This must be my dream: reviewing a stay at Albergo Della Regina Isabella

it’s all because of TikTok. Let me explain. One day, I was scrolling on TikTok, when I came across one of a woman describing her happy place hotel, which was this old Hollywood, moderately expensive hotel off the coast of Italy that transports you to another time. Since I am studying abroad this semester in London, I was immediately intrigued. After checking the state of my savings account, I booked a weekend there in October, justifying it as my birthday present to myself. Also because I went in mid-October, right before the hotel closed for the season, I got a pretty good deal at $200ish dollars/night, which is not that bad considering during peak season they went for upwards of $600. It was the perfect time, as it would be while it was still warm, but after the high season and right before the hotel closed for the winter on November 1.

When the day finally arrived, I almost missed my flight, as I missed my alarm, and had to panic book an Uber in order to make my early morning flight. Luckily I made it, and was able to get my usual breakfast of poached eggs and miso soup.

After a quick flight, I had to then book it to the airport bus, which then took me to the port, where I got a very mediocre pizza and walked around the mall for the cruise ships before finally getting on my ferry to Ischia.

I also randomly ended up bumping into an American couple on their honeymoon during the very chaotic boarding process.

After about 45 minutes of gazing out the window, we were finally at Ischia. I arranged for someone from the hotel to come and pick me up from the docks, as it was included in my rate. After initially walking over to the wrong guy, I was led to a Tesla, which is the nicest free taxi I’ve ever been on.

Because the island has an active volcano, it’s very hilly, so the 30-minute drive to the hotel was stunning. Also, a welcome respite from chilly, gloomy London.

Finally, as soon as you get to the hotel your bags are ushered away, and it’s like you’ve stepped into another era. There’s this massive chandelier, and everywhere you look, brightly colored painted tiles. When you check in, they look for your name in a massive leather book, in which they also wrote my decision to add half board to my stay. They then gave me a quick tour of the hotel, as my room was a bit of a trek from the lobby. I’m not complaining though, since my room had a massive balcony that overlooked the ocean. They then dropped me off at my room, which although it can only be booked for one person, had ample space for another person. The housekeeper definitely thought so, since they gave me men’s and women’s slippers, and an extra bathroom. Not that I was complaining. Besides the full-size toiletries that were replenished weekly, they also gave me a welcome gift of a trio of jams, presumably from the fruit trees surrounding the terrace at the front of the hotel.

As soon as they dropped off my stuff, I immediately booked it to the pool, determined to make the most out of the rest of the afternoon. The hotel has one big heated saltwater pool, a strip of land that juts out into the deep ocean and a little cove that made me feel like I was in H2O: Just Add Water. The hotel didn’t appear to be super crowded, as it seemed to be mainly older couples, so I pretty much got the pool and ocean all to myself. Once it was too cold to go into the ocean, I headed inside to the thermal pool, and relaxed under the pressurised jets.

*my only regret is not getting to use the bathtub. Also, not staying longer.

one of the most photogenic places I’ve ever been.

even the thermal spa's tiles were crazy

After a quick shower, I read on my balcony as the sun went down. Soon enough it was time for dinner. The dinner with the half board is a full four courses, and you can choose anything you want from this massive menu. But yet, they bring you this massive bread basket. I think this is something you normally share though. The waiters are decked out in full suits and bow ties, and they wheel almost every course to you on a cart and finish it at your table? which truly makes you feel like you’ve been transported to another era. For my starter, I got the tuna tartare, which came with an avocado aioli and drizzled with olive oil at my table. This was just okay, as it was a little too oily and sort of bland.

For my pasta course, I actually got a parmesan risotto, which was delicious, albeit a little more Al dente than I am used to.

My favorite was my main, which was a grilled seafood platter with potatoes and roasted zucchini. The zucchini needed a bit more salt, but it was super soft and melty from being roasted. The potatoes were just boiled potatoes, which was a letdown because they looked so pretty. But the seafood did not disappoint. The langoustine and the shrimp were just amazing. They were simply grilled, with a slight char, but super flavorful, and tasted of the ocean. Definitely one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

For dessert, they wheeled over a dessert cart laden with a variety of desserts. I pointed at a bunch of things, and the waiter suggested (strongly pushed) for me to get this chocolate cake. It was all pretty good, although to be fair I was eating fairly cautiously because I am allergic to nuts and was not super confident about which dishes had nuts. Whoops.

After dinner I pretty much went straight to sleep, mainly because of the Benadryl, but also because I wanted to catch the 7 am sunrise!

