This Luxury Ischia Resort Just Reopened After A Stunning Renovation

Forbes

6 days ago

Fans of Ischia, the enchanted Italian isle some 20 miles from Naples with a less-traveled allure all its own, have another reason to head to its storied shores in the months ahead: the reimagined San Montano Resort & Spa. Having originally debuted in 2008, the singular five-star property–perched atop Mount Vico in the town of Lacco Ameno on Ischia's northwestern coast–has just unveiled a renovation, four years in the making, that's sure to dazzle both new and longtime visitors to the volcanic island long revered by discerning travelers for its rich history, wild beauty, and unassuming charm.
San Montano Resort & Spa, one of Ischia's most celebrated resorts, debuted a dazzling renovation this summer. Serena Eller
A stunning homage to Italy's arguably unrivaled aesthetic legacy, the redesign–by Rino Gambardella and Claudio Pulicati, the dynamic duo who also designed San Montano's celebrated sister hotel, Borgo Santandrea, which opened to breathless acclaim in 2021–incorporates elements from postwar masters like Gio Ponti and Ico Parisi, while embracing hyperlocal craftsmanship and the surrounding Mediterranean landscape.
'Our expansion and renovation was a direct response to Ischia's emergence on the global luxury travel map,' says General Manager Arcangelo De Siano , whose family, a notable player in Italian hospitality for three generations, acquired the property in 2008. 'We observed a distinct shift: discerning travelers, increasingly seeking a more authentic, slow-paced, and wellness-centric experience, began to discover Ischia and San Montano. We saw a clear opportunity to take San Montano to the next level within the luxury segment, and to align our offerings with the evolving desires of sophisticated clientele."
Guests of the resort can stroll its 7.5 acres of parkland and Mediterranean gardens, which reflect Ischia's exuberant nature. Serena Eller
The resort's 65 newly revamped rooms encompass four different room types and eight luxurious suites. The décor melds the kaleidoscopic blue color palette of the Mediterranean with modern marble and terracotta accents, and bespoke furnishings artfully crafted from repurposed elements like reclaimed antique majolica tiles. All suites feature a private pool or jacuzzi–like the sumptuous Amalfi Sunrise Suite, whose spacious infinity pool overlooks the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius beyond.
The Lighthouse Suite, a unique two-bedroom villa housed in the remnants of a former military lighthouse at the top of the property, ranks among the renovation's most exquisite additions. Offering 360-degree views the Tyrrhenian Sea from the resort's highest point, the brand-new suite accommodates up to six guests in two rooms that incorporate ground-level elements from the original architectural footprint, including a unique circular bathroom with original portholes that frame the seemingly boundless seascape.
The "Winter Garden," the Lighthouse Suite's standalone, glass-enclosed living room, features a fully equipped kitchen and living area accented with artisanal touches. SERENA ELLER
The sky-high hideaway also features a standalone, glass-enclosed living space spanning nearly 1,000 square feet, aptly called the 'Winter Garden,' which seamlessly brings the outside in with a retractable roof, fully equipped kitchen, and vistas galore, accented with artisan-crafted ceramics and a panoply of natural materials.
'We want our guests to feel like they are staying in our home, rather than in a hotel,' says Francesco De Siano, San Montano's co-owner and sales director. 'Spending time around the kitchen and the dining table represents the real Italian way of enjoying life: being together with family and friends, sharing good food and good wine. That's why the kitchen, together with the beautiful living room, represents the true soul of the Lighthouse.'
The suite's 11,000 square feet of outdoor space include a private garden with a plunge pool shaded by fragrant lemon and olive trees–a prime perch for soaking up the island's spectacular sunsets.
Presiding over the resort from its highest point, the Lighthouse Suite offers a luxurious world of its own. San Montano Resort & Spa
