Photos: Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast

Ravello offers some of the best views of the Amalfi Coast. While waiting for our on-site tour to start, we could spot the towns of Maiori, Minori and Amalfi from the hall’s balcony.

Iolanda Mansi, our hotel tour guide, joined us for a quick coffee on the breakfast terrace. She told us about when the hotel’s staff organized a spectacular wedding proposal for a special guest. Iolanda managed to coordinate a private airplane exhibiting a will-you-marry-me banner to an astonished future wife having her morning coffee on the terrace.

Alfonso, the restaurant manager, showed us the hotel’s inviting breakfast buffet, a mix of sweet and savory treats. He pointed out the hotel’s attention to locally grown products, especially those from the nearby Cilento National Park.

Guests rave about Bar Caruso’s service, especially loving the cocktails’ quality and the staff’s attention to detail. The bar area sits next to the breakfast room. Although most guests prefer getting their evening cocktail on the adjacent panoramic terrace, the indoor bar and lounge is also a great place to enjoy a late evening conversation.

Before exploring the hotel’s gardens, we noticed the inviting meeting room next to the bar area. Travelers who need time to focus will find the right environment here, where a breathtaking sea view and comfortable brown leather chairs provide inspiration to creative minds.

Undoubtedly one of the hotel’s most memorable locations, Bar Caruso’s panoramic terrace is a stunning outdoor lounge area. Live music from the bar’s white grand piano and ancient mosaics make this lounge a space where guests can live unforgettable moments with their significant others or converse with unexpected new friends.

The outdoor feel of the hotel is that of a palace’s well-kept secret. Caruso’s pool, an architectural masterpiece, awaits guests at the main boulevard’s end, making the walk even more pleasurable.

One of Caruso’s highlights is the 360-degree view allowed by the property’s unique position on Ravello’s highest peak. Visitors strolling in the garden’s main level will enjoy a privileged perspective over the Lattari Mountains.

Caruso’s heated infinity pool is one of the most stunning in the world. Previous visitors describe it best as a swimming pool in heaven, as it offers spectacular views from its dominant position.

The hotel’s garden levels are full of aromatic plants, hidden panoramic spots and unusual vegetable species. An outdoor treatment area, a fitness terrace, a hammock lounge area and several stone paths compose the complex geography of a labyrinthine property that delivers a homey feel at every corner.

Even a few nights at Caruso can be highly therapeutic, considering the sensory experience of rose plants, lemon groves and the salty Mediterranean breeze. Guests searching for more relaxation can trust the hotel’s spa, where experts employ state-of-the-art beauty products.

Caruso offers sumptuous accommodations featuring different styles and decor. The suite we toured boasted a private terrace with sea views and frescoes enhanced by the natural light of an arched balcony glass door.

The suite boasts an ancient Roman bathroom with a vaulted ceiling. The bathroom frames a unique desk station facing the large balcony door overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The hotel owes its name to Pantaleone Caruso, the farmer who used to take care of the abandoned villa’s vineyards. In 1895, Pantaleone opened a five-room guesthouse with his wife Emilia, offering bed and soup service. Testimonies of the so-called Belvedere guesthouse are displayed in the hotel’s memorabilia, which also feature American Express telegrams dating back to 1920.