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NAPLES

GRAND HOTEL PARKER’S

Marine biologists, for obvious reasons, have always liked Naples. But one of them – an Englishman – liked it so much that he gave his name to the city’s sweetest hotel, the Grand Hotel Parker’s.

Early one morning in 1889 George Parker Bidder was asleep in bed when the local bailiff arrived at his favourite billet to confiscate it because of the owner’s gambling debts. Woken by the commotion, Mr Bidder enquired through his door as to what was going on. Told by the distraught hotelier that his beloved establishment was now for sale, Mr Bidder – with that combination of languor and extreme wealth for which the Englishman Abroad was once famous – called out, “Put the hotel on my bill,” and went back to his slumbers. Thus did an expert on the life of the sponge ensure that the name above the door would be not The Grand Hotel, but The Grand Hotel Parker’s.

With hotels, I find first impressions important. Here they are excellent. The steep road outside (for we are near the top of the hill) is busy – but, then, every Neapolitan road is busy. There is therefore a lovely contrast when – in through the attractive Liberty façade – all is quiet, calm and supremely elegant. Gilt, marble, fine fabrics and antiques give the lobby a real sense of luxury. This is not a large hotel – there are just 83 bedrooms – but it has an impressive sense of grand space.  Much of the décor is French. Indeed, each floor of bedrooms is decorated in its own style from France. My floor was Empire, others are Louis XVI, Directoire and so on. This attention to detail is to be applauded, and I expect former guests did applaud it. They have included Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and …Lenin. Clearly, the hotel’s appeal has always been wide. Today you can also enjoy something new: a little spa on the first floor, a tempting haven of trickling water and greenery.

Up on the third floor, I admired the pristine white corridor. Room 311 was 350 euros a night, bed and breakfast for two – not expensive for an air-conditioned, well-equipped and carefully planned apartment. A hallway with fitted wardrobes, in which was my private safe, led to the decently-sized bedroom. Its colour scheme – white and pale grey (the walls and curtains), pink (the velvet of the armchairs and the sofa) and brown (the wooden floor and the polished mahogany furniture) – was discreet. Effective lighting, from three table lamps, a 10 foot ceiling with a crystal chandelier, and engravings of Classical urns in gilt frames added to the sense of being surrounded by civilized good taste. There was silence, too – achieved by the sliding glass door to the little balcony. And, best of all, there was the view.

I gazed at it again over breakfast, had up on the 6^th (and top) floor on the terrace of George’s Restaurant. (Why George’s? Think of Mr Bidder’s Christian name.) Here was one of the loveliest ways to start the day I have yet found on my many travels. A gentle breeze caressed the cheeks of the bronze ladies who stood lifting their urns towards the sky atop the balustrade. The sun shone, but blinds shielded me from its glare. And, as I tucked into good, crispy bacon, slices of crusty bread and a dish of melon and pineapple and sipped a hot cappuccino, I looked across the Bay of Naples and watched the mists slowly clear from the peak of Mount Vesuvius. Enchanting.

And I could have stayed thus all day. But there were things to be done. With the narrow, crowded streets of its massive Old Town and the open, elegant formality of its 18^th and 19^th Century squares and avenues, Naples is an impressive and interesting place. For those of us who love art and architecture, it is an Aladdin’s Cave of delights. And then, a few miles away, there is Pompei. (One has to see this astonishing survival of the ancient world, but I would recommend a guide book and a private visit, rather than a guided tour. I wanted to linger over the Classical architecture, rather than stare at the ruts made by chariot wheels and then rush towards the pornographic paintings on the walls of the brothel…)

After a day of sights, it was back to George’s for dinner. There was the panorama once more, now transformed by the falling night and the lights of the city. This time I viewed it through plate-glass, protected from the evening chill. Before me, on the beige cloth of my large round table, was good Spiegelau glassware. A dark red candle burnt in a silver candlestick. The pianist played ‘Moon River’. Maitre d’ Carlo Esposito (who once worked at the Savoy in London) expertly marshalled his formally-dressed waiters. And I sat back and fancied that I was going to enjoy my dinner.

Which I did. Under silver domes and carefully presented on beige and gold Schönwald plates, from chef Baciot Terracino’s kitchen came four pleasing courses. A refreshing salad of salt cod was followed by a robust dish of linguini with lobster and baby tomatoes. Then the highlight: tender, tasty roast lamb with sesame seeds and small jacket potatoes. And finally, an excellent crème brûlée with marinated fruits and lemon sorbet. (67 euros for these courses.) From the wine list of moderate length (150 choices), I went for a big and slightly honeyed chardonnay from Sicily (Tasca d’Almerita, 2000 – 50 euros) and a tannic red from Campania, with a hint of farmyard on the nose (Taurasi Macchia Dei Goti, Antonio Caggiano, Aglianico, 2001 – 49 euros).

I am glad Mr Bidder bought this hotel and gave his name to it. The Grand Hotel Parker’s is a very good hotel and its association with the marine biologist from England makes it even better.

ADDRESSES

GRAND HOTEL PARKER’S

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 135, 80121 Naples, Italy.

Telephone +39 081 761 2474

Fax +39 081 663 527

Email: info@grandhotelparkers.it

www.grandhotelparkers.com

Double rooms from 310 euros, including breakfast

Ask about special offers

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