Caruso Place Boutique & Wellness Suites

Its close proximity to Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast, as well as a certain slightly edgy reputation, means that Naples, compared to many other major Italian cities, is rather underserved in the boutique-hotel department. That’s not to say there’s nothing worth noting, of course — it just means a hotel like Caruso Place Boutique Wellness & Suites takes on an outsized importance. Fortunately for all involved, it’s a fine example of the luxury boutique genre; housed in a 16th-century palace, with a privileged location across from the Galleria Umberto I, Caruso Place is the kind of plush, stylish, pint-sized hotel at which Italian hoteliers excel.

The cozy Classic and Superior rooms are contemporary in style, with all the modern basics, plus impressive bathrooms equipped with oversized color-therapy showers. Meanwhile the suites are expansive, and a little more lavish in their appointments, some with balconies overlooking the Teatro San Carlo or the Galleria, while the Wellness Suites add jacuzzis, either in the bathroom or, in the case of the Berio suite, in the corner of the bedroom under its distinctive arched ceilings.

As for the wellness offerings, they stop just short of what you’d consider a full-service spa, but they’re more than adequate for a hotel of Caruso’s small size. And while there’s no restaurant per se — just a fairly lavish breakfast, plus appetizers, pastries, and wine tasting later in the day — Naples is not the sort of city where any visitor need worry about going hungry, and Caruso’s staff has all the connections you need.