ABOVE: Another view of the Santavenere
Hotel, showing the top-floor guest rooms, the arcaded main floor with
public rooms, and the lower-level guest rooms with stone terraces and arbors
covered in flowering vines.
Rooms and suites
The Santavenere Hotel has 44 guest rooms and suites.
Rooms in the main building are large, with an attractive yet
simple decor such as one might find at a private villa in Southern Italy. (A
major renovation took place in the winter of 2002-2003, immediately after my stay.)
My own room, no. 23, was on the lower level, one floor down from
the public rooms. The door from the hall led into a small foyer with a tiled
bathroom on one side and a large closet (equipped with built-in wooden storage
units) on the other. Beyond another door was the room itself, which had a
queen-sized bed and a double set of French doors leading to a spacious flagstone
terrace. At night, I could open the glass inner doors and be lulled into sleep
with the sound of waves through the louvered outer doors.
See photos:
Terrace from room,
planters and flowers,
vines overhead.
Hear WAV recording:
Surf and birds at dawn.
A new wing contains eight junior suites that are distinguished
by an attractive terra-cotta paint scheme and large bathrooms with separate
showers and tubs. The suites have balconies that overlook the hotel grounds.
The hotel has also built a new luxury suite in a freestanding
house on the grounds; the suite offers one or
two bedrooms, a private workout area, a whirlpool bath, and other amenities for
guests who require maximum comfort and privacy. (The daily rate is around €2,000, which--though steep--is about a third the price of the most
expensive suite at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice.)
Note: It's hard to beat the views from rooms facing the sea and
Mt. San Biagio in the main building--especially the rooms with stone terraces on
the lower level. Given a choice between a fancier room and a view of the sea,
I'd go for the sea view.
Page 4 - Dining
at the Santavenere Hotel
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