MEZZATORRE RESORT & SPA
Indulgent island spa retreat on a private bay
SPREAD OVER A PROMONTORY overlooking the Bay of Naples, Mezzatorre Resort & Spa could have escaped from a movie set.
Set in sun dappled wooded grounds, this five-star island hideaway was once film director Luchino Visconti own villa. Forget Death in Venice; this is more like arriving in heaven.
Mezzatorre Resort has a blissful setting. Its focal point is a beautifully restored 15th century Saracen watchtower. Moorish archways invite you inside to elegant sitting rooms and
bedrooms with dazzling Med views. Scattered among the pine groves are luxurious, more spacious rooms – ours was all warm coral tones and cool blues with classic Neapolitan Majolica tiles and marble.
Get steamy in the
bubbling thermal waters of the spa and beauty centre, or messy covered in the famous volcanic Ischian mud. Submit to expert therapists’ hands and emerge rejuvenated and glossy, in touch with your inner selves. Or simply turn into sun lizards – we loved the warm cliff-edge seawater pool, with its private rocky beach below.
Hit the Spot
Encircling a private cove on Ischia's hilly shore,
Bedtime
Splurge on an open plan Foresteria suite, complete with private plunge pool, garden and brilliant sea views.
Be Savvy
Stick to using the hotel's own approved taxis.
Be Smitten
Heavenly hideaway on ischia.
Palm-leaf roof
Sumptuous open plan suites in the Foresteria wing have private gardens and whirlpools – all
very back to nature. If your plastic won't stretch to one of these, try a Comfort room in the Visconti wing, with a private balcony and great sea views.
Dine al fresco under a palm-leaf roof in Mezzatorre Resort's poolside restaurant for informal eats. The aptly named Panoramic Restaurant is suitably sleek for evenings, and serves
gourmet dishes on candlelit terraces.
Stroll up to the rugged promontory Il Pensatoio, with
no-one but seagulls for company. Capri and the Amalfi coast are just a speedboat zip away.
Mezzatorre Resort & Spa was reviewed for Room for Romance by
Adele Evans
Click on any picture to enlarge it and move through the gallery.
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Dining in
Both restaurants are designed to maximise the impact of their seashore setting. The clifftop-set Chandelier restaurant is the place for sumptuous dinners, while poolside Sciuè Scuiè, with its palm-leaf roof, is the place for informal lunches and suppers. Chef Ermanno Nicolella makes the most of the island's fresh-caught fish and locally grown ingredients.
Dining out
Seafood and good, traditional dishes cooked in the time-honoured way are served up at Da Ciccio in Ischia Ponte.
Where?
Chandelier at Mezzatorre Resort & Spa
What’s cooking?
Look out for coniglio all'ischitana (Ischian rabbit) and other local dishes.
Dress the part
Strappy or shoulderless on warm summer nights
Top table?
Out on the starlit terrace
See & Do
Explore the hotel's seven hectares of pine-wooded grounds, climb up to Castello Aragonese – reached by a stone bridge and an old mule track – standing sentinel on a small islet off the beach at Ischia Ponte, or try out some of the 22 thermal pools at Giardini Poseidon. Take a boat trip to Capri or Sorrento, or visit the exquisite La Mortella gardens, one-time home of composer William Walton.
Shop
Check out the stores along Via Roma and Corso Vittorio Colonna – Ischia Ponte's trendiest streets. The island is also a great place to buy basketwork, local honey and terracotta – just hop on the hotel shuttle to nearby Lacco Ameno.
Spa
The Mezzatorre Spa is a superlative place for some pampering. Wallow in the thermal pools, sign up to a well-being programme or submit to a mud bath, hot stone therapy or bio-exfoliant body peel.
After dark
Star-gaze from your terrace with a local Ischian wine and take in the scents of a Mediterranean night.
Dates
June
Ischia's Foreign Film Festival screens both retrospective movies from the 1950s and 60s, and new releases.
July
Check out the array of local wines and eats at Vinischia, dedicated to the produce of Campania.
GETTING THERE
Location
Via Mezzatorre, 80075 Forio d'Ischia
Parking
Leave your car on the mainland and hire a car locally if you need it. If you do take a car free guest parking is available.
Trains
Naples – 40km
Taxis
EUR 160 for a private hotel transfer to or from Naples Airport, via Ischia Porto. Helicopter transfers can also be arranged.
Airport
Naples – 40km
Rooms and suites
52 rooms and nine suites
Special features
Stay in the original old watchtower, near the spa, or in a range of rooms scattered among the trees. Many have private patios or jacuzzis.
Also…
Top suites have private gardens and a splash pool with hydrojets.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
EUR 260 - 560
Open/closed
Closed November – April
Check-in
3 pm
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
Three nights
Breakfast
Served until 11am. There are low-calorie options for the health conscious.
Room service
Available 24 hours a day
Children
Welcome. Under 2's are free and a cot can be hired for €40
Pets
Small dogs are welcome
Air conditioning
Yes
Languages
Italian, English, French, German and Russian
Wedding license?
No
Your contact
Giovanni Sirabella – general manager