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.

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.

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.

Breakfast
Served until 11am. There are low-calorie options for the health conscious.

Room service
Available 24 hours a day




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.

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.

Diary 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

ESSENTIAL INFO

Rates guide
EUR 260 - 560

Open/closed
Closed November – April

Check-in
3 pm

Check-out
Midday

Minimum night stay?
Three nights

Children
Welcome. Under 2's are free and a cot can be hired for €40

Pets
Small dogs are welcome

Air conditioning
Yes

Wedding license?
No