Classic Collection Holidays Educational trip 21st - 25th April 2015
Tuesday 21 April 2015
04:00 London Gatwick Airport - An early start to meet up with my fellow travellers, we caught the Easyjet Flight to Naples.
The transfer from the airport to where we had to catch our ferry was ‘interesting’ due to the on-going roadwork, it has been like this for ’20 years’ according to a local, after only a few minutes we thought we had reached our destination, but over 10 minutes later we finally arrived at the correct point to catch the ferry to Capri.
We caught the Hydrofoil which takes about 45-50 minutes to reach Capri. As a Classic Collection customer you are met by very enthusiastic men with their open top taxis. As there were 9 of us it was very exciting to see our suitcases strapped in to the boot with a bit of rope! We all had visions of them tumbling back down the steep mountain road.
Our first stop was to have a tour of the Caesar Augustus Hotel, the views from the terrace where we had out welcome drinks left me speechless. The sun was shining and it was like being part of a 1950’s film set. The rooms were spacious and even the side sea view rooms were not missing out on spectacular scenery. Lunch was served on a partly shaded terrace down some steps, but if steps are an issue then I’m sure the hotel staff would serve you lunch on the main terrace. We had a tour of the gardens and saw the variety of home grown fruit and vegetables used by the hotel. This is the perfect place if you want to get away from it all as you would need to get a taxi to get back to the port of Capri where there is a lot more going on. The pool is near to an outside gym and massage area. For couples wanting total privacy there is an area where you can dine alone whilst looking out over the bay of Capri.
A short walk took us to our overnight accommodation the Capri Palace. This hotel offers a serene atmosphere. I was lucky enough to stay in one of the Executive rooms; this had a very large balcony with 2 sun loungers and a table and chairs, plus a stunning view. The hotel has a top quality spa area with many options of treatments available. Some of the suites had their own private pool and garden area while a few of the rooms had their own plunge pool. Continuing our tour we were taken to the spacious foyer that led into a large bar area with comfortable sofas. The restaurant had more of a homely feel to it with more sofas at some of the dining tables. The outside BBQ area was near to the pool at the front of the hotel and more secluded with trees for shade and inviting sun loungers.
Near to the hotel was a chair lift that took you higher up the hillside to gain even better views of this magical island. A 10 minute taxi ride took us to the Capri Tiberio Palace this is where we were to have our evening meal. This hotel is set amongst the traditional homes of the islanders and nearby you can catch the Funicular railway to the port. The Management and staff were very welcoming and polite. Each hotel room we were shown was individually decorated and it gave across the feeling that you were a guest in someone’s home. Most of the larger balconies had curtains to give you some shade from the blazing Capri sun. The Spa area was quite compact and felt very private, the fragrances of Capri were used here and the aromas made you feel very relaxed. The pool was an indoor/outdoor one, and outside a new bigger terrace had been built to enable wedding parties to make more use of this facility.
Wednesday 22 April 2015
After breakfast we were taken to the port where we had our own small boat with an English speaking guide to take us on a tour of the island. She was very knowledgeable and was able to point out many of the properties owned by famous stars of the silver screen including Sophia Loren. We also saw the Red Coral that is now protected. Group trips run daily, but if you want to book a private boat trip this is possible too, to take you to see the beauty that is Capri. We reached a point on our trip where there were lots of boats bobbing around one area; this is because they were waiting to get into the Blue Grotto. The bigger boats have to transfer their passengers onto smaller boats for them to experience this. Some days the queue for this is over an hour’s wait.
We were transferred into smaller boats to take us the short distance to the rocky steps leading up to our lunch appointment at Il Riccio, this is a Michelin Star restaurant overlooking the sea with views in the distance of Vesuvius and some of the other smaller islands in the area. The striking blue and white paintwork was sparkling in the midday sun; there were sun beds you could lay on while waiting for your table. Lunch was served on the sunny terrace, although you could have eaten inside the restaurant where it was cooler in
the shade. It goes without saying that the quality of the food and drinks were of the highest calibre. Fresh seafood is available for you to choose. After we had finished our main course we were asked to follow our hosts. We stopped outside a room and when the door was opened cool air hit you, it was soon obvious why! The room was full of the most delicious desserts, tarts, mousses, cakes in fact so much you would need to visit the restaurant many times to savour all the treats on offer. Il Riccio is linked to the Capri Palace, so guests can eat here and get their meal charged to their hotel account. There is a hotel shuttle service to
take them to and from the restaurant.
Capri was as magical as I’d dreamt it would be. We checked out of the Capri Palace and made our way to the port to catch the ferry to Ischia. The hydrofoil takes approximately 50 minutes however we were on a ferry that took 1hr 20 minutes.
