US Edition 
Casa Astarita, Sorrento, Italy: Where to stay
Casilda Grigg reviews the centrally located Casa Astarita hotel in Sorrento, which has quirky décor and homemade jams for breakfast.
FUNKY AND INEXPENSIVE
Casa Astarita
LOCATION
Very central. Reached through a courtyard off a busy street, this family-run first-floor b & b occupies an 18th-century building in the heart of Sorrento's shopping area.
CHARACTER
Each room, designed by a local architect, is different. Popular with American college students, Casa Astarita is owned by two sisters, who run the trendy kitchen shop next door.
ROOMS
Just six, all funky and modern, with tiled floors and brightly coloured walls and furniture. All are individually named and equipped with flatscreen televisions, air-conditioning and showers (no bathtubs). Largest room is Moderna, the best-designed is Mitica.
FOOD
Home-made cakes and jams at breakfast. Lunch/evening meals are not available but you can picnic in the friendly parlour.
WE LIKE
The quirky décor; the free fruit juice and water.
NOT SO KEEN
The doll's house scale – rooms can feel pokey – and the absence of outdoor space. High steps make this unsuitable for older travellers (try the splendid five-bedroom Palazzo Marziale nearby instead; 081 807 4406; www.palazzomarziale.com; rooms from £83).
ESSENTIALS
081 877 4906; www.casastarita.com Rooms from £68.
Food and drink
For a one-off extravaganza try the one-star Michelin restaurant, Il Buco (Piazza Sant'Antonino; 081 878 2354), housed in a former dungeon, with a welcoming, unstuffy atmosphere.
For simple, inexpensive Italian food, visit La Basilica (outdoor and indoor seating, Via Sant' Antonino 28; 081 877 4790). If money's no object, try its more famous sibling, the wonderfully old-fashioned Caruso (081 807 3156) next door.
Popular with both visitors and locals alike is Marina Grande, a buzzing seafront packed with family-run trattorias, 10 minutes' walk from the centre of town.
Sorrento's jeunesse dorée hangs out at Photo, a modish restaurant and bar (with outdoor terrace) off Piazza Tasso (Via Correale 19-23, 081 877 3686).
GETTING THERE
Citalia (0871 664 0253; www.citalia.com) can tailor-make trips to Sorrento and offers four nights at the five-star Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria from November 1 to December 27 from £555 per person (saving £305 per couple), or four nights at the four-star Tramontano from £365 per person (saving £200 per couple). The price includes flights to Naples (but excludes transfers).
British Airways (0844 493 0787; www.ba.com) flies to Naples daily from Gatwick from £140 return in November, and easyJet (08712 442366; www.easyjet.com) from Stansted from £54.