First popularised as a holiday destination by the Roman Republic, the Italian island of Capri shows no signs of losing its allure.
For more than 2,000 years Capri has attracted emperors and artists, architects and free-thinkers, each and every one lured towards its hulking form, which rises violently and without apology from the Gulf of Naples.
But it was Jackie Kennedy Onassis who really put it on the map in the mid 20th century and her spirit lives on, in photographs on the walls of Canfora, the sandal shop she patronised and in the Capri-style cropped trousers that she helped launch to international fame.
And if Jackie O is the island’s official ambassador, then lemons are its official emblem. They’re on, and in, everything, from hand-painted tiles to the refreshing granitas sold roadside from little stalls.
On clearer days, it’s possible to see right back across the Gulf of Naples to Vesuvius, but more often than not the morning mists and hot, hazy horizon create the illusion that you’re in a snow globe, cut off from the rest of the world, and from reality. Because a holiday here is like a journey back in time, to the days of Slim Aarons, A Talented Mr Ripley (before it all went wrong) and Brigitte Bardot.
What to do
Spend a day at sea
It’s an old cliché, but a cliché for a reason: Capri has to been seen from the sea. Fight the urge to lounge pool-side and book a morning tour of the island — if your hotel cannot organise one for you, go for Capri Relax Boats.
People enjoying the sea, off the coast of Capri, Italy, 1958. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images)
Your skipper will most-likely be the grandson of one of the island’s original tour-guides, employed by the Grand Hotel Quisisana in the 1920’s, to row guests around the coast.
A dab hand at pointing out the villas that once belonged to Roman emperors, teetering precariously on the limestone rocks high above you, they will also drop anchor at the best swim spots and crystal clear grottos.
Walk to the Arco Naturale
After a leisurely lunch in the Piazzetta follow the hand painted ceramic signs, embedded into centuries old walls, to the remains of a collapsed grotto — the Arco Naturale.
The path continues on in a pleasing loop through the island’s more remote countryside. Stop for a refreshing lemon granita and, appetite permitting, a bowl of handmade pasta at La Grottelle (+39 081 837 5719), moments from the arch itself.
Ride the Mount Salero chairlift
In Anacapri, the main town’s more rustic counterpart, take a ride on the single-seater Mount Salero chairlift. The 12 minute journey will carry you up to the island’s highest point. With your feet firmly back on solid ground pay a visit to Villa San Michele. Built for notorious Swedish physician Alex Munthe — who settled on the island in the late 19th century — the villa is a treasure trove of collector’s items from antiquity paired with breathtaking gardens.
Go to the beach
Confusingly, given the popularity of the island’s beach clubs, Capri is almost entirely lacking in sandy beaches. Instead the island rises vertically from the sea that surrounds it and, with no tide, the water remains a clear and beguiling azure colour.
La Fontelina (+39 081 837 0845) stands out from the rest — for its laid back luxury and a chance to be a part of a long and glittering history — the club has played host to Brigitte Bardot and Clark Gable, amongst others.
There’s no diving board at the club — which opened in the 1940s, opposite Capri’s Faraglioni rocks. Instead club-goers launch themselves straight off of rocks in front of an expectant crowd of sleek and increasingly large super yachts that gather every summer. Tempestuous winds have torn down Fontelina’s simple chestnut wood structure and whipped away the straw matting roof more than once, but it’s always emerged more popular than ever.
In peak season, when the tens of thousands of day trippers disembark from cruise ships and ferries, it’s Capri’s designated place of exclusive refuge that can only be reached by boat or down a set of perilously steep steps.
Where to stay
J.K. Place Capri
J.K. Place Capri is the sister ‘residence’ of hotels in Milan, Paris and Rome — a handsome mansion that holds court from a steep bank overlooking the Marina Grande (the island’s main port). The ground floor — a series of interlocking rooms, including a cavernous entrance hall and intimate dining room, all decorated in a beguiling mix of Art Deco, Mediterranean and New England styles — recall the buildings original incarnation as a private villa.
The library — packed, floor-to-ceiling with weighty coffee table books and biographies — is particularly impressive.
There are 22 bedrooms, of which eight are suites and 20 have sea views. Ask for one of the corner rooms on the building’s lower floors which peer out to sea through recessed windows, framed by arched, stone walls. Service is some of the best on the island, and no detail has been overlooked or over-complicated — including the hotel’s signature scent which wafts through each and every room (I’ve always been struck by how cleverly the J.K. group use the power of smell across their entire portfolio and Capri is no exception. Here, they’ve used a local company, Ricciocaprese, who are famous for their colourful and handmade sea urchin-shaped diffusers).
In the daytime, guests while away long, sunny days in the garden, next to the pleasingly simple and angular pool. Come nighttime, everyone takes a table on the adjoining, lantern-lit terrace and watches the sun change from blue to pink to orange over plates of fresh fish and delicate pastry puddings.
Hotel La Palma
La Palma first opened to staying guests more than 200 years ago, under the name Hotel Pagano, and reopened last year (2023) following a two-year refurbishment under management of Oetker Collection (Le Bristol; Eden Rock; Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc).
The building has been transformed, losing 30 rooms along the way to bring the total down to 50, and emerges like a cloud from the chaos of surrounding egg-yolk-coloured buildings. There’s a touch of heaven about it, from the entrance that draws you up off the street and into the monastic, vaulted lobby, to the gently sloping staircase — there are no harsh lines here — that marshals you skywards to Bianca, a rooftop restaurant with 360° views.