We arrived at the beautiful island of Ischia and we were greeted by the Classic Collection representative Mina. We were taken to the Il Moresco Hotel, a traditional family run hotel where we stayed for two nights, the staff were so helpful and the general ambiance of this hotel makes me want to return here one day. This hotel is in a very good central location, it has its own private beach which is only a short stroll from the hotel. The Castello Aragonese is a 20-25 minute walk away.
This hotel is not too big and on arrival you would think that you are checking in to someone’s private house. The indoor Therme Pool was at 34 degrees. Full Spa facilities and treatments were available. The staff were exceptional and couldn’t do enough for you. The evening meal was also of a very high standard and there is no worry of going hungry here. After dinner we went to the bar area where a grand piano was being played with the traditional tunes of Italy.
Thursday 23 April 2015
Breakfast was a continuation of the quality of this hotel, there was such a selection that you would need to stay for a long time to enjoy all that was offered.This morning we were taken to visit another property that is featured in the Classic Collection brochure, Gardens & Villas. This is not a hotel but nine villas spread out amongst beautifully managed gardens, it was a very unique place. It gave you the sense of being in a private village. Family run, this is a place I would also like to re-visit. Each villa had more than one self-contained room, and they were all styled differently and also very spacious. Some were not as easily accessible due to steps, but enough choice to suit everyone’s needs.
There was a very big swimming pool surrounded by a restaurant. Alongside there was a footpath that led you down to the beach which was 350 meters away. There was a detached building where you could go to read quietly, it had a very colonial air to it. The bar was another separate building and was like a cave.
A short drive from this property was the beautiful gardens of Giardini La Mortella. The immense variety of flora and fauna was well worth a visit. There were a lot of steps with stopping points along the way to the top, but the climb was worth it when you saw the view of the coastline and gardens. Some parts of this attraction had disabled access but this looked limited.
We continued our journey to have lunch nearby at a lovely local vineyard ‘Pietratorcia’. Here we were shown the old traditional way the wine used to be made by treading the grapes; however this is not done today! Lunch gave us the chance to sample the red and white wines produced here. They also had lemon and orange marmalade made from the fruit in their gardens. This is a small place so I recommend that you pre-book so as not to be disappointed.
Friday 24 April 2015
We moved on to our next hotel where we stayed for one night. The Terme Manzi was set away from the main seafront area up a hill. The spa area was the largest of all the hotels visited. The indoor pool and treatment rooms were the key selling point of this hotel and were of a very high standard. The roof top pool with its loungers and bar gave to some spectacular views of the surrounding hills and coastline. The room I was in was not very big; however the ‘Owners Suite’ was spacious and palatial.
We drove to the opposite side of the island to the resort of Sant Angelo. A very picturesque resort with small winding streets and a few shops. The hotel we visited here was the Miramare Resort. Each room was bright and airy, some with small lounge areas but all with balconies, although I found these to be quite small, and not very private, but they were all overlooking the sea and rugged coastline and this certainly made up for it.
The spa was in a different area and a good ten minute walk away up a hill, however for guests with walking difficulties there was a ‘golf buggy’ service that could take them from the hotel to this area where there was an indoor and also an outside thermal pool and restaurant where you could have lunch with a good sized sun terrace.
Saturday 25 April 2015
After leaving the Termi Manzi hotel we headed to the Port in Ischia where we had some free time to walk around the area. I found an amazing delicatessen in one of the little side streets where the owner a Master Cheese maker could be found hugging his prize winning cheese that looked more like a large black punch bag that you would find at a boxing club due to its enormous size! The taste was amazing and I wish I had purchased some of this cheese to bring home.
Lunch at the little restaurant right on the harbour side was a continuous stream of local food; I have never seen or eaten so much good quality Mozzarella in my life!!!
We caught the ferry back to the mainland where a driver was waiting to take us to our final hotel visit in Naples. An interesting drive to avoid the traffic via the back streets, where you could see washing hung across the street from one balcony to the other.
The hotel we were visiting was the Grand Hotel Parkers. Some of the rooms at the back of this hotel only looked out on to a sheer rock face, so it is well worth paying extra for the sea views. The balconies were small and old so I didn’t feel very safe standing out on them, although the view back across the Bay of Naples to the Islands we had left behind was stunning. We were shown all categories of rooms, including the
Presidential Suite which was on two floors. We were given farewell drinks and snacks on the roof top terrace where again there were uninterrupted views of the beautiful coastline.
