Would definitely stay here again!!!

Stayed here in August for 3 nights. After a lot of hassle with the car rental company when we arrived (in the airport at Rome) we had a long drive down to Sorrento late at night. We reached the Belair after 1am, tired and grumpy, but were very pleasantly surprised when we opened the balcony doors and saw the beautiful view over the Bay of Naples.

The room itself was minimalist but large and very clean. Funny green tiles in the bathroom but again it was kept very clean. The hotel is built into the side of the cliff overlooking Sorrento so there is no traffic noise because all the rooms are set below road level and also they are all on the seaward side. I think this was a big advantage compared to somewhere like the Bristol (across the road) which would have had all the traffic noise passing by the sea view windows. Those noisy backfiring mopeds are on the roads all night long.

Parking was free on the roof of the hotel (which was at road level). Free parking is a big advantage because you have to pay about 3 or 4 euro an hour for parking down in Sorrento and this hotel is only a 5-10 minute walk up the hill from the town.

Breakfast was very plain and not very exciting. Staff were friendly and helpful. The pool was lovely and clean but lost sun during the afternoon as Sorrento is on the north of the peninsula. Anyway, there is so much to do in the area that you don't really want to sit out all day long. Having also stayed on the sunny south of the peninsula (in Praiano) there is definitely an advantage in being on the north side as it means you can sit out on your balcony without frying.

I was just sorry we couldn't stay for longer at this hotel as I think it has the nicest aspect in Sorrento. It is 10 min walk from the town so not too busy, and high up so it has the best views. By being bult in to the cliff it does not suffer from traffic noise like some of the other hotels.

By the way, if you are thinking of visiting Pompeii, the station for the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii is in the centre of Sorrento and leaves you out at the gates to the Pompeii ruins. Far cheaper to go this way than drive yourself as you won't have to pay big parking fees.

Blissfully relaxing

This hotel has spectacular views towards Naples and Mount Vesuvius, but does not have to rely on these as its main selling point.

From the coast road, the hotel is almost invisible, with only the gate to the rooftop car park being visible to passing motorists. Because the rooms are all located below the road, they are completely sheltered from all traffic noise, unlike other nearby and otherwise excellent hotels.

The views over the bay are perfectly framed by the flower pots which are placed on the walls of each room's balcony.

The room and bathroom were clean and comfortable. The air-conditioning worked well.

The staff were helpful. The hotel pool was well used and clean, with good pool-side bar service.

Breakfast is adequate (like most Italian hotels, it's nothing to get excited about), and the Belair compares well to other Italian hotels.

The hotel is a five minute walk from the town, and can be used as a base to visit Pompeii using the Circumvesuviana railway, which stops in Sorrento. Local public transport also runs frequently to Naples and along the Amalfi coast - one of the advantages, or disadvantages, depending on your viewpoint, of local buses, is that they go up and down every valley and call to almost all of the local beauty spots and tourist attractions. A hydrofoil also runs from Sorrento to Capri.

This hotel is simply super.

A great honeymoon stay at the Belair

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Belair for 4 nights in Sept 05.

Its a great place to stay when you're spending a few days in Sorrento. Located just a short stroll (10-15 mins to Piazza Tasso) up a gentle hill from the centre of Sorrento it offers that great compromise of convenience yet quiet location. When you arrive there appears to be no hotel as it clings to the cliffs below road level.

We were upgraded to the same junior suite as the previous reviewer on the bottom floor of the hotel (Room 310). Although the décor is a little tired the room was fine. The enormous balcony is magnificent offering simply breathtaking views of Sorrento and the Bay of Naples. All rooms have a bay view not all have such a great balcony. A good buffet breakfast is served with a number of tables on a balcony with the same spectacular view.

All hotel staff are really helpful and they're pretty geared up to brit tourists so if you plan to immerse yourself in Italian Culture this may not be the place for you (Thompson and Crystal Package holiday posters in reception)

Never made it into the pool, but it looked fine. The only slight downside is how early in the evening it closes - 5pm when we stayed. This is likely due to the aspect of the hotel the sun has gone behind the mountains by early evening.

All in all a great Sorrento Hotel

Great places to eat are: "Lanternadue" in the old town and "Zi'Ntonio Mare" in the confusingly named Marina Grande - they provide a free shuttle bus service. Would avoid Ristorante Sant' Antonino food was OK, but service was appauling and you can do so much better in Sorrento.

Absolute perfection

We stayed at the Belair by default - we had booked the Bristol Hotel but a week before leaving were told they were overbooked and had to transfer our reservation to their sister hotel, the Belair. What luck for us as the Belair is absolutely beautiful.

