Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa is built around a half-finished watchtower on a wooded headland at the north-western tip of Ischia, with a private bay below, thermal water from its own spring and a tennis court tucked into the pines. Since 2019 it has been run by Pellicano Hotels, the family group behind Hotel Il Pellicano in Tuscany, and it shows in the relaxed, retro Italian style. My one-line verdict: arguably the most restful luxury hotel on the island, as long as you want calm, sea and spa rather than a lively town on your doorstep.
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Quick facts: Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa
- Location: Via Mezzatorre 23, Forio d’Ischia, on a promontory above San Montano Bay, close to Lacco Ameno.
- Rooms and suites: 48 according to the hotel’s press kit and the Michelin Guide, split between the tower and cottages in a seven hectare park (one booking partner lists 33, see below).
- Price level: high, in line with Capri and the Amalfi Coast rather than typical Ischia spa hotels.
- Season: seasonal. The hotel gives 2 April to 26 October 2026, and 7 April to 27 October 2027. Closed in winter.
- Nearest airport: Naples Capodichino, then a ferry or hydrofoil to Ischia. Allow roughly two hours door to door.
- Distinction: one Michelin Key in the Michelin Guide’s hotel selection.
- Best for: couples, thermal spa lovers and anyone who wants tennis and sea swimming without crowds.
Check prices and availability
With fewer than 50 keys and a season of just under seven months, sea-view rooms and the tower suites go early for June to September. Compare dates before you commit.
Location and getting there
The hotel sits on a rocky, wooded promontory between Forio and Lacco Ameno, looking over San Montano Bay and out across the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is one of the quietest corners of the island. Lacco Ameno is around ten minutes away by car, and the hotel runs a shuttle into the nearby village and to the beach. Ischia Porto, where most ferries arrive, is roughly 20 minutes by road.
Getting there takes a little planning. Fly into Naples Capodichino, take a taxi or transfer to the port, then a hydrofoil to Ischia, which takes about 50 minutes to an hour, or a slower car ferry. On the island, a taxi or hotel transfer brings you up to the headland. The hotel can arrange private transfers from Naples, and a private boat can drop you at its own pier, which is the most elegant arrival by far. The final stretch of road is narrow, so drive a small car if you drive at all.
Rooms and suites
The name means “half tower”: the Aragonese began the watchtower between the 16th and 17th centuries and never finished it. Later it became a guesthouse and then a cultural meeting place under the poet and politician Luigi Patalano. Today the rooms are divided between the tower itself and low cottages scattered through the park, and most rooms and all suites have a terrace or balcony with a sea view.
A note on numbers: the hotel’s own press kit, the Michelin Guide and Scott Dunn all give 48 rooms and suites, while Leading Hotels of the World lists 33. Our research could not settle which figure applies today, so if it matters to you, confirm with the hotel. For the 2026 season, Pellicano Hotels reported that 16 rooms, including the Grand Suite, had been renovated.
- Classic rooms: partial sea or garden views.
- Superior rooms: sea views, wide windows and a small terrace or balcony.
- Deluxe rooms: each overlooks San Montano Bay.
- Junior suites: in the tower, with a separate living area and views over the private bay and pool.
- Deluxe suites: sea views, a generous bedroom and an open living room with sofa bed.
- Bellevue Suite: high up in the tower, with a terrace of loungers facing the bay and the gulf.
- Grand Suite: around 80 m² in the tower, with a large terrace over the Gulf of Naples, freshly renovated for 2026.
The style is very Pellicano: colourful tiles and ceramics, striped fabrics and a nostalgic Riviera mood. Some cottages are a walk from the main building, so ask for one close to the tower if stairs or slopes are a concern.
Dining
- Ristorante La Torre: the evening restaurant, led by chef Giuseppe D’Abundo, a native of Forio who has been at the hotel since it opened. Expect seasonal land and sea cooking: local snapper and rockfish, Ischia-style rabbit (coniglio all’ischitana) and pennoni with Neapolitan ragù. A summer 2026 review in Scatti di Gusto reported tasting menus of five and seven courses at roughly 130 to 200 euros, with à la carte also available. Check current prices.
- Ristorante & Bar La Baia: lunch by the sea under a large palm-frond canopy, with catch of the day and Neapolitan pasta classics such as tubettoni with mussels, courgette flowers and pecorino.
- Bar La Torre: the sunset terrace, known for the Mezzatorre Spritz, with live piano on some evenings.
An honest note on Michelin: La Torre does not appear among the starred restaurants for Forio in the 2026 guide, and I found no star for it. The hotel itself holds one Michelin Key, the guide’s award for hotels. If you want a starred dinner during your stay, Ischia has strong options close by, including Indaco at the Regina Isabella in Lacco Ameno and Umberto a Mare in Forio. Book these well ahead in summer.
Check rates at Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa
Spa and pools
Ischia has been a spa island since Roman times, and Mezzatorre is one of the hotels that has its own thermal spring. According to the hotel, the water rises at around 45°C and feeds three hydrotherapy pools at different temperatures.
- Thermal pools: three hydrotherapy pools fed by the private spring, plus cold plunge and jet features.
- Treatments: massage and beauty cabins, a manicure and pedicure room, an osteopathy area and a cabin for inhalations.
- Thermal mud: made from thermal water and volcanic clay.
- Medical and aesthetic programmes: a team that includes doctors and physiotherapists, offering preventive and anti-ageing plans under the hotel’s Benissimo Club wellness label.