We were very close to the airport at this hotel so it is a good one to choose if you need an overnight stop.
04:00 London Gatwick Airport - An early start to meet up with my fellow travellers, we caught the Easyjet Flight to Naples.
The transfer from the airport to where we had to catch our ferry was ‘interesting’ due to the on-going roadwork, it has been like this for ’20 years’ according to a local, after only a few minutes we thought we had reached our destination, but over 10 minutes later we finally arrived at the correct point to catch the ferry to Capri.
We caught the Hydrofoil which takes about 45-50 minutes to reach Capri. As a Classic Collection customer you are met by very enthusiastic men with their open top taxis. As there were 9 of us it was very exciting to see our suitcases strapped in to the boot with a bit of rope! We all had visions of them tumbling back down the steep mountain road.
Our first stop was to have a tour of the Caesar Augustus Hotel, the views from the terrace where we had out welcome drinks left me speechless. The sun was shining and it was like being part of a 1950’s film set. The rooms were spacious and even the side sea view rooms were not missing out on spectacular scenery. Lunch was served on a partly shaded terrace down some steps, but if steps are an issue then I’m sure the hotel staff would serve you lunch on the main terrace. We had a tour of the gardens and saw the variety of home grown fruit and vegetables used by the hotel. This is the perfect place if you want to get away from it all as you would need to get a taxi to get back to the port of Capri where there is a lot more going on. The pool is near to an outside gym and massage area. For couples wanting total privacy there is an area where you can dine alone whilst looking out over the bay of Capri.
A short walk took us to our overnight accommodation the Capri Palace. This hotel offers a serene atmosphere. I was lucky enough to stay in one of the Executive rooms; this had a very large balcony with 2 sun loungers and a table and chairs, plus a stunning view. The hotel has a top quality spa area with many options of treatments available. Some of the suites had their own private pool and garden area while a few of the rooms had their own plunge pool. Continuing our tour we were taken to the spacious foyer that led into a large bar area with comfortable sofas. The restaurant had more of a homely feel to it with more sofas at some of the dining tables. The outside BBQ area was near to the pool at the front of the hotel and more secluded with trees for shade and inviting sun loungers.
Near to the hotel was a chair lift that took you higher up the hillside to gain even better views of this magical island. A 10 minute taxi ride took us to the Capri Tiberio Palace this is where we were to have our evening meal. This hotel is set amongst the traditional homes of the islanders and nearby you can catch the Funicular railway to the port. The Management and staff were very welcoming and polite. Each hotel room we were shown was individually decorated and it gave across the feeling that you were a guest in someone’s home. Most of the larger balconies had curtains to give you some shade from the blazing Capri sun. The Spa area was quite compact and felt very private, the fragrances of Capri were used here and the aromas made you feel very relaxed. The pool was an indoor/outdoor one, and outside a new bigger terrace had been built to enable wedding parties to make more use of this facility.
Wednesday 22 April 2015
After breakfast we were taken to the port where we had our own small boat with an English speaking guide to take us on a tour of the island. She was very knowledgeable and was able to point out many of the properties owned by famous stars of the silver screen including Sophia Loren. We also saw the Red Coral that is now protected. Group trips run daily, but if you want to book a private boat trip this is possible too, to take you to see the beauty that is Capri. We reached a point on our trip where there were lots of boats bobbing around one area; this is because they were waiting to get into the Blue Grotto. The bigger boats have to transfer their passengers onto smaller boats for them to experience this. Some days the queue for this is over an hour’s wait.
We were transferred into smaller boats to take us the short distance to the rocky steps leading up to our lunch appointment at Il Riccio, this is a Michelin Star restaurant overlooking the sea with views in the distance of Vesuvius and some of the other smaller islands in the area. The striking blue and white paintwork was sparkling in the midday sun; there were sun beds you could lay on while waiting for your table. Lunch was served on the sunny terrace, although you could have eaten inside the restaurant where it was cooler in
the shade. It goes without saying that the quality of the food and drinks were of the highest calibre. Fresh seafood is available for you to choose. After we had finished our main course we were asked to follow our hosts. We stopped outside a room and when the door was opened cool air hit you, it was soon obvious why! The room was full of the most delicious desserts, tarts, mousses, cakes in fact so much you would need to visit the restaurant many times to savour all the treats on offer. Il Riccio is linked to the Capri Palace, so guests can eat here and get their meal charged to their hotel account. There is a hotel shuttle service to
take them to and from the restaurant.
Capri was as magical as I’d dreamt it would be. We checked out of the Capri Palace and made our way to the port to catch the ferry to Ischia. The hydrofoil takes approximately 50 minutes however we were on a ferry that took 1hr 20 minutes.