We were given a suite (room 310) which had an enormous balcony with 6 seater table, day bed and plants etc, which was bigger than some hotel rooms. Our room was serviced twice a day and nothing was too much trouble. In fact, I'm writing this in the hotel's library on the free internet service.

Breakfast was great, not just dry breadrolls, and dinner was great also. But the view has to be the best thing about this hotel. Total uninterrupted 180 degree views of Sorrento and beyond.

I would thoroughly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting luxury with a view.

Saved by the Belair

Was on my honeymoon and we booked Settimo Cielo next door. Well we went to our room and it was a dump. We were miserable and we decided we had to find another place to stay. Directly next door was the Belair. Lucky for us they had one double available for slghtly more than S.C. The room was a 5 star compared to the dump we were in. The room was decent size, a little balcony over the pool and looking out accross the bay. A short walk down the hill to town. Also don't miss Le Fenice a good and reasonably priced restaurant.

A view to die for

We stayed here for our honeymoon back in July of 2004 and can't think of a nicer place to have spent it.

The view from our balcony was stunning. overlooking the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius.

The staff were excellent and treated you like you were family (The Head Waiter and Bar waiter in particular). The food was delicious (a different selection every night of the week) and I can recommend the Biancolella wine (from Ischia) which we are still trying to find over here!!!

As someone has previously mentioned, we spoke to a lot of people who had been returning to the hotel for years. Always the sign of a quality place.

It is about a 10 minute walk from the centre of Sorrento but we quite liked this as it was nice to go for a wander in the evening and then return to the sanctuary of a nightcap in the bar on the balcony.

There is a fantastic restaurant in Sorrento called L'Antica Trattoria (I think). We had lunch and an evening meal here (twice!!). The place is full of locals and the food is out of this world. Again the service was superb.

Be wary if you go on an organised evening trip to Capri. Capri is a nice place (Ladies I wouldn't wear high heels if I were you. There is a lot of walking and a couple of steep hills) but returning late at night on nothing much more than a fishing boat in complete darkness seemed a bit dodgy. However this isn't a negative just something to remember (And it had nothing to do with the hotel).

Yes the Belair is quite expensive, but it is worth it for the view alone. Add to this a lovely hotel, great staff and excellent food and you have one of the best hotels I have been fortunate enough to stay in.

I look forward to going back!

An absolute dream

My friend Penny and I stayed here for three nights in 1999. We had a junior suite and couldn't believe our eyes when we entered. We were on the 3rd floor overlooking the pool and the Bay of Naples - incredible view. We spent a lot of time out on our balcony. I had driven down from Tuscany and was so glad to be in a hotel within easy walking distance of town. We took the tours to Pompeii and Capri - both first-class. I will never forget sitting out on the balcony outside the dining room one night after dinner - with a full moon shining over the Bay of Naples! Everything that Italy should be and is.

Spectacular views, excellent service

The best location in Sorrento in terms of views, only challenged by the Bristol and a handful of others along the Via Del Capo - but the Bel Air has the advantage of being on the "sea" side of the road, so the rooms have unobstructed bay views and total peace and quiet. Quiet, civilised, and absolutely delightful - not for your party animals.

We booked a junior suite, which was excellent, with quite a bit of extra space. A large and wonderfully shaded balcony with a view to die for topped it off.

Food was excellent, service very friendly, efficient and just the unobtrusive side of attentive (someone comes in to turn your bed down while you're having dinner - nice one!). The rest of the clientele seemed to have been visiting every year for decades, being greeted by name by the staff on arrival, which says a lot.

Heartily recommended - not cheap, but worth it. Would return anytime (now would be nice!)

A honeymoon destination

Stayed at the Hotel Belair for the first week of our honeymoon. The hotel clings to the cliff above Sorrento, and so offers unsurpassed views of the bay of Naples, Vesuvius and Sorrento itself.

The hotel drops BELOW road level, and with the rooms on the oposite side of the hotel to the road the rooms are very peaceful all day long.

It is a small and friendly hotel (with faint airs of an Agatha Christie novel about it!), with excellent food, good wine and friendly service.

Very difficult to fault.

The only bad points I can think of: 15-20 minute walk down the hill into Sorrento (if you want the night life) - mind you, for us this was a plus point as it meant the hotel was quieter. Swimming pool is fairly small and loses the sunshine later on. Mind you - it offers great views. TV is pretty poor for Brits (a choice of CNN or BBC World (both pretty much wall-to-wall news)).

3 VERY minor bad points for a hotel that we would definitely visit again

(PS the house Rose wine is gorgeous!)

Stunning views

Superb, small hotel, fine food ,friendly staff, stunning views across bay towards Vesuvius. Smallish pool loses sun late afternoon