Hotel Mamela

This hotel was part of a package we'd purchased and one of the highlights of trip. We were supposed to have had a standard room with just a window and no view of the water. I don't know if our travel agent worked some magic or we just got lucky but we ended up front-and-center with a small, walk-out balcony overlooking both the pool and the sea! Our room was airy, spacious, very clean and had a large bathroom - everything done up in cheerful blue-and-yellow tile. After a nice but tiny, stuffy room in Rome, we were positively giddy.

The Mamela has an elevator, nice pool, breakfast room, bar, lounge, lovely terrace (take your breakfast outside!) and all of the rooms have a safe, mini bar/fridge, air conditioning, hairdryer and satellite TV. It's an old building - the hallways were a tad musty when we were there and some of the furnishings were a little worn - but very nicely kept. I read that it recently underwent some updating so any insignificant imperfections were probably remedied. The staff was friendly and attentive, particularly with a faulty fuse-box issue our first evening. Breakfast, which is included in the room price, is mostly pastries, cereal, yogurt and great coffee with a couple of hot items available for an additional fee.

Hotels on Capri are expensive - no way around it - and this one runs 210 - 400 euro for 3 price tiers (standard, sea view, deluxe) of rooms. In the summer, you'll be paying top dollar but it's very possible you can swing a nice discount in the fall as I see a lot of the hotels run specials for the later season. Do spring for a seaside room, if you can - the view is terrific and captures more of the feel of the island. I've no idea why we didn't get a shot of the water from our balcony - duh!

IMPORTANT - anyone staying on Capri should pre-arrange with their hotel for luggage delivery from marina to hotel!! Many of them are beyond the Piazzetta and accessible only on foot. Most hotels will pick you up at the marina, by taxi, and transport you as far as Piazzetta but won't handle your luggage beyond that point. Without porter service you'll be dragging your suitcase some considerable distance through heavy crowds and hilly, possibly uneven terrain. Pay the small fee - it's worth it. Hotel Mamela is about a 5-minute walk from the Piazzetta, which is a bonus as it's very quiet at night!

Unique Quality: Terrific views (from seaside rooms), far enough from Piazzetta to be quiet, friendly staff, very clean, wonderful breakfast/lounge/pool terrace

Directions: Reference website (click "English" on right side of the main page, under the photo)