Ciao Italy! Italian holidays are back on!

Holidays to Italy are back on for Britons after officials announced that fully-vaccinated UK travellers with a negative coronavirus test will no longer have to quarantine.

Here are a selection of hotels in different Italian locations to help plan your next Itay trip...

Hotel Santa Caterina

The perennial buzz surrounding the Amalfi Coast has lured travellers for countless years and despite it only stretching for 30 miles, the destination offers enough idyllic beauty and Italian luxury for a standalone trip. Travellers looking for Old World romance and la dolce vita find it in its winding seaside roads, charming coastal towns and in some of the best hotels in the world.

Perched on the edge of the Amalfi Coast, the exquisite 19th-century family-owned Hotel Santa Caterina looks over the bay of Naples and is immersed in the delicate scents of the orange and lemon groves.

Here are five things to look forward to at Hotel Santa Caterina this Autumn:

Hotel Santa Catarina to launch their new villas

Hotel Santa Caterina will be expanding their offering to include two new villas later this year. Recently acquired by the Gambardella family, the “Villas della Marchesa” offer breathtaking view of the Mediterranean, immersed in the peaceful setting of the Amalfi lemon groves. The villas have been renovated enhancing the extraordinary beauty of the natural environment in which they are immersed, whilst still preserving the original structure of the buildings. More information to follow in the coming weeks.

Get a taste of the Amalfi before you travel - Claridge’s collaboration

Hotel Santa Caterina has partnered with a legendary London hotel, Claridge’s, to bring a taste of the Amalfi coast to Mayfair. The hotel chefs have collaborated on a Mediterranean menu which is available at the Claridge’s Bar Terrace until the end of September. Diners will be able to experience Hotel Santa Catarina’s delicious flavours, with dishes ranging from the hotel’s classic white truffle pizza to homemade spaghettini with lemon cream sauce and red prawns – all presented on beautiful Hotel Santa Catarina hand-painted crockery.

Glicine is awarded a Michelin star two years running

The hotel’s flagship restaurant, Glicine, has been awarded a Michelin star two years in a row.  At the helm is Chef Giuseppe Stanzione who joined Glicine in 2019 and aims to deliver a menu focused on local recipes and Mediterranean flavours as well as elegant and innovative dishes. A comprehensive wine list presents a careful selection of both Italian and international wines, with a regional section dedicated to Italian flavours, guided by the Hotel Santa Caterina’s dedicated Sommelier

Direct sea access

Hotel Santa Caterina offers guests panoramic views of the iconic sweeping azure-blue Amalfi Coast as well as exclusive access to, via two private elevators carved into the rock of the coast, the private beach club where they can soak up the Mediterranean sun and swim in the heated pool. It is uniquely the only Leading Hotel close to Amalfi town that benefits from this direct sea access. For those wishing to take the scenic route down to the sea, a beautiful path takes guests through citrus groves and lush gardens to the sea-level facilities which also include a solarium, fitness centre, café / bar and outdoor restaurant. 

The Amalfi Gold – Lemon wellness

The Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons, which are some of the biggest in the world. The hotel’s love for lemons transpires through both its cuisine and also its wellness offering, with the ‘Amalfi Gold’ wellness treatment. The Mediterranean aromatherapy, uses essential oils from the local lemons, flowers and plants of the Amalfi to help relax, sooth and cleanse the body.

 

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa welcomes guests to enjoy its tranquil setting and luxurious services on its very own Venetian private island escape.

Here is a taste of what guests can look forward to this Autumn:

New JW Culinary Experiences

Showcasing the very best of Italian cuisine, the JW Starred Chef Experiences in September will see JW Marriott Venice play host to an exclusive series of experiences over a dedicated gastronomy weekend in September (17th-18th September) with guest Michelin starred Chef Andrea Berton. Guests will be invited to savour a weekend of culinary delights, including daily breakfast, a Friday night aperitif at Sagra Rooftop Restaurant, followed by a Saturday morning cooking class led by the guest chef at the Sapori Cooking Academy and a Saturday night four hand Michelin starred dinner at Fiola at Dopolavoro Venezia restaurant.

