Sorrento is one of the most charming places on the Amalfi Coast, Italy. It’s also easy to explore other coastal gems such as Capri and Positano from here. That’s why staying overnight or for several days here makes perfect sense. We recommend Grand Hotel La Favorita, Sorrento, one of the best 5 star Amalfi Coast hotels for your trip.
Grand Hotel La Favorita, Sorrento
One of the most highly rated Sorrento hotels according to TripAdvisor is Grand Hotel La Favorita. It’s a family run hotel with a gorgeous rooftop pool and great restaurant.
First Impressions of Grand Hotel La Favorita
Grand Hotel La Favorita has a fantastic location a few streets away from the town centre and Piazza della Vittoria. Staff are very friendly and instantly put you at ease.
The other thing we noticed straight away was the spacious lobby and the beautiful tiled floor. This sense of space carries throughout the hotel, with a huge rooftop terrace, sizeable ground floor gardens and bar.
Accommodation at Grand Hotel La Favorita
The 85 rooms at Grand Hotel La Favorita are beautifully decorated, with unique floral tiles from Vietri. Ours had a lovely garden view balcony from which we could see the Bay of Naples.
Thanks to the comfy bed and pillows, we got an excellent night’s sleep.
Our Deluxe Double room had all mod cons including a flat screen TV with foreign channels, a safe, mini bar, complimentary high speed WiFi and air conditioning. We also had access to a personalized concierge service.
The hotel rooms are very well insulated and you don’t hear any external noise. The bathroom also had beautiful flower tiles and a marble basin and was equipped with slippers, towelling robes and a hairdryer.
Breakfast at Grand Hotel La Favorita
You’re in for a treat with the breakfast at Grand Hotel La Favorita. Unlike some Italian hotels that simply serve hot drinks and pastries, there’s a huge choice at the buffet in Tiffany Restaurant.
From 7 am until 10 am, take your pick from cereal, homemade cakes, ham, cheese, fresh fruit and salad. There’s also an array of hot buffet dishes and freshly cooked omelettes made to your taste.
Hotel Facilities
One of the highlights of this hotel is the magnificent rooftop bar and pool, The Bellavista Terrace. Located on the top floor, it’s the perfect place one which to sunbathe or cool off with a refreshing swim.
From the sun loungers and bar, you can admire the tiled dome of a nearby church, as well as Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. Bellavista Terrace is open from 12 pm – 16 pm.
On the ground floor there’s yet more open space with a sunny seating area at the front of the hotel.
There is further seating in the rear garden. You can dine here in Summertime or simply enjoy a refreshing drink.
There’s even a secret garden tucked away at the back, with a lemon tree ensuring that it’s nice and shady. Adjacent to the gardens is the stylish American Bar with comfy white leather Chesterfield sofas, chandeliers and wall tiles dating from the 18th century.
The bar serves some great cocktails in the evening, both indoors and on the terrace.
If you want to work off the drinks or you’re feeling sporty, there’s a well equipped gym in the basement.
Tiffany Restaurant and Bar
Guests at Grand Hotel La Favorita can enjoy fantastic fine dining at Tiffany Restaurant and Bar. Non residents are welcome and it is open from 12 pm until 15.30 pm for lunch and from 19 pm until 22.30 pm for dinner.
Tiffany Restaurant is a popular fixture on the Sorrento dining scene, known for its Italian specialties and attentive service. We loved our dinner here, with tasty dishes such as locally caught seafood.
Leave some room for dessert as they are superb, in particular the chocolate cake.
Things to Do Near Grand Hotel La Favorita
Just 200 metres walk from the hotel you’ll find O Parrucchiano. It’s owned by the same family as Grand Hotel La Favorita and is one of the most well known Sorrento restaurants.
There are a few reasons for that – firstly its vast courtyard gardens bedecked with flowers and secondly due to its cannelloni. The dish was actually invented here over 100 years ago and was formerly called strascinati.
There’s an interesting art museum on the pedestrianized main street, Corso Italia. Fondazione Sorrento has regularly changing exhibitions of local artists and a permanent collection of music boxes in the basement. Sorrento Cathedral is also on the main street and has a beautiful bell tower.
You’ll find some great boutiques along Corso Italia and in the surrounding alleyways. Part of the fun of visiting Sorrento is wandering through these little alleys with their picturesque restaurants and shops.
Marquetry is a Sorrento specialty and there are a few workshops where you can see craftsmen making it. There’s also a marquetry museum if you’re interested in finding out more about the subject.
One of the most beautiful Sorrento sights is the Cloisters of San Francesco. They were built in the 14th century and are remarkably well preserved in a shady courtyard.
Above the cloisters, Gallery Celentano has a popular Instagrammable Sorrento attraction on its terrace, a swing with views over the Bay of Naples. You can also sit in a cutaway Fiat 500 car, and wander around the photographic exhibitions. On our visit, there was a great one on Sofia Loren and another on Raffaele Celentano, the owner of the gallery.
Sorrento lemons are famous the world over and it’s well worth visiting I Giardini Di Cataldo on Via Correale. They make all kinds of things from lemons including liqueur, jam, marmelade and of course, lemon gelato!
Visitors can take a guided tour around their lemon grove and see the typical pergolas made from chestnut wooden poles, protecting the lemons from adverse weather conditions.
A bit further along the street you’ll come to Museo Correale di Terranova. Over 4 floors, it showcases paintings from 17th and 18th centuries, European porcelain, glass and table clocks. At the far end of the museum gardens, you’ll find a path leading to a great viewpoint of the coast.
Head back towards Sorrento town center, past Piazza Tasso and walk through the old town entrance, Porta di Marina Grande to the harbour below. Marina Grande is still a working fishing port and extremely picturesque.
If you’d like to get to Marina Piccola, you can the Sorrento Lift from Piazza Francesco Saverio Gargiulo. It’s free for children less than 1 metre in height, € 1,00 for adults or € 1,90 for a return ticket.
How to Get to Sorrento
The closest airport is Naples and from here it’s just 48 kilometres to Sorrento. The route along the coast is extremely scenic, just be prepared for it to get quite busy in Summertime. We’d allow a couple of hours from door to door.
There are so many things to do in Sorrento that you’ll want to stay here for several days at least. Grand Hotel La Favorita also makes an excellent base from which to explore the other Amalfi Coast towns such as Positano and Ravello.
With such excellent facilities, it’s easy to see why it’s considered to be one of the best Sorrento hotels. The only downside will be checking out and leaving this oasis behind.
When the charming receptionist joked with us that we should stay longer she also asked if we really wanted to leave.
The answer was no and we’re sure you’ll feel the same way if you stay here. Thanks to Grand Hotel La Favorita, our stay was a pure delight.
Check out our vlog for a virtual tour of this luxury Sorrento hotel and some tips on the best things to see in town.
We arranged our stay via Classic Collection Holidays, the leading tailor-made luxury holiday specialists. They are experts in arranging holidays to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Having previously travelled to Italy with them, we knew that everything would run like clockwork.
They booked our e-tickets and got us the best seats on the plane, sending us a printed copy in a handy travel wallet with a guide to Italy. They also arranged our car rental at Naples airport.
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In association with Classic Collection Holidays.
I’m laughing a bit because I was thinking how pretty your yellow dress looked against the stunning colours of Sorrento. Then, I got to the bit about Amalfi lemons and just wondered if you’d worn it on purpose! La Favorita does look amazing. It’s managed to combine international levels of hospitality with an integrity of Amalfi style.