Jaccarino or Iaccarino hotel is about 20 mins. by bus from the heart of Sorrento in the village of Sant

This hotel is a hidden jem, a four star rated hotel in Italy, far higher than the star rating in the Thomson brochure. Located in Sant Agata, me and my mother stayed here for 1 week in July and thought it was an excellent hotel and would definitely stay here again.

Whilst the hotel is located about 20 mins from Sorrento, transport is available from the hotel into Sorrento and return and the local buses are frequent enough to allow you to get around. Whilst the location is ideal for couples, friends and adult families looking for a peaceful holiday it is not ideal for those travelling with younger children or those wanting some hotel entertainment in the evenings.

However, the view makes up for the lack of evening entertainment and the village offers a number of friendly bars. I would recommend to anyone that they pay extra to stay in one of the front rooms over looking the Bay of Naples.

Breakfast is a continental help yourself buffet whilst in the evening the waiter served freshly cooked food is top quality Italian cuisine and is served in three courses, as normal in Italy. You are given a choice of starter, main and desert and if you ask the staff they are only too willing to provide something else should nothing take your fancy. Remember you are in Italy - not the UK - so do not expect chips or potatoes with your meal!! This hotel clearly won't suit everyone but those looking for a relaxing break and an Italian experience - this hotel would be ideally suited - and the air is so pure here it is recommended by doctors!!

This was the third year in a row that we have been to the Jacarrino.
The hotel is spotless with regular and fast efficent changing of linen and bedding by Maria and her very capable staff.

Breakfast is basic but none the less of a good standard, Dinner on the other hand is always of the highest standard and always varried, some people complained that the portions were small, but if you wish more then all you have to do is ask and they will oblige no bother at all.

The restaurant is managed by Luigi and his excellent team all of whom are very helpfull.

The poolside food is also of a very good standard, the ''pomodoro alla caprese'' is a dish that brings you a fantastic taste of the locally grown tomatoes and the rich creamy mozzarella cheese with ridiculouslly fresh basil.

The location is absolutley amazing with veiws of the bay of Naples and Vesuvious that will never be better from any other location.
The bus journey takes about 20 mins on one route and 35 mins if you go via Massa Lubrensse.
Good to mix with the locals and see a bit of culture, Dont forget to validate your ticket in the yellow machine by the driver, fines are large, so it's not worth the risk for the sake of a euro.

All the staff are very friendly from the desk at reception to the porters and the courtesy bus driver.

Pasquale the head bartender is a mine of information.

The only night that there is any entertainment on is a Wednesday when they have the gala buffet Dinner. massive choice of local produce seafood to the fore.

when booking ask for a sea facing room with either a balcony or terrace it is well worth the extra.

Sant'Agata the small village can be reached via the hotel rear entrance and is very quaint with a few pizzeria's and one Michelin star *** restaurant.

The hotel Jaccarino has a lovely setting in the hills overlooking Sorrento. It has been developed from an old villa and is rather grand with spacious comfortable lounge areas. It is partly surrounded in greenery and gives a false impression of being remote. The terrace and pool areas have wonderful views of the Bay of Naples.

Accommodation - Our room at the back was comfortable and spacious and the view was of attractive buildings set amongst greenery. The church bells woke us at seven on Sunday morning. Otherwise we found it very peaceful. Warning for the less mobile - there is a flight of steps to the pool. Otherwise there are good lifts. However, having reached our floor we then had to negotiate three short flights of steps with inadequate handrails. If this affects you, request a suitable room.

Meals - good standard buffet breakfast, traditional Italian dinner of good choice and quality.

Staff - friendly and helpful.

Location - At the edge of the pleasant hill-top village of Sant'Agata, a short stroll to the village centre with it's restaurants, bars, shops, supermarket, buses and church.

Transport - There is a courtesy bus to Sorrento but this must be booked in advance which is not always convenient. Regular buses to Sorrento (20 mins away) stop outside the hotel. Other buses leave the village centre for Sorrento via Massalubrense and Termini ( for walkers) and Nerano-Cantone (for the beach). There are also a couple of runs to Positano/Amalfi but in summer these are likely to be full leaving Sorrento. Buses are fairly reliable and cheap, especially daily and weekly tickets.

Activities - In addition to the popular trips to Capri, Pompei, Naples, Amalfi etc, being based here makes it easier to enjoy the amenities of the Sorrento peninsula. There are beaches at Marina di Cantone, Marina di Puolo and Marina della Lobra. There is a network of official, marked footpaths leading through beautiful countryside and coastline. Free maps are available at the tourist info in Sant'Agata or Massa. Some walks are strenuous due to the hills but you can sometimes use the buses for up-hill stretches.

I would recommend this hotel for singles and couples of all ages.