I’m so glad I did, because watching the light pink sun rise over the shimmering, gently rippling ocean, as birds and church bells rang in the background, was absolutely stunning. I was going to read, but I ended up mainly just watching the sun rise for about an hour, just because it was so peaceful and quiet. It felt like no one else was awake yet, which seemed like a huge loss for the other guests.

As soon as breakfast opened, I went down, and I had the place almost all to myself, which meant I got to sit right next to the window.

They have a massive buffet with a spread of hot foods, pastries, and fruit, so naturally I went straight for the pastries. The waiters do help you grab some things, specifically the pastries. In fact, when I asked one of the waiters to grab me a pastry, he replied, “Oh, you like cream?”

When I replied yes, he proceeded to put on my plate a cream-filled donut instead, reassuring me that I would like it better. I was admittedly a bit doubtful initially, but as soon as I took a bite, I realized I was being ridiculous. It was probably the best donut I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was light and fluffy, and felt like biting into an edible pillow. It tasted freshly fried without being greasy at all, and the light coating of caster sugar and thick, pale yellow pastry cream was the perfect amount of sweetness. I still think about this donut constantly. But the food hits kept on coming. The tiny, salty, mozzarella balls probably were some of the best cheese I’ve ever had. Salty, briny, and creamy despite not having a creamy texture. Ugh. Just a beautiful breakfast. Another shock hit was the cantaloupe melon. Perfectly ripe, juice, and sweet. None of those dry flavourless crunchy cubes that you frequently see in fruit salads.

My game plan for the rest of the day was as follows: Swim around the cove area until noon, when the sun would no longer be shining over it and the water would get could. Then do work and swim in the open ocean area until the sun disappears, when I would finally head inside and make use of the thermal pool.

I did pretty much that, except I ordered a Hugo spritz while I was sitting next to the ocean, which was delicious, and came with a selection of snacks, including some olives, almonds, and freshly fried shrimp. The only problem with this was when I left my mostly finished tray to go to the bathroom, as soon as I turned around I heard a cacophony of birds, which turned out to be a gaggle of seagulls attacking my tray. Fortunately, most of my stuff was undamaged, and a nearby elderly couple helped shoo the birds away, but nevertheless it was very embarassing.

I also attempted to explore the surrounding town, except I did not realize until I started walking around, that because it was a Sunday, everything was closed. Whoops. I guess I’ll have to come back :)

I also then had a late lunch if a Caesar salad, which was just okay. I did manage to protect this tray from the seagulls though.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner. To start, I got the fried mozzarella with marinara sauce, which was the most delicious piece of cheese I’ve ever had. Because the pearls of mozzarella this morning had been sitting in brine, they were a tad on the salty side, but this mozzarella was perfect. The dense, slightly crisp mozzarella managed to taste creamy despite have the texture of, well, mozzarella.

I then had the shrimp risotto, which was pretty tasty, just because of the quality of the shrimps they used, but again, it was a little more Al dente than I was used to for rice.

For my main course, I got the salt-baked sea bass, which of course, was de-crusted with much fanfare at my table. To be honest, this was a tad of a letdown, as it was a little on the bland side.

For dessert, of course I had to get another selection from the dessert cart. We should normalize having these at restaurants again. I will be stealing the idea of a dessert cart for my wedding.

I then went to check out the hotel bar, where I got a grasshopper cocktail, which was topped with a square of amadei dark chocolate, and was the perfect creamy, minty, boozy nightcap. They also had live music, which was nice, but would have been even nicer if they hadn’t seated me directly in front of them, resulting in me making direct eye contact with them the entire time.

I then got another early night, as I wanted to watch the sunrise one last time.

After the sun had risen high enough, I relocated for one last delicious breakfast, shovelling as many delicious pastries, cheese, and fruit as possible.

I then went for some final swims, swimming out all the way to where the cove meets the open ocean.

After one more longing glance at my balcony, I went to the lobby to check out, grabbing a delicious last meal of a Hugo spritz and sandwich with that amazing mozzarella, prosciutto, and tomatoes, with a side of fire fries. An amazing way to end an amazing trip. Especially since I was accompanied by the resident chonky cat.

They then arranged for a van to take me to the airport, although this trip included some fellow guests who were dropped off in town first. I sat in the front, and it turns out the driver had lived briefly in Seattle, where his parents own several restaurants. He was super nice, literally activating my ticket for me while I just stood there, and, when I tipped him, offering to buy me a coffee. He dropped me off at the place where the ferry would dock, and since I was so early, I meandered a bit around the shops, before it was finally time to leave paradise.