Great Hotel, Friendly Staff, Reasonable Price

Just came back from a 14 day stay in Italy. We spent 9 of the 14 days in Sorrento and stayed at the Settimo Cielo. We booked hotel based on reviews and price. For the price range this was a great hotel and we would definitely stay here again.

The views from the hotel are beautiful. We had a room with a balcony overlooking the pool and the sea. Fantastic!!! The room was clean and the bathroom was large with a good shower. For this price range it was a good room. It served it's purpose and was very comfortable and roomy. We weren't on top of each other as I have found at other hotels I've stayed in Italy. This is not a luxury hotel, so don't expect luxury rooms, but we were very pleasantly surprised.

The location is convenient. While it is not in the center of town - we wanted to be away from the noise and the crowds when we slept and siesta'd - it is about a 10 minute walk and there is a bus stop close by if you don't want to walk. For us, this was perfect because it gave us the best of both worlds, tranquil picturesque location for relaxing, but close enough to town to walk for the day and night activities (and no need to be at the mercy of a van schedule to take you in and out of town). Also allowed us enough time to burn off that great Italian food. If it were maybe 50 meters closer to town that would have been perfect (when you go shopping or want to go back and forth between hotel and town).

The pool was great. A lot bigger than I thought it would be and kept very clean. (I can vouch for this as, every evening, I would see the woman scrubbing the pool deck at the end of the day as our room overlooked the pool). In fact the whole hotel is kept very cleaan.

Most notable were the staff. I have stayed in many hotels in my time, traveling a lot for business at some major luxury hotels. I have never experienced a staff that is as friendly and helpful as this one. They were genuinely interested in our well being, asking us every day how we were, what we were going to do for the day and giving us great advice. (I know the advice was great because I don't always listen and the one time I didn't listen to them I was sorry - took a ferry instead of bus from Positano to Sorrento. The ferry was a slow one and took us 2 hours rather than 40 minutes by bus).

If you are thinking of going to Sorrento and want to stay at a reasonably priced hotel that feels more like a four star than the three star rating it is given, then this is the one.

Disappointing

After the first night, we cancelled and moved to Villa Maria. We got stuck in the basement and the rooms were terrible. The View was ok, probably better in the upper floors. Staff had an attitude - just got tired of dealing with them. It's a good long walk (not to be done with luggage) from the train station. IlNido has a shuttle to their hotel - and its better. Also it was suprisingly cold -- no heat -- probably because of the basement. If you want a view get a balcony room early, otherwise dont bother staying here.

Loved it!

My husband and I stayed at Settimo Cielo at the the end of May, and couldn't have been happier. We had an ocean view with a balcony, that was incredible. To wake-up to the view every morning was more than worth the cost of the room. Unlike other postings, the bed was comfortable to us. The room was very clean, and large for European standards. The staff was very helpful, and at our beckoning call. The location was perfect. We love to walk (you can see more of the city that way) so we could walk every where, even to the train station. If you don't want to walk, there is a bus stop, maybe 30- 40 feet outside the hotel. The only negative thing we could say, was that the towels were not terry cloth, but alot of Italian hotels are that way. The price is very good also. It is no five star hotel, but a wonderful 3 star with a 5 star in view, location and service. We plan to go back in a year or two.

Great view

My family stayed at the Hotel Settimo for 3 nights. The rooms were disappointing, but the view and location was great. The staff was very nice, and helpful. The rooms were clean, but very sparse. The beds were extremely uncomfortable. They looked like cots simply pushed together. It felt like we were camping. The bathrooms were dark and old. The hotel was remodeling or had some rooms remodeled, and I don't know if ours was part of the old or "new". We asked to look at other rooms, but they honestly didn't look much better. Plus, we needed two rooms, a double and a triple. Triples are hard to get, so we just stayed with our rooms. However, our rooms had balcony's that faced the sea and Mt. Vesuvious. It was very beautiful. The hotel is also within a 5-10 minute walk to downtown Sorrento. It was a nice walk to get to the ferry or go into town for dinner. Location rates a 5. I would stay again if not for the uncomfortable beds! But, if that doesn't bother you, you can't beat the location for the price.

Never heard of sound insulation!

I more or less picked this hotel after reading the rave reviews of the other users. I must say that the view is indeed unique and absolutely wonderful. It is something to go for. We enjoyed the setting and the view to the extreme, sitting there in the evening with some mozarella, tomatoes and a good bottle of wine. I also loved the swimming pool. It has to be said that even though all the rooms have the fabulous views, only a few of them have balconies and the price is the same for all the rooms, which hardly seems fair. The sun only reaches the balconies early in the morning, and the sun also leaves the poolside in the early afternoon.

