Review of Villa Cimbrone, by The TI Review Team

It's hard to decide what's most striking about Villa Cimbrone: the location, set dramatically atop one of the the highest points in the tiny town of Ravello; the six hectares of manicured gardens, spilling down over several terraces and replete with botanical rarities, shaded by umbrella pines and date palms during the day and beautifully candle-lit in the evening; or the Romanesque-style Villa itself, for centuries an aristocratic home-and now, thanks to a gorgeous restoration under the aegis of Italy's National Heritage Authority, an oasis of elegance that's at once timeless and modern.

The facilities

Enjoy the staggering views of mountains and sea from a chaise by the huge heated pool, surrounded by manicured lawns and tended flower beds; or let Villa Cimbrone's concierges arrange boat tours of the coastline below, exploring hidden coves and resting on tiny deserted beaches. Guests have priority booking at Il Flauto di Pan, the hotel's restaurant, housed in a lovely enfildade of barrel-vaulted white rooms-and, on warm evenings, under a staggeringly pretty Gothic-style portico with views of the gardens and the sea.

The rooms

Meticulously restored and burnished to a high shine whilst leaving every last historic detail intact, the hotel's rooms and suites are sparsely furnished with heavy wood and iron antiques, and floored and adorned with the multicoloured maiolica and glass tile the region is famous for. Headboards are upholstered in opulent silks and damasks; bold, happy shades - cobalt blue, deep orange, lemon-yellow - prevail. The Trump card: some of the suites have magnificently frescoed ceilings, now returned to their original pristine condition.