Hotel Scalinatella

We recommend Scalinatella to couples seeking the intimacy of a discreet address rather than the splendour of a grand palace. It's a hotel for travellers who know Capri and prefer the view over the Faraglioni to immediate proximity to the Piazzetta. Honeymoons, wedding anniversaries and romantic getaways outside July-August find their ideal setting here.

Scalinatella is a Mediterranean villa built in the 1970s, enlarged in successive stages along the cliff. Typically Capriot architecture: whitewashed facades, barrel vaults, Vietri ceramic floors, cascading terraces. The rooms are staggered over several levels connected by stairs (hence the name, "little staircase" in Italian). The whole comprises 30 rooms, each different, between 25 and 45 m² excluding terrace.

The hotel's restaurant serves classic Campanian cuisine on the panoramic terrace, open April to October. Continental breakfast with Neapolitan pastries, served in room or on the communal terrace. No signature chef, but a short menu of local specialities (Capri ravioli, fish of the day). Room service operates until 10pm. For fine dining, head down to the Piazzetta (Da Paolino, L'Olivo) ten minutes on foot.

Scalinatella stands on Via Tragara, the panoramic road from the Piazzetta towards the Faraglioni. Five minutes' walk from the centre (uphill on the return), fifteen minutes from the Gardens of Augustus. Direct access to coastal paths and Tragara beach below (180-step staircase). Capri is reachable only by boat: hydrofoil from Naples (40 minutes) or Sorrento (20 minutes), then funicular or taxi to the hotel. The Tragara district remains residential, calm after day-trippers leave around 6pm.