San Montanto's wellness offerings are rooted in the island's natural healing elements: Ischia's more than 100 natural, mineral-rich thermal springs, reputed to have healing properties, have drawn visitors since ancient times. Besides five thermal pools–each a different temperature for a revitalizing circuit treatment–six additional outdoor pools, including a large seawater pool, provide plenty to options for a revitalizing dip. The hotel's natural grotto sauna, carved into the rock and warmed by thermal waters, amplifies the immersive wellness experience.
Meanwhile, San Montano's Ocean Blue Spa, which spotlights local ingredients and centuries-old Ischian wellness traditions, offers a wide array of treatments, from traditional mineral-rich mud therapies to physiotherapy and kinesiotherapy. Facilities include five treatment rooms, a sauna, hammam, Kneipp pool, and experience showers, as well as an outdoor treatment area ideal for reveling in the exuberant nature that earned Ischia its 'Green Island' moniker. The property has also debuted new wellness programming, including guided hiking tours to Monte Epomeo–the island's highest peak at nearly 2,600 feet above sea level–yoga sessions in the hotel's gardens, and cooking classes using hyper-local ingredients. Guests can also stroll the property's 7.5 acres of lush parkland and Mediterranean gardens. In a nod to sustainability, drought-resistant greenery and native vegetation were reintroduced in the redesign, enhancing the hotel's natural grandeur while supporting a more balanced microclimate.
La Veranda, the property's fine-dining restaurant, serves up delectable Italian cuisine and breathtaking views. San Montano Resort & Spa
San Montano's culinary offerings, overseen by Executive Chef Francesco Scotto di Minico, spotlight age-old traditions and ingredients plucked from the hotel's gardens, along with just-caught local seafood and artisanal ingredients sourced from top regional purveyors. La Veranda, the property's fine dining restaurant, serves up inspired dishes like lobster panzanella and ravioli with traditional Ischian rabbit sauce. At lunchtime, pizza-lovers will want to beeline to Franco's for standout Neapolitan pizzas like its signature 'Lemontano,' topped with mortadella, buffalo mozzarella, pistachios, and lemon zest, and served on a sun-splashed panoramic terrace complete with jaw-dropping views.
Light poolside fare like panini take center stage at Acropoli Bar, while the Sunset Bar is the island's go-to for aperitivo at dusk, where head bartender Ambrogio carefully crafts zingy cocktails with local bitters and herbs from the garden, as live piano and harp music fills the air. Wine lovers can also explore the hotel's extensive cellar stocked with Campania's finest vintages, with private tastings available for those keen to explore the region's winemaking heritage.
Craft cocktails made with herbs from the kitchen garden take center stage at the Sunset Bar. Serena Eller
Speaking of wine, San Montano's concierge team can arrange visits to centuries-old vineyards to taste indigenous Biancolella and Forastera wines, along with an array of other experiences on the island, from scooter tours to private excursions aboard the hotel's four luxury boats to fishing with local fishermen. History buffs will want to visit Castello Aragonese, an imposing medieval castle dating back to 474 B.C., that presides over an islet to Ischia's east and connected by a causeway; its steep, narrow stairwells and surrounding rocky outcrops present an ideal opportunity to walk off some indulgent pasta dinners. Green thumbs won't want to miss Giardini La Mortella, one of Europe's most captivating private botanical gardens. Created in 1958 by Lady Susana Walton—wife of British composer, Sir William Walton—with the help of English garden designer Russell Page, the breathtaking sanctuary reflects her five-decade devotion to its painstaking cultivation.
Connected to the island by a causeway, Ischia's Castello Aragonese is one of the island's most visited attractions. Corbis via Getty Images
However guests choose to spend their time in Ischia, they'll be spoiled for choice.
"The uniqueness of the island comes from its diversity and the richness it offers within a remarkably compact footprint,' says Arcangelo De Siano. 'Despite being about four times the size of Capri, Ischia remains incredibly accessible, allowing visitors to go from one side of the island to the other within minutes, yet it is astonishingly dense with authentic experiences, history, and culture."