After leaving Montegrotto Terme, we headed south to Porto Ercole. For years I had wanted to stay at Il Pellicano, one of the legendary classic hotels on the Italian coast.
I had decided to book the hotel quite early in 2022. When choosing a room, I was particularly attracted to the Argentario suite as it has its own pool. I like that sort of thing. At just under €2,200 per night, it wasn't cheap and was the most expensive option in the hotel, but it appealed to me too much. The surcharge for a master suite was around €600 per night. When I looked again in mid-2023 to see if there were any special offers (naive idea, I know), I saw that the prices had doubled in the meantime. During my dates (second half of October, shortly before the end of the season), the smaller suites now cost around €3000 and when they were available, the Argentario suite cost around €4000. I wouldn't have booked it for that, so I was lucky again.
Even on the way, you realise that you're not going to a metropolis. Porto Ercole is located on a peninsula that is characterised by tourism. To reach the hotel itself, you have to take a narrow winding road.
You ring the bell at a gate and then drive to the main building.



The main house breathes the air of the past, but I mean that in a positive way. Much is dominated by the pelican. There is a lobby area on the right.




The centre is the main room with seating and a view of the terrace.







Next to it is the bar area, behind it the restaurant (more on this later).