- Beach Club pool: an outdoor saltwater pool with daybeds and striped umbrellas, next to a deck with direct access to the sea.
There is no sandy beach. You swim from the rocks and the deck in the private bay, and the hotel provides paddle boards and snorkelling gear. Steps lead down to the water, so this is not the place for anyone who needs level access to the sea. Book treatments before you arrive in July and August.
Sport and activities
Sport here is low-key but well chosen, which is why Mezzatorre appears in our guide to tennis hotels on the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento.
Tennis
There is one tennis court, set in greenery with a view of the sea. Leading Hotels of the World describes it as red clay; the hotel’s own press material does not state the surface, so if clay matters to you, confirm with the hotel along with lighting and racquet hire. Personal training is available through the fitness team, but I found no dedicated tennis pro, so ask the hotel whether a coach or hitting partner can be arranged for your dates.
Fitness, water and yoga
A gym with Technogym equipment, personal training, yoga and Pilates classes and water sports cover the rest. For longer trips on the water, the concierge can arrange boat days around Ischia or across to Procida and Capri; our guide to Capri by boat covers what to see once you are there.
What’s nearby
- La Colombaia: the villa that Luigi Patalano built in the same park, later owned by film director Luchino Visconti. It is a short walk from the hotel; check opening times locally.
- Lacco Ameno: a small seafront village with cafés and the famous mushroom-shaped rock in the bay, around ten minutes away.
- Forio: the liveliest town on the west coast, with restaurants and bars.
- Capri and Procida: both work as day trips by boat in calm weather. If you want a second base with more glamour, read our Grand Hotel Quisisana review.
Mezzatorre vs other tennis and spa hotels in the region
| Hotel | Location | Standout | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mezzatorre Hotel & Thermal Spa | Forio, Ischia | Own thermal spring, 3 hydrotherapy pools, 1 sea-view court, private bay | Calm, spa and tennis away from the crowds |
| Regina Isabella | Lacco Ameno, Ischia | 2 tennis courts, thermal and medical spa, starred Indaco restaurant | Classic grand hotel life with a village on foot |
| Grand Hotel Quisisana | Capri Town | 2 courts with an instructor, steps from the Piazzetta | Capri’s social life and lessons |
| Il San Pietro di Positano | Positano, Amalfi Coast | 1 court at sea level, Michelin-starred Zass | Drama, privacy and gastronomy |
In short: Il San Pietro wins on spectacle and food (see our Il San Pietro di Positano review), the Quisisana on buzz, the Regina Isabella on grand hotel life and a second court, and Mezzatorre on peace and thermal water. If you like the Pellicano style and want a second stop on the Tuscan coast, our Hotel Il Pellicano review covers the group’s flagship.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits:
- Couples looking for a romantic, slow stay with sea swimming and thermal pools.
- Travellers who know Capri and Positano and want something quieter in the Gulf of Naples.
- Recreational tennis players happy with one court and a game before breakfast.
It does not suit:
- Beach lovers who want sand: access to the sea is from rocks, a deck and steps.
- Serious tennis players who need several courts, coaching programmes or floodlit evening play.
- Those who want to stroll to restaurants and bars every night without a shuttle or taxi.
- Guests with limited mobility, given the slopes, steps and spread-out cottages.
Charlotte’s tip: go in May, June or late September
The thermal pools feel best when the air is a little cooler, and the court is far more pleasant without August heat. Book a sea-view room in the tower for the sunsets, reserve one dinner at La Torre and one starred evening elsewhere on the island, and take the hydrofoil rather than the car ferry unless you are bringing a car.
Practical tips
- Booking: reserve spa treatments, court times and any private boat transfer together with the room, especially for July and August.
- Best rooms to request: Deluxe rooms or Junior Suites for the bay view, the Bellevue or Grand Suite for a special occasion, and a cottage close to the tower if you prefer fewer steps.
- Season: the hotel’s site gives 2 April to 26 October 2026. Some booking listings show a shorter season, so trust the hotel’s dates and confirm early and late in the year.
- Dress: relaxed resort wear by day, smart casual for dinner at La Torre.
- Kids: children are welcome (ask the hotel about babysitting), but this is a quiet, couple-leaning hotel without dedicated children’s facilities that I could verify. Ask the hotel about age rules in the spa.
- Pets: the Michelin Guide lists pets as allowed for a fee. Confirm the conditions when booking.
Check prices and availability
Compare tower rooms, cottages and suites, and check whether your dates fall inside the April to October season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mezzatorre open all year?
No. It is a seasonal hotel. The 2026 season runs from 2 April to 26 October, and the hotel has announced 7 April to 27 October for 2027.
Does Mezzatorre have a beach?
It has a private bay rather than a sandy beach. You swim from a deck and the rocks, and there is a saltwater pool at the Beach Club with paddle boards and snorkelling gear.
Does Mezzatorre have a tennis court?
Yes, one court set in greenery with a sea view. One partner lists it as red clay; ask the hotel to confirm the surface, lighting and whether a coach is available.
How do I get to Mezzatorre from Naples airport?
Take a taxi or transfer to the port in Naples, then a hydrofoil of roughly 50 minutes to an hour to Ischia, followed by a short drive. The hotel can arrange private transfers, including by boat to its own pier, on request.
Planning more trips around the Gulf of Naples?
