Hotel Raito

First opened in 1953, the Hotel Raito was fully renovated after a management change in 2006. This multilevel property looks fairly low-key from the outside and even in the lobby, with white, beige, and brown wood decor, bright modern paintings, and a small off-white baby grand piano. Windows open up to a shaded terrace with white wicker seats and marine-blue cushions that look out on the expansive sea. Most guests here are tourists rather than business travelers (although there are meeting facilities) and the hotel attracts well-heeled clients from around the world.

The Hotel Raito It is located in the hills of Vietri sul Mare, a village on the Amalfi Coast that's considered the capital of Italian ceramic art. The town's marina is dominated by the dome of the 16th-century church of St. John the Baptist, which is covered by hundreds of yellow, green, and blue majolica-style tin-glazed shingles. The city is also home to Palazzo della Ceramica Solimene, designed by architect Paolo Soleri and based on the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The building's imposing facade is completely covered with red and green cylindrical terra cotta. Vietri is a 10-minute drive into Salerno (or about 25 minutes by bus) and a 45-minute drive to Naples. 

Rooms at the Hotel Raito range from Standards to Suites. Rooms in the main building have blue and white tile floors with decor to match and come with small televisions, minibars, and safes. Bathrooms have walk-in showers although some in higher categories also have bathtubs. All but the Standard rooms come with balconies, and most have Amalfi Coast views. The adjacent "Seiren Floor" is where the hotel's most expensive rooms and suites are located -- these are also the most modern. All have views of the Gulf of Salerono and the suites have four-poster beds and whirlpool hot tubs. 

 One of the Raito's major highlights is the ExPure SPA, a luxury spa with a solarium, an indoor pool, a sauna, a Turkish bath, and treatment rooms. Services include a wide rage of massages, body treatments, and facials -- as well as beauty treatments and waxing. The outdoor pool has stunning sea views and a restaurant offering poolside dining at lunchtime. The hotel's main restaurant, Il Golfo, offers Mediterranean cuisine, much of which is made with produce sourced from the hotel's own garden. Although business travelers are the minority here, there is a meeting room and a couple of Internet terminals. Weddings can be arranged on a sea-facing terrace. Parking is abundant and free for guests.