Palazzo Alabardieri

Wow what can I say, this would have to be one of the best boutique Hotels we stayed in while on holidays in Europe during July 2011. Our room was delightful and well appointed. The breakfast was lovely and catered to all taste’s. The staff were so helpful and accommodating. There is not one criticism I can truly think of. Palazzo Alabardieri is situated on a lovely cobblestone lane way, an oasis in the city right near all the designer stores (if that is what you are into. Chanel, Armani, Dior and one of their representatives from Paris was at breakfast the morning we were there, so I guess if it was good enough for them well…) but also very close to the major shopping/​resturant areas, via a lovely pedestrians only mall.. We really only came to Napoli for two nights to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum, but I wish we had stayed longer, we will be back again.
PS: we took the train to Napoli from Roma (which was great so much better than flying which we had considered) and I thought it would be an idea to warn you all about the taxi drivers… we were grossly overcharged for the trip from the train station to Palazzo Alabardieri. on departure from the hotel to the airport the staff told us how much it should be and low and behold the taxi driver did try to rip us off, but luckily we knew what it should cost.
Buses we discovered were a little hit and miss, timetables well did not really seem to exist and very few drivers spoke English… take a taxi to the station or long distances …and walk everywhere else.
Catching the train to and from Pompeii and Herculaneum was so much fun it was summer and lots of kids going to the beaches and fans to the soccer matches singing their team songs. It was very warm the day we visited, I found taking a light umbrella much better than wearing a hat and a lots of water. We made the mistake of doing both Pompeii and Herculaneum in the one day… if you love history take your time and allow a day for Pompeii and half a day for Herculaneum. From the station down to Herculaneum is a bit of a walk but obviously OK on the way down, just take your time on the way back and stop for cold drink and a break.
I would love to hear from anyone that stays at Palazzo Alabardieri and hope you have as lovely a stay as ours.