To book a JW Starred Chef Experiences, please contact info.venice@jwmarriotthotels.com. 

Dedicated Yoga Weekends

JW Marriott Venice is home to Venice’s most spacious and indulgent spa and offers a tranquil setting complete with panoramic views across the water to Venice’s world-famous spires. This September, JW Venice Spa will host a dedicated Yoga Weekend led by Marco Migliavacca, Co-founder of [hohm] street yoga and Katonah Yoga®. Aimed at both beginners taking their first steps into yoga and intermediates taking their practice further, guests will learn the foundations and expressions from hatha vinyasa to yin yoga.

The Yoga Weekend will take place across 17 – 19 September and will feature an accompanying nourishing food menu specially designed to complement guests’ self-care journeys. Prices start from €740 per room per night. 

Venice without the crowds

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa is an oasis away from Venice’s labyrinth of canals and bridges, with lush green spaces and wide open areas where guests can spend days exploring the finest wellness and dining experiences on offer at the resort. All of this just a stone’s throw away from the heart of Venice, making it just a short boat ride away to St Mark’s Square for those wanting to explore the city’s cultural attractions. Families will also be well looked after with a range of activities to enjoy, from the dedicated family pool to Venetian biscuit making at the Sapori Cooking Academy.

JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa’s 266 rooms and suites are split into two separate accommodation experiences; the JW historic main building with its rooftop pool, and the JW Retreats – a cluster of residences set apart from the main hotel offering another level of seclusion with their own private gardens, with select properties including private pools. 

 

FORESTIS

Set in South Tyrol, on the Southern slope of the Plose mountain, FORESTIS is surrounded by dense mountain forest where all 62 suites have panoramic views of the massif of the UNESCO world heritage Dolomites. This luxury hideaway awaits as an ideal retreat for the autumn where you can tend to your health and wellbeing.  

The retreat introduces guests to an extensive range of year-round packages that focus on wellness including the Peace of Mind package. The 3 night Peace of Mind package encourages guests to relax and regenerate, with a focus on time, nature and simplicity. It includes a restorative massage and daily curated experiences, from Wyda Celtic yoga to a hiking tour with hiking guide, Herbert. Available to book, starting from 930 euros per person. For more information please visit: https://www.forestis.it/en.

Every inch of FORESTIS is designed to echo the beauty of the nature around it. South Tyrolean architect Armin Sader and the FORESTIS interior team have re-interpreted the original traditional architecture to create a CO2 neutral construction through the use of native materials. This is to emphasise the secluded location and reflective connection of FORESTIS with nature.

It’s more than worth tearing yourself away from the jaw-dropping views to go for a soothing treatment in the FORESTIS Spa. Start with the signature forest tree circle ceremony for the face and body, a treatment based on the individually developed principle of the four trees (mountain pine, spruce, larch and Swiss stone pine), the four healing woods, the four healing stones and the four tree frequencies. Each possesses various active ingredients, frequencies and material substances that allow the human body to restore deeply and effectively. Guests can while away the day hopping between one of the many comfy sun loungers, one of the 7 saunas and FORESTIS’s exquisite indoor and outdoor pool.

For a once-in-a-lifetime experience and for the ultimate feeling of freedom, FORESTIS can organise paragliding or a hot air balloon ride of which both offer views like no other. It’s the best way to work up an appetite before sampling head chef, Roland Lamprecht’s ‘Forest Cuisine’, which combines variety, naturalness and authenticity on both the forest menu and the detox menu. The rooftop bar is located on the middle of the three wooden towers and is the highest rooftop bar in the world due to its location.

Teresa Unterthiner and Stefan Hinteregger, owners at FORESTIS comment: “We have conceived FORESTIS as a refuge for relaxation and a place for strength, for people all over the world, in the place we have been fortunate enough to call home.  We want to share the beauty of the mountains, climate, water, air, sun to enrich our guest’s wellbeing and this space of power that can be felt, experienced and seen.”

Peace of Mind Package

• 3 nights in a Tower Suite
• one massage Energy flow (50 minutes)
• one hike with our guide
• daily Wyda Celtic Yoga

 

See also Top tips for St Lucia