On the ground floor, Roberto Ruspoli’s delicate, ribbon-like frescos dance across the ceilings; on the first floor, stripy cabanas could be thrones clustered around the bijou swimming pool; in the bedrooms, balcony doors open onto pots of fragrant, frothy jasmine.
The only thing that might tempt you back down to street level is Da Gioia, the hotel’s own beach club in Marina Piccola, a picturesque stretch of beach situated at the very bottom of Via Krupp (a historic, paved footpath that reopened in 2023, following a landslide).
Click here to read our full review of Hotel La Palma.
Il Capri Hotel
Il Capri is a fun, neo-Gothic style pink palazzo on the main road into the island’s centre.
There are 21 rooms, a highly regarded breakfast service, roof terrace and swimming pool, and… a nightclub. The 19th century building’s basement was in fact once home to the first ever club on Capri, so the current owners decided to restore it when the hotel reopened back in March 2023.
Hotel Scalinatella
There’s always a curious cluster of tourists outside Hotel Scalinatella, each one clamouring to steal a glance through the glass fronted lobby which spills out, on the other side, to a terrace and wide expanse of ocean.
Everything here is bright white and cobalt blue — true Capri colours — including the swimming pool, whose Moorish-shaped tiles echo the roof’s rounded castellated detailing.
You will need to book ahead to snag one of the sea-facing rooms (decorated in old school La Dolce Vita style), out of a possible 30.
Punta Tragara
Catherine Wilke joins the topless sunbathers at the Hotel Punta Tragara on the island of Capri, Italy, 1980. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images)
The storied terracotta-colour Punta Tragara hotel has an origins story worth of a Fellini film: Italian engineer Enrico Vismara chose a high-up spot, almost in touching distance of the island’s Faraglioni rocks and asked architect Le Corbusier to build him a modernist masterpiece.
The villa was converted into a hotel in 1973 — by a Roman count no less — and renovated several times since.
There are 38 room, two freshwater pools, an American Bar and a small, well-equipped gym overlooking the gardens.
Hotel Caesar Augustus
Once described by Country Life’s Luxury Editor as: ‘Old school, in a good way. It has quite magnificent views and would be a stonking wedding venue.’
The family-run hotel — and former residence of Russian Prince Emmanuel Bulhak — has 51 rooms furnished with the owner’s own heirlooms and antiques bought, over the years, at various antique markets all over the world.
Hotel La Minerva and Hotel Canasta
On the far side of Capri, beyond the famous Piazzetta, you will find Hotel La Minerva (+39 081 837 0561) and Hotel Canasta (+39 081 837 0561). Though the Minerva is more expensive and its reputation more established there is little to discern between the two small hotels. They share an envious spot at the end of a shaded pergola of bougainvillea, which snakes down from the cobbled shopping streets of the main town, and both boast beautiful gardens and pools scented by the surrounding Mediterranean flora.
If possible, ask for a sea-view room and note ahead that whilst breakfast is included, neither has a restaurant. At the Canasta ask the manager, Pietro, for advice on local restaurants that the tourist guides miss out and scenic walks along the rocky coastline.
Where to eat
Il Riccio
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One of the island’s upmarket beach clubs (few else boast a Michelin star) and purveyor of — and we do not say this lightly — the best pudding room we’ve found to date.
After a busy morning sunbathing, potter over to the restaurant terrace which hangs above the infamous Blue Grotto — a sea cave that extends some 50m back into the cliffs. In Roman times, the grotto doubled as Emperor Tiberius’s private swimming spot and a marine temple. The entranceway is small so it’s only possible to visit, by boat, when the tide is low and water’s calm.
Da Paolino
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Da Paolino’s lemon-smothered terrace is a darling of Instagram, cropping up each summer on feeds across the world with a reassuring kind of regularity. (Don’t worry, there are nets in place to stop any errant fruit from falling into your starter.)
Order the lemon spaghetti and a limoncello.
L’Olivo
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Despite Capri’s glitzy reputation, the majority of restaurants are wonderfully laid back and fine dining options are few and far between. L’Olivo is one of the rare exceptions — also part of Jumeirah Capri Palace hotel.
The restaurant’s signature dish is an elegant lemon-scented tagliolini pasta.
Finally, no meal, or day, on the island is complete without a sizeable helping of gelato. Join the seemingly permanent queue outside Gelateria Buonocore (+39 081 837 7826), for a taste of Capri’s finest flavours in a freshly made waffle cone.
How to get there
British Airways and EasyJet both operate routes between London and Naples. Transfer options from Naples depend on your budget and joie de vivre.
Make like the backpackers and day trippers and hop on a ferry from the nearby port. Regular buses run from outside the airport to the port, but signposting is limited so be prepared to ask for directions. Alternatively jump in a passing taxi but agree on a fare beforehand — don’t pay more than €30.
For seamless service book a private transfer, in advance, with BluRide (+39 334 66 52 634). The company will organise VIP transfers from the airport to a private speedboat at the port. In Capri, you will be met by one of the island’s iconic open air-taxis, which will whisk you up to your hotel.
Transfers by helicopter, departing from Naples, take a mere 15 minutes, but you’ll be entertained with unparalleled views of Mount Vesuvius and the whole Amalfi Coast. Ask your hotel to recommend a reputable operator.
Be aware that once on the island you will not be able to hire a car, a privilege afforded only to residents. Exploring via taxi is probably the most attractive option, but don’t be too quick to dismiss the island’s public buses that career around the tight hairpin bends at pleasingly often intervals, and less pleasing speed.
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