Cocumella
Sorrento, Italy

The hotel has housed such illustrious guests as Goethe and the duke of Wellington. On a cliff top garden overlooking the Bay of Naples, Cocumella was carved out of a Jesuit monastery from the 16th century. Its gardens stretch toward the sea with distant views of Mount Vesuvius in the background. Frescoed ceilings, antiques, and grand style greet you here.

Summer concerts are presented in the on-site baroque chapel. Guests are taken in cruises aboard the hotel's own ship, Vera, dating from 1880. The vessel sails along the Amalfi Coast to Capri. Nothing is finer than those barbecue lunches shaded by orange trees by the pool. Otherwise, the finest of Mediterranean cuisine is served in the romantic Scintilla Restaurant.