Trip Report – Hilton Sorrento Revisited – Amalfi Coast – Great Views & Exec. Lounge

by Adam

This is part ten of a twelve part trip report from my travels to Prague, Nice, Bratislava, Sorrento, and Rome. This trip picture report covers my return to the Hilton Sorrento. I last visited this property about a year ago (Trip Report – Hilton Sorrento Palace Hotel – Great Views & Executive Lounge) and had an excellent stay. This time was no different, the executive lounge was once again fantastic as were the views from our upgraded room.

The hotel is quite close to the main Sorrento train station, though it’s a trek uphill. This time we decided to walk it and let’s just say you are going to sweat! The Hilton is located atop a hill and you’ll be walking straight up if you choose to go by foot from the train. It took us about 15 minutes to walk, a taxi ride is less than 5 minutes and costs 12-15 Euro.

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Check-in was once again fast and efficient. I was informed that I had been upgraded to an Executive King with great views due to my HHonors Gold status. I was actually more concerned about the Executive Lounge access. It’s extremely valuable at this property as it includes a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking Sorrento, the Bay of Naples, and Mt. Vesuvius (on a clear day)…perfect for breakfast and evening cocktails and snacks. The Executive Level also has its own private rooftop pool.

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The room was essentially the same as I had last time, though the shower was a tub with a regular shower head as opposed to the separate shower with multiple jets that I had on my previous visit.

The rooms on the 5th floor each have their own outdoor area with chairs and a table thanks to the extended roof structure on that floor. Note that most people leave their blinds open so watch where you walk…

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Welcome gift of water and fruits, though there are multiple complimentary waters in the room and a lounge full of them.

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Separate twin bed for an additional guest or storage…

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Automated controls on both sides of the bed and at the desk to control all lighting as well as the blinds. Numerous outlets, including one universal plug.

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The bathroom…

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Up to the lounge known as the Settimo Club…

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Full American & Continental Breakfast 7-11
Midday Snacks 11:30-3
Tea Time 3-6
Evening Snacks 6-8

The breakfast was pretty standard, though the fruit was extremely fresh. It’s also nice that they have different local appetizers each night. Amongst other drinks, there’s a ton of different waters to choose from, but take more than one and you’ll be watched. We literally had staff members watching over us to see what we were going to do with the other bottle. I’m not talking casually watching either, they placed someone inside the lounge but just close enough to us outside that they could ensure we were drinking the water and not bringing it back upstairs. Guests who attempted to remove food or drinks were stopped by the lounge gestapo upon trying to enter the elevators!

That said, the lounge really is valuable with great wines, unlimited beer, and quality food. There’s plenty of indoor seating but everyone was outside…

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Private Executive Level Pool –

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Public Pools… Similar to last time, we used the Hilton as a base to explore Capri and the greater Amalfi Coast so there wasn’t much pool time, however the pool is quite nice and also has great views overlooking the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

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a pool with people swimming in it

a pool with people in it

Departure gift in our room the final night – some local Limoncello

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The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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10 comments

JustSaying October 25, 2013 - 6:57 pm

Was trying to decide on 10 nights at the Cavalieri and then a Relais and Chateau but this report really makes a case for a stay of some nights here………..great report……..

Reply
adam October 25, 2013 - 7:40 pm

@JustSaying – Yes, it’s a great property. Just note that it maintains a large resort feel rather than a cozy Amalfi family owned vibe. Check out this review as well – quite a different feel.

Reply
stacey October 27, 2013 - 10:37 am

Adam, thanks for reviewing this again! How was it as a base for Capri and other towns? Did you take the hydrofoils everywhere? Also, can you walk from the property to restaurants for dinner and such or did you eat those meals outside Sorrento or at the hotel? Looks like a great way to save some money though (if using points or cash and points) in an expensive part of Italy…but like you said, it’s mostly good as a crash pad, huh?

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adam October 28, 2013 - 10:22 pm

@Stacey – No problem, happy to help! The Hilton can certainly be more of a destination than a base if you have ample time (and yes, it’s an amazing deal for that area of Italy, especially during the summer). With only a few days though and the entire Amalfi Coast to see, I would have felt guilty spending any time at the hotel during the day. That said, our nights in Sorrento were great. It’s not a big town, but it’s much larger than Amalfi and other nearby villages. We walked to dinner every night. It’s a nice walk down the hill from the hotel and ask someone to direct you to the path that leads directly into the center of town (not the way you would walk to the train station). Our favorite restaurant (twice this time and once last time) is Ristorante O’ Murzill (don’t listen to the negative TripAdvisor reviews). It’s family owned, has great outdoor seating in the street, and amazing fresh food! Pasta, seafood, everything was fantastic. PS – there were certainly families who had their “dinner” at the lounge.

In terms of seeing the other towns. We took one of the 8-12 person yachts to Capri. It was 48 Euro a person instead of 25 on a larger hydrofoil or 20 on the ferry. Included are stops along the way for swimming / snorkeling, lunch, drinks on-board, a few hours in Capri, and transportation to / from the hotel. Don’t book with the hilton, go into town and price shop between the different tour operators. Make sure you find ones that limit the # of pax to 8-10. On this trip everyone showed up, on our last, the other party didn’t arrive and we got the whole boat to ourselves. Amalfi / Positano we did via ferry this time and it was quite a journey. About 1 1/2 hours each way. Check out this trip report for an option right in Amalfi if you decide to move around a bit.

Feel free to email me with any other questions!

Reply
JustSaying October 29, 2013 - 10:06 am

Great post and great info

Reply
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Mark October 28, 2013 - 9:13 pm

Can you share how you arrived. We are planning a trip to Rome and Sorrento, and are trying to figure out the best transportation?

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adam October 28, 2013 - 10:07 pm

@Mark – There’s an express train from Rome/Naples/Rome that’s under 2 hours and quite painless. Once in Naples you can easily transfer to the Circumvesuvian Train that stops right at Sorrento station (great views on the way as well). There are also ferry and bus options from Naples if you prefer.

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