Private jet LCY → NAP

“I've put you on the G650 rather than the usual Challenger so the children have room to spread out on the longer legs, and the crew already have William's allergy on file from last summer, so there's no conversation to have on board.”

Sophie Beaumont

Helicopter Naples → Ravello

“The road from Naples to Ravello is two hours of switchbacks that the children will not enjoy. The helicopter turns it into eighteen minutes with the best first view of the coast you can get, I always start an Amalfi trip this way.”

Sophie Beaumont

Belmond Hotel Caruso

“Caruso is an 11th-century palazzo, not a hotel that looks old, the difference matters to Charlotte. I've requested Suite 16 specifically: it's the one with the open corner that frames the coast on two sides. The infinity pool appears to spill into the sea and is the most photographed in Italy for a reason. I've arranged connecting suites so the children are next door, not down a corridor.”

Sophie Beaumont

Dinner at Belvedere

“First night, jet-lagged, with children, you won't want to go anywhere. Belvedere is in the hotel but the terrace table I've asked for sits right on the edge of the cliff. The kitchen already has a shellfish-free tasting menu prepared for William.”

Sophie Beaumont

Private gozzo to Positano

“A traditional wooden gozzo, not a flashy speedboat, Salvatore has skippered for my clients for nine years and knows the quiet coves the day-trippers never reach. He'll let Oliver take the wheel. This is the day the children will remember.”

Sophie Beaumont

Lunch at La Sponda

“At lunch the dining room is lit by the daylight off the water rather than its famous 400 candles, which means you get the Michelin kitchen without the formality of the evening, right for a family. Ask for the burrata; it's not on the set menu.”

Sophie Beaumont

Snorkeling at Li Galli

“The Li Galli islands are privately owned, Rudolf Nureyev once owned them, so the water around them is calm and almost empty. I've booked a guide who specialises in nervous young swimmers; Amelia will be in good hands.”

Sophie Beaumont

Dinner at Da Adolfo

“You were right to question Donna Rosa, their chef is away. Da Adolfo is the better story anyway: there's no road to it, you arrive by their own little boat with a red fish painted on the bow, and they grill mozzarella on lemon leaves. It's the most 'hidden' place on this coast and exactly your kind of find.”

Sophie Beaumont

Private speedboat to Capri

“We leave at 8:30 deliberately, an hour before the ferries, so you have the Blue Grotto and the town to yourselves before the island fills up.”

Sophie Beaumont

Blue Grotto, private entry

“Almost no one gets to do this: I've secured entry before the grotto opens to the public, so instead of queuing in a hundred boats you'll have that impossible blue light to yourselves. It only works in calm morning sea, which is why it's an early start.”

Sophie Beaumont

Lunch at Da Paolino

“You eat under a living roof of lemon trees, the children will love that the fruit hangs right over the table. It's a Capri institution that still feels like a secret garden.”

Sophie Beaumont

Return to Ravello

“Timed for golden hour, the run back along the coast with the light going amber is the quiet highlight nobody expects.”

Sophie Beaumont