Caesar Augustus

A Cliff, a Villa, and the Bay Below

Anacapri sits at the higher, quieter end of the island, above the boutique traffic of Capri town, and the properties that occupy its upper ridges operate in a different register entirely. At 1,000 feet above the Bay of Naples, the approach to Caesar Augustus makes the premise clear before you reach the entrance: the hotel is built directly into the cliff face, and the views across to Mount Vesuvius and the Sorrentine peninsula are structural facts of the building, not decorative additions. This is not a property that happens to have a view. The view is the architecture.

Among cliff-edge hotels on the Amalfi and Campanian coast, a small tier occupies genuinely historic sites rather than purpose-built plots. Caesar Augustus belongs to that group. The property traces its origins to an ancient villa, and the physical layering of periods is evident throughout: classical Roman architectural references sit alongside modern finishes, while the island's characteristic ceramic tilework and natural stone appear as materials rather than ornament. The effect is closer to adaptive restoration than renovation, which places it in a different conversation from newer builds like Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast or the more aggressively contemporary JK Place Capri down the hill.

The Architecture of Altitude

The design logic at Caesar Augustus runs vertically. The property cascades down the cliff rather than spreading across a flat footprint, which means guests move between levels, terraces, and garden pockets rather than along corridors. The two-level infinity pool sits on the lower terrace, positioned so the water's edge aligns with open sky and sea below it. In cooler months the pool is heated, which extends its usability into the shoulder season when the crowds thin and the light on the bay changes quality.

The spa is set within the clifftop garden among lavender and rosemary, tucked away from the main guest circulation. The fitness terrace opens outward to the sea view, which is a design decision as much as an amenity. The kitchen garden also occupies the clifftop, and its produce feeds directly into the restaurant program, a circulation of place and plate that the property has built into its physical layout rather than added as a concept.

This kind of integration between landscape and building is what separates the small tier of site-specific Italian hotels from the broader luxury category. Properties like Passalacqua on Lake Como, Castel Fragsburg in Merano, and Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole each occupy sites where the geography does genuine architectural work. Caesar Augustus is in that company.

The Room Tier That Travels Furthest

The suite configuration at Caesar Augustus reflects the property's history as much as its present offer. The Farouk Master Suite carries a documented provenance: King Farouk of Egypt held the room on a standing reservation during his visits some sixty years ago. The suite includes a hot tub positioned to face the sea, hand-painted ceramic washbasin, and antique furniture. It is the kind of room whose story exists independently of its current occupant, which is either appealing or irrelevant depending on your position on heritage hospitality.

The Capri Master Suite occupies the leading floor of the hotel and is the largest option on the property. Its terrace is furnished with tables, chairs, and sun loungers alongside a private gazebo. The interior features an 18th-century antique marble fireplace, a large marble bathtub, and an oversized king bed. For guests focused on maximising space and private outdoor area, this is the suite the layout supports most directly.

Caesar Master Suite trades on contrast: cream furnishings and parquet floors with deliberate pops of red, and a Jacuzzi facing the bay. The terrace and private garden both carry 180-degree views of the sea. At the entry point of the suite tier, the Junior Suite Sea View accesses views of the Bay of Naples and the islands of Ischia and Procida from a balcony, terrace, or private garden depending on the specific unit. White marble bathrooms, many with both soaking tub and shower, are standard at this level.

Among the Italian properties that occupy a comparable position in their respective landscapes, the suite architecture here is more historically layered than, say, the design-led rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze or the modern restraint of Portrait Milano. The reference points are closer to Bellevue Syrene 1820 in Sorrento, where period authenticity is the operating premise.

Restaurant La Terrazza di Lucullo

The restaurant at Caesar Augustus takes its supply chain seriously enough to have built a kitchen garden into the clifftop and to run a weekly guided visit to the property's fishmonger on Friday mornings. The fishmonger tour allows guests to select the catch for the evening meal, with booking required at least 24 hours in advance. This is not a common offer in the Capri hotel category, and it reflects a dining program with a specific relationship to local sourcing rather than a standard hotel restaurant operating in parallel to the kitchen.

