pool. Charter the hotel yacht for a trip to Capri. On your return, play tennis or walk in the Cocumella’s beautiful grounds through wisteria, roses, camellias, geraniums and magnolias. In the evenings, the refined Scintilla Restaurant serves Mediterranean fare, or, during the summer try exciting Coku, the first Robata restaurant in Italy, a new gastronomic benchmark that integrates, in a modern way, two distant traditions: Italian and Japanese. All restaurants make us of excellent raw material, coming from the organic vegetable garden.
“ Do you know the land where the lemon-trees grow, in darkened leaves the gold-oranges glow, a soft wind blows from the pure blue sky, the myrtle stands mute, and the bay-tree high? Do you know it well? It’s there I’d be gone, to be there with you, O, my beloved one!”
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Suite-Me-Up: Rooms and suites, like the common spaces, are decorated in that unique Italian style, which effortlessly fuse tradition with the contemporary. Think walnut furniture, Maiolica pottery, frescoed ceilings, gilded mirrors and antiques. Add the atmosphere of the ancient Jesuit residence, and the lightness of the Mediterranean and you have a distinctive flair. Guest can choose between classic or deluxe rooms, and (junior) suites with either have sea, garden or citrus grove (originally planted by the monks) views.
✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 39 rooms, 7 suites (23-50m2) (248-538 sq ft) • hotel opened: 1777 • bathroom amenities: Molton Brown, Dyptique ✅ free on-site parking ✅ pets allowed on request, no charges • 24-hour front desk • seasonal hotel: operating April-October
