A Nest with a View

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The splendid cliffside view provides much of Il Pellicano's appeal. So too does its creative, homegrown Tuscan cuisine. But what ultimately makes this hotel in Porto Ercole, Italy, a don't-miss on the Mediterranean luxury tour is something that you can't quite see or taste. It's in the way that the pool staffer hands you a towel without missing a beat, or how the sommelier suggests a wine without jamming it down your palate. The only word that can capture this particular brand of indulgence all'Italiana is simpatico: a mix of kindness, likability and just plain fun.

Some of that fun may be at the guests' expense. After an hourlong massage during my recent visit, I found it hard to rouse myself from a delightful stupor, but the therapist waited for me with a sly, mocking grin as I returned to reality?one eye at a time. Il Pellicano is luxury that doesn't take itself too seriously. "You set certain guidelines for the staff, but you also give them the space to interpret their role in a way they're comfortable with," explains Roberto Sciò, who helps run Il Pellicano.

The easygoing tone is set by Sciò's father and namesake, who bought the place on a whim in 1979. Roberto Sr. had been a regular customer since the early days of the hotel, established in 1965 by English pilot Michael Graham who named it after the equally dramatic Pelican Point in California. Sciò remodeled the hotel and put new luster on the elegantly understated gold and cream rooms and suites?virtually all with an outdoor space of their own. The centerpiece, however, is the expanded kitchen and open-air dining space that brought home the fruits with a Michelin star last year. I cashed in with an antipasto of veal and tuna carpaccio followed by roast lamb in a surprisingly subtle sweetbread and goat's cheese sauce. The food and service was such a pleasure that I almost forgot to enjoy the moon hovering over our Mediterranean cliffside perch. It's simpatico bordering on the divine. tel: (39- 0564) 858 111; www.pellicanohotel.com