Chef Eduardo Vuolo runs the kitchen at La Terrazza di Lucullo. The menu works with the proximity to sea and garden that the property's location permits: dishes from the inspector's notes include linguine with mussels, octopus, wild fennel, and confit tomatoes; amberjack with potatoes, lemon, and chamomile; and purple prawn risotto with Capri lemon. These are compositions that draw on the Bay of Naples' specific produce without making the sourcing the subject of every plate.

Among comparable dining rooms on the Campanian coast, the combination of garden-to-table supply, live fish selection, and a clifftop setting that delivers the same view to the table as to the pool places this restaurant in a narrow category. Borgo Santandrea and Il San Pietro di Positano operate in the same coastal-luxury tier, but the fishmonger program at Caesar Augustus is a distinct operational detail rather than a positioning statement.

Recognition and Peer Set

Caesar Augustus earned 92.5 points in the 2026 La Liste Leading Hotels ranking, a score that places it within the upper band of Italian boutique properties on that list. The Google review average sits at 4.8 from 580 reviews, a sample size large enough to carry statistical weight rather than reflect a narrow pool of enthusiasts. The property is family-run, a structural fact that tends to produce different consistency patterns from group-managed hotels in the same tier.

For context on where this property sits within Italian luxury more broadly: Aman Venice, Bulgari Hotel Roma, and Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco operate at the upper end of the country's hotel market with international group infrastructure. Caesar Augustus occupies a different position: independent, site-specific, and priced from US$585 per night, which is competitive within the island's premium tier without reaching the highest brackets of Italian luxury hospitality.

Beyond Italy, the design-led cliff-edge model has parallels at properties like Amangiri in Canyon Point, where landscape integration is similarly the architectural premise rather than a feature layered on leading. The family-run boutique category in Italy also includes properties such as Corte della Maestà in Civita di Bagnoregio and Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, each of which trades on a specific site identity rather than brand scale.

Planning Your Stay

Caesar Augustus is located at Via Giuseppe Orlandi 4 in Anacapri. Access from Naples follows a consistent route: taxi from Naples Capodichino airport to the port of Naples (approximately 37 kilometres), then hydrofoil to Capri, followed by taxi or shuttle to Anacapri. The property can arrange private transfers on request. The GPS coordinates are 40.5585, 14.2230. The Capri season runs broadly from April through October, with the peak summer months bringing the highest density of visitors to the island; the shoulder months of May and September offer a different pace. For Anacapri's wider dining and drinking context, see our full Anacapri restaurants guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the atmosphere like at Caesar Augustus?

The atmosphere at Caesar Augustus is defined by its physical position: a cliff-edge setting 1,000 feet above the Bay of Naples, with views across to Mount Vesuvius and the Sorrentine peninsula. The property is family-run and boutique in scale, which produces a more contained environment than large-footprint resort hotels. The combination of historic architecture, garden terraces, and an infinity pool oriented toward the sea gives the property a specific sense of place that sits closer to romantic seclusion than social resort energy. The hotel holds 92.5 points in the 2026 La Liste Leading Hotels ranking and a 4.8 Google rating from 580 reviews, with rates from US$585 per night.

What is the most popular room type at Caesar Augustus?

The Capri Master Suite, which occupies the entire leading floor, offers the most space and the most extensive private outdoor area, including a furnished terrace and private gazebo alongside an 18th-century marble fireplace and large marble bathtub. For guests drawn to historical provenance, the Farouk Master Suite carries documented use by King Farouk of Egypt and includes a sea-facing hot tub and hand-painted ceramic details. The Junior Suite Sea View is the entry point to the suite tier, with balcony or terrace access and white marble bathrooms, positioned at a lower price point while maintaining the property's signature bay views. All room types are set within a cliff-edge villa that earned 92.5 points in La Liste 2026, with rates from US$585 per night.