Great View, but very costly; April 2004

This hotel has a great view of the Bay of Naples, but it is not central to the city. It is about a 1/2 hour walk to the center of Sorrento. They do have a shuttle bus, complimentary, that runs almost every hour, to/from hotel/city center. Rooms were nice; they were spacious and clean. Restaurant was overpriced. There were a lot of hotels, perched on the same cliffs, that had the same wonderful views. This hotel was the most expensive hotel on our trip and based on the price and non-central location, I would not recommend it.

Romantic with Stunning Views

We stayed here in June of 2000....Located up on a cliff with stunning views overlooking the sea, this hotel, from what I remember, was formerly the grounds of a princess. Although her home was reconstructed as a hotel, much of the original grounds are still in tact which are absolutely beautiful. The area was quiet and serene, the room size was decent with OK decor, there was a pool and a private beach accessible by elevator ...overall, we'd give the hotel a 3.5 out of 5 in US standards, however, with thelocation and views, we'd bump it up to a 4 to 4.5. Quaint neighborhood with a couple of restaurants in the area, however if you drive down the hill to town, there is a lot of shopping, restaurants and things to see. Its definitely not a Sheraton, but truly a nice hotel, and we'd definitley stay there again.

Ponti's Pearl in the Med

I have stayed at this hotel for three years in a row and can't wait to return! I confess to being something of a retro design freak and a week at the Parco is pure timewarp heaven. It's clear from previous reviews that this hotel is not going to be everyone's cup of tea-it's certainly not going to be a lot of people's idea of what a five star hotel should be! However, if you bear in mind that the ricketty-looking dressing table in your room is worth far more than what your holiday cost, it might give a different perspective on things. Designed by architect Gio Ponti in the early sixties, the Parco is one of the few remaining hotels in the world to retain its original fittings and decor, painstakingly designed by Mr Ponti, right down to the floor tiles, each room having a different pattern. The hotel was discreetly renovated a couple of years ago, while faithfully retaining or replacing original features. The comparative starkness of the rooms, decorated in blue and white reflects the colours of the surrounding sea, while being a cool sanctuary from the searing outdoor heat. The view from the balcony is probably one of the world's best with Vesuvius to the right, Capri to the left and the twinkling lights of Naples across the bay. Service is superb, however the food leaves a little to be desired but is nonetheless passable. If you are planning on going, be prepared for a quirky experience-if you want swags, gold taps and plush carpets, your best bet's going to be the Excelsior Vittorio just up the road. If you're walking into town, take the back lanes route as the main road is potentially lethal! that said, The beautiful extensive grounds of the hotel and the space age swimming pool should keep any need for forays into the outside world to a minimum.

The worst

Other than the nice view if your have an ocean front room, this hotel is a disaster. It was designed to amplify noise, no carpeting, the beds and pillows are like wood, and the shower spits out less water than the toilet. Better off sleeping on the beach!

A cheap motel with the price of a 5 star hotel

We spend three days at the hotel and we fell like they treat us as a second class guest.1- The bathrooms were dirty2- Not a friendly staff3- Never gave us wakeup call that we ask.4- The food at the restaurant was not to good5- the bed was so hard that the floor will adjust better to your body.They just have become a 5 stars hotel but they treat us like if they were a cheap motel.

Awesome Hotel

Rooms were very large, bedroom, living room, bathroom. The gardens and views were stunning. Really nice salt water pool, cool black sand private beach. Very peaceful and beautiful, definately recommend it and will be going back, price was perfect! Fun piano bar!

A cool hotel

We were not sure whether we liked the decor to begin with but it really grew on us. All blue and white '60s minimalism with loud geometric patterned tiles in immaculate, newly restored condition.Together with the stark lighting the ambience is "cool" but somehow this contrasts well with the warmth of Sorrento outside. The location is what you really pay for, the views across the Bay of Naples to Mt Vesuvius are nothing short of spectacular. The hotel is situated a 20mins walk from the centre of Sorrento which I think is a positive - the location is peaceful and the hotel has its own beach and swimming cove at the base of the cliff which some of the de-luxe hotels in town do not. The staff were really friendly and attentive. The food was good but overpriced in my mind. Would I go back? Definitely.

Enjoyed the peaceful, beautiful setting

A nice hotel in a park like setting with lots of trees, 2 swimming pools and a private beach. The hotel is located a 20 minute walk from the town and has a shuttle service - although it only seats 8 and does not run very often.Staff was helpful. Breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the water.

Groovy Hotel

The setting of the Parco Dei Principi is spectacular, perched above the cliffs with a huge garden and private "beach" and breakwater (this is as much or more beach than any other hotel in Sorrento, due to the cliffs).

The hotel building itself is "new" though, built during the sixties and totally ingrained with a Jetsons of the Mediterranean vibe and period decor throughout -- so it was not what we were expecting and it took as a while to adapt.

You'd never confuse the furniture or the interior of the room with a traditional 4 or 5 star hotel, but the setting and view are spectacular, and that's what makes this hotel work.

Definitely rent a scooter during your stay. Cabs are pricey for a 3 min. drive, the walk is a bit of a trudge after a while, and you're going to want to go to Positano and Pompeii, for which you'll need transport anyway (and they're so fun).

Stunning views

The room we had was newly renovated and looked straight out over the Med. The staff were excellent and extremely helpful. The food in the restaurant was just about the best we had in Italy. The pool was peaceful and the beach very private. Their shuttle bus makes it easy to get into Sorrento but the 20 minute walk was nice anyway. I would thoroughly recommend staying here.