Cerasiello - guest house

Cerasiello was idyllic. Like almost everything in Naples, its rough exterior belies what you’ll find inside. You enter through a tiny door in battered, ancient gates set in a massive, near featureless building that takes up a whole city block. You find yourself in a courtyard, sky visible four very tall stories above. ||It’s all a bit dingy and the first thing you’ll notice is the rather ugly lift dropped into the middle of the far side of the courtyard, looking like those temporary ones they erect on construction sites. As your eyes adjust to the half light, however, you’ll notice that all four stories of the wall behind the lift are dominated by a grand staircase, crumbling but still magnificent. ||Before the neighbourhood went into decline ... from which it's now trending upwards ... it was full of grand palaces, and this was one of them. Once the heavy courtyard door shuts, the noise of the street disappears and the songbirds kept by residents overlooking the courtyard contribute a gentler soundtrack. Potted plants and hanging laundry jostle for space on windows, walls and landings. ||Cerasiello is on the top floor. I was very glad of that lift, even though you need to feed it €.20 a ride. The property has four bedrooms, each with en-suite bathroom, surrounding a long sitting room, a small kitchen and a truly magnificent roof garden with a view of Vesuvius. We spent most of our time at home out here, surrounded by enormous potted plants that made it feel like a real oasis from the city. ||The tasteful decor is a mash-up of traditional Italian with a bit of Sicilian and North African, giving the whole place a slightly exotic feel. The owners have taken great care with the lighting, including up lighters on the roof garden and small, stained glass table lamps inside to create atmospheric puddles of light throughout.||This was our annual girls' trip and we always look for a property with four bedrooms so we can each have our own space. This was ideal, and one of the best properties we've rented over the years. You can book individual rooms rather than renting the whole property; in which case the living room, kitchen and roof garden become shared space with other guests. If you only rented one room, ask for the one with french doors that open directly to the roof garden. The window in the bedroom looks towards Vesuvius, while the one in the bathroom looks over the roofs and church domes of Rione Sanità and up at Castel Sant’Elmo. ||Cerasiello is on the very edge of Rione Sanità, only about 200 metres from the Via Foria that divides the neighbourhood from the historic centre. You’re only 10-15 minutes away from key sites like the archaeological museum, the Duomo, the cloisters at Santa Chiara and the street of the nativity scene makers. You’re also close to two different metro stations, though I confess that with four of us to split the cost we took taxis when we needed to go further than our feet would carry us. ||Our roof garden and the feeling of being part of a local neighbourhood provided a welcome counterpoint to the noise and bustle of the city.

Great lodging option. Rafaelle is a very nice host and person who knows a lot about the city and can give great suggestions on where to go, if needed. The room is adorable, very well decorated and comfortable, with a good private bathroom and a great view. The rest of the house is shared, and also very lovely and well organized, with an incredible terrace, and full kitchen. The apartment is on the sixth floor of a traditional napolitan building, very authentic and right by the old part of the city and close to the subway. The only low point is that I was by myself, and walking around the premises at night seemed weary, but nothing happened.

The location is central and the city center is within walking distance. Frankly it is too expensive for the room and service they provide. The beds were joined together to get a makeshift double bed. We are not that tall either and my legs would go outside. The separation between two mattresses was frustrating and it would have been better if we slept on two separate beds. So for a couple it's a big No. Some disclaimers would have been helpful 1) No bag deposit service. It wasn't written on agoda although the owner inisited. I sent the screenshot of the hotel policy on whatsapp. Later the employee says that its not mentioned in service section (among 20 different services) 2) You cannot cook. That's the basic advantage of bnb. Keep in mind that its 76 euros a night without breakfast. A hotel is a better option at this point. 3) 20 euros for towel change. It wasn't necessary but in winters I would expect one change at least once in 2 days.

We stayed for 6 nights. Value for money.|Beautiful b&b in a nice location, next to metro. Stefania, our host was extremely helpful. The bathroom was great and the view from the room also. It has a shared big balcony perfect to drink our wine and eat a pizza we got from outside.

We stayed here for six nights and our family for two nights. Big plus - the terrace is very beautiful with a great view of Vesuvius. Our Earth room was big and nicely furnished. We were greeted by a very nice young man. Not so ideal: being asked to pay up front in cash. The terrace is beautiful but there are no comfortable chairs for relaxing, believe me, we tried them all. The owner visited several times and never said a word to us, we thought at first she was a cleaner who spoke no English. Guests are allowed to smoke on the terrace which is quite annoying for non smokers trapped there with them. The breakfast is old tired sliced bread and cornflakes (not typical of Naples at all) and UHT milk, no fresh bread or fruit offered. Our request for non dairy milk to be in the fridge on arrival was refused. There was no effort to help us identify local restaurants or maps of the public transport in the apartment. The number given for taxis at the airport did not work. We were not helped with luggage on departure and not contacted during our visit to see if all was well except for when we alerted them about the wifi not working for two days. Wifi does not work in the Earth Room anyway. If you don't mind all of this, the location is fine with great local market - essential for buying your breakfast!! It's a shared apartment not a bed and breakfast.

One step away from the historical center, where you can easily dive into atmosphere of Southern Italy. Small but cosy rooms of Moroccan design. There is also a wonderful terrace where you can have your meal and meet other guests. Every single piece of furniture picked with a great taste. ||Absolutely recommend for a good quality-price ratio.

My wife and I stayed here several days on our honeymoon (2010) and found it very welcoming and immensely charming. The kitchen was well stocked with breakfast foods, teas, coffees and cookware. Our room was clean, quiet and artfully decorated. The terrace was our favorite - great ambiance and view of Napoli. We didn't know what to think of the neighborhood at first. The narrow streets are noisy, chaotic and dense, but everyone was super friendly and helpful. The entrance is uninviting, but once inside it's an oasis of calm beauty. Cerasiello B&B was one of the best places we stayed on our trip. Note, we had to rendezvous with the host at the metro station; there's no front desk. You'll need a cellphone to meetup.

Naples is the Bad Boy of Italy. It is energetic and bold. This beautiful B&B, with it's breathtaking views, is the perfect place to set up camp. A romantic terrace, that overlooks versuvius, is the ideal spot to plan your excursions, whether over a provided help yourself breakfast, or with a bottle of wine at dusk. The rooms are palatial and offer a much needed calm after the mayhem and exciting uproar of the streets below. Beautifully kept and easy to make home, this place is a short walk from everything you need. Will be coming back every time.||Charlotte Powell xx