We arrived at the beautiful island of Ischia and we were greeted by the Classic Collection representative Mina. We were taken to the Il Moresco Hotel, a traditional family run hotel where we stayed for two nights, the staff were so helpful and the general ambiance of this hotel makes me want to return here one day. This hotel is in a very good central location, it has its own private beach which is only a short stroll from the hotel. The Castello Aragonese is a 20-25 minute walk away.
This hotel is not too big and on arrival you would think that you are checking in to someone’s private house. The indoor Therme Pool was at 34 degrees. Full Spa facilities and treatments were available. The staff were exceptional and couldn’t do enough for you. The evening meal was also of a very high standard and there is no worry of going hungry here. After dinner we went to the bar area where a grand piano was being played with the traditional tunes of Italy.
Thursday 23 April 2015
Breakfast was a continuation of the quality of this hotel, there was such a selection that you would need to stay for a long time to enjoy all that was offered.This morning we were taken to visit another property that is featured in the Classic Collection brochure, Gardens & Villas. This is not a hotel but nine villas spread out amongst beautifully managed gardens, it was a very unique place. It gave you the sense of being in a private village. Family run, this is a place I would also like to re-visit. Each villa had more than one self-contained room, and they were all styled differently and also very spacious. Some were not as easily accessible due to steps, but enough choice to suit everyone’s needs.
There was a very big swimming pool surrounded by a restaurant. Alongside there was a footpath that led you down to the beach which was 350 meters away. There was a detached building where you could go to read quietly, it had a very colonial air to it. The bar was another separate building and was like a cave.
A short drive from this property was the beautiful gardens of Giardini La Mortella. The immense variety of flora and fauna was well worth a visit. There were a lot of steps with stopping points along the way to the top, but the climb was worth it when you saw the view of the coastline and gardens. Some parts of this attraction had disabled access but this looked limited.
We continued our journey to have lunch nearby at a lovely local vineyard ‘Pietratorcia’. Here we were shown the old traditional way the wine used to be made by treading the grapes; however this is not done today! Lunch gave us the chance to sample the red and white wines produced here. They also had lemon and orange marmalade made from the fruit in their gardens. This is a small place so I recommend that you pre-book so as not to be disappointed.
Friday 24 April 2015
We moved on to our next hotel where we stayed for one night. The Terme Manzi was set away from the main seafront area up a hill. The spa area was the largest of all the hotels visited. The indoor pool and treatment rooms were the key selling point of this hotel and were of a very high standard. The roof top pool with its loungers and bar gave to some spectacular views of the surrounding hills and coastline. The room I was in was not very big; however the ‘Owners Suite’ was spacious and palatial.
We drove to the opposite side of the island to the resort of Sant Angelo. A very picturesque resort with small winding streets and a few shops. The hotel we visited here was the Miramare Resort. Each room was bright and airy, some with small lounge areas but all with balconies, although I found these to be quite small, and not very private, but they were all overlooking the sea and rugged coastline and this certainly made up for it.
The spa was in a different area and a good ten minute walk away up a hill, however for guests with walking difficulties there was a ‘golf buggy’ service that could take them from the hotel to this area where there was an indoor and also an outside thermal pool and restaurant where you could have lunch with a good sized sun terrace.
Saturday 25 April 2015
After leaving the Termi Manzi hotel we headed to the Port in Ischia where we had some free time to walk around the area. I found an amazing delicatessen in one of the little side streets where the owner a Master Cheese maker could be found hugging his prize winning cheese that looked more like a large black punch bag that you would find at a boxing club due to its enormous size! The taste was amazing and I wish I had purchased some of this cheese to bring home.
Lunch at the little restaurant right on the harbour side was a continuous stream of local food; I have never seen or eaten so much good quality Mozzarella in my life!!!
We caught the ferry back to the mainland where a driver was waiting to take us to our final hotel visit in Naples. An interesting drive to avoid the traffic via the back streets, where you could see washing hung across the street from one balcony to the other.
The hotel we were visiting was the Grand Hotel Parkers. Some of the rooms at the back of this hotel only looked out on to a sheer rock face, so it is well worth paying extra for the sea views. The balconies were small and old so I didn’t feel very safe standing out on them, although the view back across the Bay of Naples to the Islands we had left behind was stunning. We were shown all categories of rooms, including the
Presidential Suite which was on two floors. We were given farewell drinks and snacks on the roof top terrace where again there were uninterrupted views of the beautiful coastline.
We were very close to the airport at this hotel so it is a good one to choose if you need an overnight stop.