Ischia, Italy is a volcanic island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Nine months before writing this article I had never heard of Ischia, Italy but in May 2022 I enjoyed a week on this fantastic little island.
The
island of Ischia lies about 20 miles from Naples at the northern end of the Gulf of
Naples. This island is relatively small measuring just 6 miles east to west and
4 miles north to south. Although almost exclusively
mountainous, you will find more than 21 miles of coastline. 
Ischia island map
The volcanic nature of the island makes Ischia one of the largest spas in Europe, specifically for the thermal waters and gardens that have been in constant use since ancient times.
This article is to introduce
you to the Hotel Parco Dei Principi, my accommodation for my week stay. 
Driveway to Hotel Parco Dei Principi main entrance
My arrival to the island of Ischia was via a passenger and vehicle ferry from Naples. Departure from Naples was 2:10pm aboard a Medmar ferry. Arrival into Porto d’Ischia was 3:40pm. From the port it’s another 30 minute drive to the hotel.
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| Large window viewing for inside seating |
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| Snacks/Beer/Drinks available onboard |
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| Leaving Naples |
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| Open air seating topside |
Checking in to the hotel was around 4:30pm and I was assigned room 101. This was the closest room to the front desk and offered a balcony along with a fantastic sea view. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the balcony each night with a rum and coke or a nice glass of chilled chardonnay.
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| Reception area Photo: Public Domain |
Pool view from balcony of room 101 
Sea view from balcony of room 101
I found the property to
be comfortable, convenient and good value. My room was clean, configured with 2 twin beds and 1 bunk bed and was
serviced with clean linen daily. 
Standard room Photo:Public Domain
The room included a complimentary safe as well as a refrigerator and self-controlled air conditioning. They did not provide water or a coffee machine in the room so I found myself heading to the restaurant for my morning coffee. Wi-fi is complimentary, fairly quick and reliable once I found the ‘sweet spot’ on my balcony. They also provide a 24-hour front desk along with free guest parking.
One of my favorite amenities was "Pool Zero” as they called it. This is a thermal pool located on ground
floor 0. When you enter this property
you enter on floor 1 so to get to the thermal pool you take the elevator down to
ground zero. Each room is allowed to reserve
up to 30 minutes complimentary per day in the thermal pool. As you enter the thermal area your senses are
definitely heightened. Soft music is playing, aromatherapy
permeates the air and dimmed colored lighting immediately provides a calming affect. A water feature in one corner just adds to your overall experience. There are changing rooms and showers here along with a sauna. I truly enjoyed my
visits. 
Thermal pool
Restaurant hours are:
Breakfast 7:30am-9:30am
Lunch 1:00pm-2:00pm
Dinner 7:30pm-9:30pm
The restaurant doors open exactly at 7:30pm for dinner.
I was surprised to learn that seating was assigned and I would be at the
same table for all meals during my stay.
I was assigned table 101, to coincide with my room number. It was a small corner table for 2 offering fantastic
sunset views and overlooked Furio beach area.
Most of the tables were set for 4, 6 or 8. 
Restaurant area Photo:Public Domain
Dinner the first night consisted of an antipasto plate of eggplant, salami, zucchini, lettuce and potato roll. This was followed by a pasta/tomato side dish. Next came the fish of the day with French fries. Ice cream was for dessert. I was back in the room just before 9pm.
Breakfast begins promptly at 7:30am and was very European, consisting of fresh croissants with sliced processed cheeses along with processed ham and salami slices. Hard boiled egg were always available and most mornings they provided a small salad selection. Some days they served lemon filled pasty puffs which I really enjoyed. Offerings also included a nice variety of cereal and yogurt. As an American I know that we enjoy our ‘cooked’ breakfast with eggs, sausage and hash browns, but you will not find that here.
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| Heading into breakfast my first mornig |
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| First breakfast offerings |
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| Cereal, croissants, bread, jams and jelly area |
Bar area inside restaurant 
Juice and expresso machines
Each morning as you sit
down for breakfast, your dinner menu and a pen are awaiting you. You will make your meal selection for lunch
and/or dinner at breakfast. Lunch and dinner are four courses but are based on a limited
range of ingredients. I found the restaurant staff to be
very cooperative. They provided me with ice daily,
wine glasses and even packed a nice lunch for my day trip to Capri. 
Coffee machine
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| My breakfast most mornings |
This
hotel seems to cater to tour groups and it appeared to be mostly German
based. I managed to communicate nightly
with the couple sitting next to me in the restaurant but only by using Google translate.
We laughed often as we struggled to understand each other.
At my table during breakfast
Another nice amenity at this
property is the outdoor pool. A feature
that I really enjoyed was the adjustable shades on each of the lounge
chairs. 
Outdoor pool Photo:Public Domain 
My outdoor pool view from my lounge chair
Lounge chairs with adjustable shades
The hotel is at the top of a steep hill with nowhere to really walk in the evening. The hotel does provide a free shuttle van that runs down to the town 4 times a day.
This property is located just about 100 meters from the Giardini la Mortella.
Despite a few oddities at the hotel I really truly enjoyed my stay. The staff was extremely hard working and hotel manager John helped me with every question I presented.
For further information:
Hotel
Parco Dei Principi
Via F. Calise 6 - 80075 Forio d'Ischia (Na)
Tel: +39 0815071467
info@parcodeiprincipi.eu
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