Best Beach Hotels in Italy

Combine your beach break with a wellness retreat at the Falkensteiner’s all-new Acquapura SPA, where treatments are based on Hawaiian rituals. This space spans 1,500 square metres including an indoor and outdoor pool, jacuzzi and a hammam. The restaurant has a sea view terrace and wine cellar, there’s a firelit lobby bar and a cigar lounge, as well as a private stretch of beach. Modernist architect Richard Meier worked alongside interior designer Matteo Thun to create a chic property with a vintage Miami vibe; neutral tones are accented with bold colours and floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the outlook.

Perched on a quiet hilltop surrounded by lemon and pine trees, the elevated views enjoyed by this property are quite something. The pool, terrace and La Veranda dei Sapori restaurant take full advantage of this vista, allowing guests to watch the glamorous marine activity below. A second restaurant, Franco’s, also overlooks the bay and serves cuisine crafted from ingredients grown in the onsite kitchen gardens, while a piano bar on the roof terrace provides a magical backdrop for sampling cocktails under the stars. All rooms have their own balcony, overlooking either the lush gardens or the sea.

Offering a very different experience to the Grand Hotel, this is a six-storey boutique design hotel. At its heart is the i-CE AGE swimming pool, a water ‘sculpture’ for swimming, that’s heated to 31-34 degrees and open 24 hours a day. It has a bubble mat, elevated whirlpools, foot water jets and a large cervical blade waterfall that make bathing a luxurious indulgence. The i-FEEL GOOD Seaview Spa is an uber-modern light-filled space and the i-FAME restaurant features high-quality raw materials and a focus on fish. Bedrooms are known as i-SUITES and follow the minimalist design found throughout.

Made famous by Rimini’s own Federico Fellini, who used the building in his films, the Grand Hotel is also sought after as a five-star residence with an exclusive area of private beach across the road. It opened at the turn of the 20th century, but experienced damage during the war and due to a major fire, resulting in major refurbishments. Fortunately many original features including incredible stuccoed ceilings have survived and the property contains beautiful antique furniture. It has 121 bedrooms, a restaurant with an open-air terrace, a beachside eatery,  a seasonal kids’ club, a beach splash pool, as well as further pools on the terrace and in the spa.

This Grande Dame hotel opened in 1907, under the original name of the Hungaria Palace Hotel. Nicolo Piamonte was the architect of the building’s neo-Rennaisance exterior, whose interiors followed an Art Noveau and Liberty style. Now the five-star venue close to Lungomare d’Annunzio Beach includes a full-service spa with 12 treatments rooms, an outdoor pool, a restaurant, a winter garden and two bars (one of which is on the rooftop). A lavish refurbishment has retained original details and stunning frescoes but added many modern amenities like espresso makers and air-con. There are 60 bedrooms in total, including suites, all filled with lashings of character.

Right on the Lido, this luxurious resort has a subtly Moorish interior design. Reminiscent of a former era, the turn of the 20th-century building’s furnishings encapsulate a sense of North African mid-century style. The Excelsior boasts bedrooms with terraces overlooking the sea, tent-like private cabanas on the beach, a swimming pool, complimentary water shuttles, in-room Salvatore Ferragamo bath products, and a renowned intimate candlelit restaurant and some incredible seafood. It may be a glamorous venue – an optimum place to star spot during the film festival – but the resort is very welcoming of families, offering a kids’ club among its amenities.

Hotel Cala di Volpe is found in one of the most popular areas for tourists, known as the Emerald Coast. It takes the form of a village, with its jetty stretching out into the water and was originally designed by Jacques Couelle’s in the 1960s. Boasting a barbecue area, an Olympic-size saltwater pool, direct access to the sea and 121 bedrooms with private terraces, it provides ample opportunity to enjoy the alfresco life. Hotel Cala di Volpe’s Shiseido Spa is uber-modern – fewer than three years old – and the restaurant, Le Grand, provides unrestricted water views.

With the glittering coastline on one side and fragrant gardens on the other, this is a beautifully calming and quintessentially Sardinian setting for the 7Pines Resort. It comprises 76 individual suites accommodated either in the gardens, close to the Laguna pool or beside the beach. The Pure Seven spa offers mindfulness sessions, treatments using organic and vegan products, a Relax Tour and a Kneipp bath coming in 2023. Additionally, there are three restaurants and three bars, the seafront Cone Club and the 7Pines Yachting Services, for sea-based adventures taking you to the far reaches of this picture-perfect region.

This 5-star resort has taken pride of place on Marinella Beach in Porto Rotondo, since its inception in 1963. 59 bedrooms and suites are decorated with Sardinian and Mediterranean furnishings, marble from Orosei, Samugheo rugs and picture windows showcasing the stunning outlook. There are three dining options, two of which are in-house; Mediterraneo (serving family-friendly breakfasts and evening meals), Tzia Maria (for lunch and dinner) and the Marinella Beach Restaurant (for which guests receive a credit). The Lobby Bar accompanies drinks with live piano music, the Pool Bar for beverages, snacks and ice cream and the elegant Marinella Lounge Bar. Hotel Abi D’Oru also has an excellent spa and the Bee Happy Kids’ Club.

Adjacent to the Conca Verde Beach on the north coast, La Coluccia offers views across to Spargi island. This was one of Sardinia’s first boutique resorts, in a secluded spot, providing chic accommodation. Accommodation categories range from design rooms overlooking the garden or inner courtyard, through to suites with spacious living areas — many are accessible and cots can be provided. In the restaurant, a team of specialist chefs handcraft items such as bread and pasta and desserts, with food served overlooking the sea, on a terrace over the pool. The spa encompasses a relaxation area with herbal teas, massage cabins and a gym.

Surrounded by olive groves and beside the Salento Sea, Masseria Muzza boasts a beautiful countryside location. Decorated in classic Puglian style, 40 bedrooms and suites have a cool vibe, with much use of local stone and neutral tones. Some come with a futon in addition to beds and a private patio, and with a maximum occupancy of five per room. The hotel has three restaurants (Le Site, Mirto and La Limonaia), a spa, kids’ club, indoor and outdoor pools and a chic pool bar. Close to Otranto, there are many excursions to be enjoyed from here, like coastal kayaking, gourmet tours, sailboat trips, e-bike rides and horse treks.

This enchanting Masseria San Domenico dates back to the 15th century and provides a luxurious retreat surrounded by lush palm tree-filled gardens. Guests are sure to enjoy wallowing in the large lagoon-style pool and indulging in a little pampering in the modern spa. The hotel can be found on the edge of the sleeping fishing town of Savelletri, while the ocean is just a 500-metre stroll away. There are forty spacious rooms to choose from here and by far the most luxurious is the San Domenico Suite, which boasts a raised patio that overlooks pretty olive groves and the ocean.