Hotel Caesar Augustus

Enough has been written about the star-studded resorts on the island of Capri to fill a thousand magazines — and still there’s a side to the island that is unfamiliar to the boatloads of tourists ferried in for the day. Anacapri is the hilltop village, towering above the sea, and it’s not only in the literal sense that it is above it all: this is where the crowd-shy traveler checks in, to escape from industrialized tourism.

The views are the main attraction at the Caesar Augustus Hotel; one imagines that Caesar himself would not settle for a cliffside hotel any less than a thousand feet above the Bay of Naples. The “infinity pool” is by now a familiar concept, but from this high perch it regains much of its novelty, and it’s easy to feel as tall as Mount Vesuvius from here.

Despite the name, this is no crumbling historical site — the hotel has been completely renovated, and the bathrooms, in particular, are large, bright and modern. Rooms are decorated in a classic style, though light and airy rather than weighted with antiques, and the amenities are positively 21st-century; not that you’ll notice, as the views from the private balconies overshadow any interior design. The restaurant, inevitably, is on a terrace overlooking the bay as well — this hotel knows its strength, and sticks to it. To be wholeheartedly recommended to all those unafraid of heights.