Bad Girls of Boading School: Detox Edition

Now back on terra firma and detoxing at the Upper East Side AA meeting in their newest pair of Tod's driving shoes, The Bad Girls of Boarding School send in their final thoughts on Capri:

"The first is Panta Rei – it’s a fairly new nightclub/spa and a really neat concept. You descend about 100 feet by steep steps into a cliff overlooking the gulf of Capri until you arrive in an enormous indoor/outdoor club filled with futon mattresses and hanging sheets – reminiscent of the Mondrian in LA - but with an indoor pool instead. The hook is that you can get massage treatments on beds while sipping Dona Lucia’s amongst an uber attractive Italian jet set, not tourists. The DJ spins different tunes in each of 5 rooms. Flat TV screens with tranquil landscape images abound – lots of water – and there are dry steam rooms and wet steam showers available to the ambitious. Because of its anonymity, Panta Rei has maintained a hyper cool feel and is quite sensual. Added bonus: all the furniture is waterproof which matters to the third of the sexy crowd that is wet and sparsely dressed. Don’t arrive before midnight.

The second is an authentic Capri experience, a restaurant called Da Paolino. It’s a tourist trap but worth the visit. The taxi drops you at the bottom of a dark, long, narrow, winding driveway. When you finally arrive at the top, huffing and puffing, you’re immersed in a lush lemon grove – huge lemons hanging from trees everywhere as well as bright fish tanks amply filled with exotic creatures of the sea. The friendly wait staff keep the Kir Royals flowing. The style is buffet and the antipasti bar and desserts (highly affected by lemon) are exquisite. Try the octopus, salmon and prosciutto. Get there before 11pm though as the buffet shuts down at 11:30pm and it’s strictly ‘a la carte’ from then on. Yet another romantic evening for the team as the Vegas style couple at the table next to us got engaged (surely not a first at Da Paolino) and passionately shared one chair for the next 30 minutes. The cherry on top was two glasses of limoncello to cap off a delightful culinary experience in spite of the unsolicited peep show.

The third place is a crazy tavern near the Qvisisana called Anema e Core. All ages are welcome and everyone drinks peach sangria in excess. The allure is the live band and open microphones. Basically, Anema e Core is a giant karaoke bar with no screen, no words and no standards. The result, a debaucherous crew of 20 to 70 somethings belting out everything from Michael Jackson to Andrea Bocelli and dancing shamelessly on wooden tables. You can hear the raucous all the way at the piazetta 3 blocks away. It’s impossible not to get sucked in and well worth it. When you enter, the walls and ceilings are covered in photos of celebrities (from Neil Diamond to Princes William & Harry and Demi & Ashton) who have all come to participate in the outrageous sing-a-long. Be careful: several photographers wander the premises incognito to capture candid shots for display. It’s a must see, a lot of fun and truly hilarious. That’s all for now. Ciao bello!"

+Tods.
+Small Rooms: Hotels: Mondrain, 8440 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, +1 323 650-8999.
+Panta Rei, Capri.
+Da Paolino, Capri.
+Anema e Core, Capri.