We did not get a good sleep at all in this hotel, as you could literally hear everything that was happening not just in the room next door but even rooms further away. I was in the bathroom and overheard a whole conversation word for word. You hear even quiet lovemaking, arguments, people coming late in at night, people turning on their tv in the morning (in one case at 5.30 am!): in other words, not possible to get any decent sleep.

The breakfast whilst all right was really basic with no effort put into it: in a region of such wonderful food, not even nice fresh bread was provided. In a region of the most famous cheese, all we got at breakfast was a wrapped processed cheese! I guess this is were it shows it is a "value" hotel.

So, overall:

View: 10 out of 10, cannot get better, will forever remember

Location: (short walk into town): 8 out of 10

Staff: great

Room comfort (due to unable to sleep): 3 out of 10

Truly Seventh Heaven

Spent two nights here in June. Wish it could have been two weeks. What a view!!! Very accomodating staff were extremely helpful in arranging an excursion to my grandfather's birthplace. Sorrento is so beautiful. We'll be back and we definately would stay at Settimo Cielo again.

WONDERFUL

The Hotel was Wonderful! The view was spectacular and the staff was remarkable in regards to making sure your stay was comfortable. The location is great, you can walk to town and explore and it was wonderful in regards to the short distances to the towns of Positano and Amalfi and of course to explore Pompeii. I would highly recommend this establishment.

Bella bella....

My partner and I took a two week break to Italy, the last week of which we spent at Settimo Cielo. Look no further in terms of value, service and VIEW.

The hotel is about 10 mins walk from the centre of Sorrento but is by no means far out ( if you are looking at UK Italy brochures then it is around the same location as the Hotel Bristol and Capodimonte). Basically, if you stayed right in town then you wouldn't enjoy the fantastic view of the rest of the town, the Marina Grande a few hundred feet below, Naples and Vesuvius across the bay. All rooms have this amazing seaview, as the hotel is built into the cliffside- you enter the hotel from road level and then go down stairs to the rooms- its advantage over other hotels in this location mentioned is that your seaview enjoyment isn't interrupted by the main road ( because it runs above this hotel- with the others you could have a lovel balcony but scooters and busses whizzing by underneath you- settimo cielo looks down uninterrupted to the harbour).

The hotel is family run which makes a real difference- they all seemed to care that everything was ok, and took time to chat- we stayed in a few hotels in Bologna, and Venice earlier in our trip and didn't experience hospitality like this. They have an internet point you can use, there is a bar where they serve toasties etc at lunch and early eve ( though they aren't the best....and with millions of places in Sorrento why bother..?), small pool with sunbeds enjoying the same view.

The place has been around for a while so don't expect ultra hip decor- it has a distinct seventies feel but I think that is part of its charm and it was spotlessly clean. We had a big triple room on the second floor down with a balcony where we could enjoy the morning sun- our bathroom had shower, I'm not sure if any have a tub.

Sorrento is also a great base to do all the sights in this area- Pompeii, Amalfi coast, Capri, Napoli etc- with loads of restaurants. A few of our favourites were-

Il Gatto Nero- go through Piazza Tasso with the sea on your left, pass the entrance to the Hotel Excelsior Vittoria then take the first left- go round the corner a few hundred yards and then you'll see it on your right after the hotel Continental ( or something). Funky little bar, restaurant with a fairly standard menu ( very good home made pasta) and a nice departure from the very trad places in town.

Can't remember the name of this place but on Corso Italia, you'll see a wine bar/ ennoteca which advertises itself as selling local wines and by the glass- it has a wee restaurant on that street but you can also go through the back and upstairs to a covered terrace. Food was excellent, particularly seafood pasta.

What a view!

We spent a fabulous fortnight at the Settimo Cielo in September 2003.

What a holiday to remember! Firstly the location. It may seem a better choice to book a hotel in Sorrento town centre, but this is only a gentle 15 minute stroll into town, and what a view! Each bedroom overlooks the Bay of Naples, with the Marina Grande right below, and Vesuvius brooding away across the bay. The view is gorgeous, picture postcard perfect! I have never had such a beautiful view, and a private balcony to drink it all in from! The hotel rooms are comfortable, the staff delightful. Seventh Heaven indeed!

Heaven in Sorrento

My husband and I stayed at the Settimo Cielo for three nights in October 2003. The only regret we have is that we did not have more time to just sit and enjoy the view. The hotel is built into the cliff overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The view from our room, and from every room in the hotel for that matter, was just breathtaking. The room and bathroom were both very clean and very large. Our balcony was also large, large enough to fit a table and chairs. Breakfast was included: cereals, rolls, fruit and one morning hot crossaints. Coffee /espresso is made to order. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Its about a 10 minute walk into town, just perfect because you get the view from the hotel but can still walk to all the restaurants and shops. Marina Grande is just below the hotel so you can walk to the restaurants there as well. One computer is available if you need to check email, only 5 E for 1 hour of use. If we have the opportunity to go back to Sorrento, we will definately stay there again!