Grand Hotel Cocumella Sorrento

In a centuries old park stretching down as far as the sea, the Grand Hotel Cocumella represents a true oasis of tranquillity, just moments away from the town of Sorrento. Legend has it that the Gods entrusted the maintenance of a secret garden to the nymph Colomeide who blessed all those entering that magical place with the gift of "silence". The Grand Hotel Cocumella still jealously guards that precious gift.

The long history of the Grand Hotel Cocumella commences in 1597, when a large area of land rich with fruit orchards and citrus groves and sloping down towards the sea of Sorrento was donated to the Jesuits. In 1637 the Jesuits opened a sanatorium and Latin grammar school here which they called Cocumella. A few years later a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was also erected in the grounds. Following the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Kingdom of Naples, in 1767, the property came under the ownership of the crown and in 1771 the very first Sorrentine naval academy was established here. Pietro Antonio Gargiulo purchased the building and the grounds in 1789 and it was his heirs who transformed the building in the Grand Hotel Cocumella in 1822.

Important restoration work has allowed the Grand Hotel Cocumella, the oldest hospitality establishment in the area, to return to its original splendour, appearing as it would have been seen by such illustrious guests as Gioacchino Murat, Goethe, the Duke of Wellington, and Hans Christian Andersen.

The centuries-old park surrounding the hotel, home to many a rare botanical species and a fabulous citrus grove, extends as far as the cliff edge directly above the sea. A tennis court, Olympic-size swimming pool and open air restaurant are all located in the park. On the hotel's private beach, accessed by elevator, there is a furnished solarium and private jetty.

The rooms and suites of the Grand Hotel Cocumella are all individually appointed with unique pieces of period furniture. A number of rooms still feature the building's original marble fireplaces. Bathrooms of the spacious suites are equipped with luxurious hydromassage bathtub.

Guests dining at the Grand Hotel Cocumella's "Scintilla" restaurant enjoy the finest Mediterranean and international cuisine in a magnificently elegant yet welcoming environment. During the summer season, the terrace provides a stunningly panoramic open air venue for the hotel's "Terrazza di Colomeide" piano bar, with views over the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

At guests' disposal, the Grand Hotel Cocumella's '"Vera" sailing yacht transports passengers across the waters to the islands of Capri and Ischia, to the various localities situated along the Amalfi Coast and to more distant destinations of the Mediterranean sea.

Grand Hotel Cocumella also has 5 well equipped conference rooms with a seating capacity for as many as 500 participants.