San Francesco Al Monte Hotel Naples

San Francesco al Monte was, by far, one of the most beautiful and interesting hotels I have ever stayed at because of its history, its fantastic view of Naples Bay and Mt. Vesuvius and its fantastic on-site restaurant (Ristoranti Terrazza Barbanti).

San Francesco al Monte is a gorgeous hotel, especially considering it used to be a convent back in the middle ages- built on (and into) the hills. The hotel is beautiful and elegant but what truly makes it stand out is its history and the amazing views. The hotel has seven floors, including large conference rooms, rooms with their own private terraces, an outdoor dining facility (Ristoranti Barbanti) and a rooftop garden, complete with flowers, orange trees, lounge chairs and a swimming pool.

As for the rooms, they were much more spacious than any other European hotel room we've seen, and does not feel spacy. The rooms also have very large bathrooms with two sinks in each, well as a jacuzzi bath ans shower. The people at the front desk were very helpful, and in general the service was very good.

Their restaurant, Barbanti (the name changes during the summer months- but nonetheless, it's the same restaurant!) is AMAZING. It's a bit upscale, so make sure to dress nicely, but the food is incredible. Their menu consists of Italian food, both modern and traditional and they offer a wide selection of wines and other drinks. We ordered the bean soup, as well as the mushroom soup (both fantastic!!), neapolitan pasta (unlike anything we had ever tried before, but great nonetheless) rigatoni ragu with ricotta (AMAZING!), and baba, a traditional neapolitan dessert, which neither of us really cared for but felt that we needed to try. All in all, I can't stress how wonderful this restaurant is! If you stay at Hotel San Francesco Al Monte, you receive complimentary buffet breakfast at this restaurant, and although it's basic breakfast fare (nothing fancy), some of the items in the buffet include tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, gouda cheese, provolone, ham, prosciutto, a great selection of Italian cookies and pastries and fresh fruit salad.

I highly recommend staying at this hotel for an unforgettable experience.