The Best Villas on Capri, Italy

With its grand columned terrace lined in foliage, its rambling garden and art-splashed walls, this opulent villa beyond Capri town will sleep you and your nine closest friends in sumptuous style. Spend mornings sipping coffee in the solarium and evenings grilling up a vast barbecue of freshly landed Mediterranean fish. There are cots on hand if you’re travelling with kids in tow, and you can take advantage of a grocery shopping service for stocking up before arrival.

First, there’s the prime location near Capri’s boldface attraction, the Blue Grotto: a marine cave where sunshine makes the waters glow in luminous hues. More than that, Panoramic Villa is a great base if you want to spend your days out exploring. This spacious bolthole, sleeping seven, has plenty to keep families or groups of friends at home, too: three smart bedrooms in crisp whites, with pops of colour, sea views, a deep soak tub and a spacious kitchen for big dinners.

You’ll be wanting to spend plenty of time in the sun-trap garden at Casa Il Faro, furnished with loungers, a plunge pool and a gazebo space for shade during those long, lazy lunches – the main reason to choose this villa sleeping six. Other reasons to stay? Sea views beyond the surrounding citrus groves, private parking and even an onsite pizza oven and barbecue so you can cook up epic team meals. If you fancy a bit of pampering, it’s possible to hire a private chef.

You’re only a 10-minute walk from the heart of Capri – the picturesque Piazzetta – yet, with the rambling sea views beyond La Gioiella’s terrace, you could easily think you’re in the countryside. Contemporary rooms radiate a fun, funky vibe – think bright splashes of colour and graphic art – providing a refreshing contrast to a trad-style blue-and-white tiling and stone hearth. On warm mornings, sit under the shade of a lemon tree, planning your day’s adventures.

The terrace alone is spectacular: a stretch of sun-splashed loungers offering perfect views of rugged green cliffs and sparkling blue Mediterranean waters. The garden continues the theme, with its gnarled old trees, serene patio and manicured lawns. Then, there’s the interior: four bedrooms, sleeping eight, all with a timeless elegance that’s individually styled suite by suite in understated tones. In other words, it doesn’t get any more old-world-glam Capri than Villa Quattro Venti.

With interconnected, open-plan spaces, Villa Elena seems built for social butterflies who want to spend quality time with their nearest and dearest. It sleeps eight, in four simple but comfy bedrooms, and you’ll rise to drift from breakfast at the kitchen table to the outdoor-patio swing seat. The view of the port of Capri and Gulf of Naples is first-rate, but do tear yourself away to explore the gardens, with their citrus and pine trees, ancient well and barbecue area.