Just got back from Sorrento. Stayed at the Jaccarino. I'm glad we rented a car as this hotel is a good 10 minutes outside Sorrento. Really nice drive and easy to find. Driving is not as big a deal over in Italy- you just have to be chilled out about people cutting you off....
Check-in staff were great as was the bar staff. The bartender was really helpfull. He told us about the 'real Italian' places to eat including a restaurant on the way to the hotel call El Burgo. Great food and local prices. I didn't like the fact that we had to pay 60 Euros extra (10 euros per person/per night) for a room that overlooked the sea/Sorrento.
Breakfast was eggs(boiled one day, fried the next)bread/toast, yougurt, coffee/tea. Not very fancy but it was ok.

I exchanged pounds for Euros in the little town behind the hotel and got the BEST rate I saw any where 1.40 which was not bad at all.

Myself and my girlfriend stayed at the Jaccarino for two weeks and found it to be a very charming and friendly hotel.
The views from the terrace bar are the hotels best feature where the view of Sorrento, the bay of Naples and Versuvius are second to none.
I would definitely recommend booking a room with a sea view and a balcony to take advantage of this.
The pool area was great for lazy days with a handy snack bar for food and drinks.
There was a choice of 4 meals on the evening menu. The food was lovely and the service was very freindly, especially if you made an effort to speak a few words of Italian. The Hotel and its staff made the holiday a very enjoyable experience and I would go again tomorrow.

The hotel was immaculately maintained inside and out, with views of Mount Vasuvious and the bay of Naples to die for from the terrace, pool, dining room and North facing rooms with a micro climate which reflects the height above sea level - comfortable.

Access to the surrounding areas is relatively easy via the local bus, trains or ferries from Sorrento, there is courtesy transport to Sorrento from the hotel including late return for a small charge (do not use the taxi's - expensive unless large group.)

Try the walk down to Sorrento, 20 minutes or so down hill via a well trodden footpath past olive groves and houses that have been there for ever, the noises along the way are lizards darting for cover as you approach.... I think?

We found the hotel staff to be both polite, helpful and friendly.

The dining room was well presented and the food was very good with a choose of 4 starters and 4 main courses with a more than adequate wine list, breakfast was continental but included fresh fruit, boiled or scrambled eggs, yoghurts etc.

Entertainment- conversation with other guests, cards, reading a piano... well there is always Ibiza!

I would recommend this hotel without reservation and God willing will be returning in the near future.

The hotel was situated up in the mountain and was very quiet. It had a fantastic view!! There were no young children which made it ideal if you wanted peace and quiet! The hotel staff were extremely pleasant and made us very welcome. The waiters even taught us how to order our food in Italian! The food was nice but it was a set menu so was limited in choice. The dining room was big and pleasant with tables next to open windows to get a cool breeze. The lounge area was magnificent. The bedrooms were small but clean, and many had balconys. There were no coffee making facilities or a fridge to keep water cold. There was a wardrobe to hang clothes up and some drawers. My room did not have a hairdryer. There was a swimming pool which opened from 9am - 6pm. There was no entertainment except a singer on 1 night. There was also a big balcony with parasols so you could sit in the shade and take in the wonderful scenery.

My wife and I stayed one week in the Hotel and i can honestly say we would go back there tomorrow. We thought the staff very helpful and polite, the food wasn't fantastic but it wasn't bad, it is a set menu but you have a choice of three/four starters/main course etc so it isn't that bad. On arrival our room was fine but it was decorated with dark tiles in the bathroom with no Sea view, we ask to be changed to another room and i said i would pay extra, which i did (120 Euro's extra) but we got another room the next day which was out of this world. The dark tiles were now pastel blue with hair dryer, big step in shower (not hand shower) with balcony and fantasic view.....well worth the extra we paid. If you going to go make sur you get a "Bay of Naples" view & balcony, it's worth it. You do have to get a bus in to Serrento which costs 1 Euro (60/70p) but DO NOT get a TAXI like i did, it will clost you between 25/30 Euros, for that price you can go up and down to Sorrento 25 to 30 times. Finally, i had seen the reviews on here after we booked up and had a lump in my throat thinking it was going to turn out bad but i have to be very honest here, don't worry, your going to a fantasic hotel which is very clean, food is pretty good, staff are always wanting to help if you ask and the view is stunning from the mountain you are on, yes it is a 15/20 min bus ride to Serrento but i would rather be away up there instead of being in Serrento City centre where i wouldn't have got such lovely views from the balcony and of course on my camera. My rating for everything hand on heart.....8/10 which isn't bad.

Spent 1 week in Aug 2005.

Main reception area spacious if a little tired in terms of decor and furniture. Pool and outdoor terrace very nice.

Bedrooms (excluding front facing which we were told are excellent and extra) very cramped (move bed to open wardrobe door), old fashioned and with limited storage e.g. no drawer space.

Very noisy both from other rooms through thin walls and from outside noise. We were aware that there was no air conditioning but rooms very airless.
Breakfast and dinner very limited and so-so quality. Pool-side snacks much better - apparently a different caterer.

Location disappointing - although view of bay is excellent, access to Sorrento and onwards somewhat restricted. Hotel coach not convenient for evening visits and taxis expensive (25-30 euro). Local village, St Agata, small and lacking in variety.

On the plus side, staff friendly and helpful but would not consider returning.