Ischia Blu Resort

My husband and I had never been to Ischia and it made it hard to decide where to stay but we ultimately decided on this cute boutique hotel in Ischia Porto. We stayed 5 nights and wished it was longer. It was just steps from both the car and high-speed ferry (alilauro) and about a 10 minute walk to the bus stop, 15 minutes to all of the restaurants that line the waterfront. We were happy that we chose this hotel - for several reasons: 1) convenient 2) comfortable 3) quiet. We used the hotel as the perfect base to explore the island via their frequent, cheap, and easy bus system. We threw on bathing suits, packed towels and a change of clothes each day into backpacks and set off the explore the various beaches and spas around the island by bus. Returning in the evening before or after dinner and were steps from gelato, coffee whatever we wanted in town. We were very pleased with the room (Eros) that was small but comfortable with a small kitchenette with a fridge, 4 burner cooktop and microwave. It was great to keep cold water and wine. There was also a washing machine - no dryer- but a clothing rack outside on the deck. The hotel is steps from a small convenience store that has basic provisions. Rather than have the hotel breakfast we walked to town each morning to grab fresh fruit from the fruit stand, coffee at any one of the cafes and fresh pastries. The hotel staff were super helpful with suggestions and discounts for various activities we booked. The outside deck, swimming cove and plunge pool made this place a hidden gem. We mostly traveled to other beaches around the island but one afternoon after doing a 3 hr boat trip to Procida we came back and enjoyed the afternoon at this little cove that was just lovely with a nice breeze off the water. The only downside would possibly be for someone who is disabled - there is a slight hill coming in and some stairs on the property that could be a challenge but for most you can easily walk from the ferry to the hotel - even with bags. My only general advice for people traveling to Ischia is we took the FrecciaRosa from Roma to Napoli and then the Alilauro to Ischia. We thought the 35 minute connection in Naples would be long enough for the 8 minute taxi ride from the train to port but it was not, because the taxi line was long. So definitely build in at least an hour to get from the train to the port - live and learn, we had to buy a second set of ferry tickets. We also loved our day trip semi-private boat tour to Procida with YouNowBoat - it was so lovely. If we had an extra day I would have done the same company to Sorento or Capri.