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Creature of habit: German chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband take a break in same five-star hotel they have been visiting for decades

By Chris Pleasance

Published: 12:45 EST, 15 April 2014 | Updated: 04:54 EST, 16 April 2014



Angela Merkel likes to play it safe in public - and it seems that in private the German chancellor is no different.

Mrs Merkel has been pictured on holiday with her rarely-seen husband Joachim Sauer in the same Italian city the couple have been visiting for decades.

The pair were spotted browsing shops in Sant'Angelo on the island of D'Ischia, near Naples in the Mediterranean. Chancellor Angela Merkel is on holiday in the fishing village of Sant'Angelo with husband Joachim Sauer (right) The couple were photographed walking along the seafront on the island of D'Ischia where they have been going on holiday for decades

They are thought to be staying in the five-star Miramare Spa Hotel on the south of the island, which comes with its own private beach, and balconies overlooking the ocean.

Guests are also given exclusive use of the Aphrodite Apollon Thermal Gardens spa centre which has 12 natural thermal pools, a naturally heated sauna and a gym.

Prices start at £160 per night but can go up to £280 for some of the more expensive suites.




As a world leader there is never a good moment to go away, and Mrs Merkel's break was interrupted yesterday while discussing the Ukrainian crisis with David Cameron, who is also on holiday.

Despite the distraction she managed to squeeze in a visit to Pompeii, and was also spotted coming back from some of the island's natural hot springs. The couple were spotted out shopping in the town. They also found time for a day visit to Pompeii, and went for a dip in the natural thermal baths on the island Hopefully this break will be more successful for the chancellor than her last getaway, when she fell over and broke her hip while cross-country skiing

Last year Mrs Merkel was pictured in her swimming costume as she visited the same baths with her husband and young grandchildren, looking 'the most relaxed we've ever seen her', according to the German press.

However in 2006 a row erupted after a UK newspaper printed pictures of Merkel changing into her bathing costume at the same baths.

The coverage prompted an official complaint from the German government, though they decided not to take legal action.

Even with the prying eyes of the world on her, that trip was markedly more pleasant that her skiing holiday this winter, when she fell over and broke her hip.

The chancellor was on a skiing trip in Engadin in Switzerland when she fell.

She thought she suffered only bruises but a medical examination when she returned to the German capital Berlin showed she had actually broken a bone.

Doctors told her she will have to rest for the next three weeks while the injury heals. The couple have been visiting the same destination for decades. In 2006 a UK newspaper was rebuked by the German government for printing pictures of Merkel changing into her swimming costume while on holiday in the village

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said said: 'She suffered serious bruising in connection with a partial fracture on her left posterior pelvic ring.

We understand she was going at slow speed on a cross-country ski course when the accident occurred.'

Merkel is not the only world leader on holiday in the run-up to Easter, as David Cameron and his wife Samantha are also taking a break in Lanzarote.

The couple and their children Nancy, Arthur and Florence are spending six days on the island in a £200-a-night restored 18th century farmhouse, away from the main resorts.

The retreat has been styled with an Indonesian theme.

It includes carved Buddha statues, has its own yoga hall, swimming pool, hot tub  and ‘chill-out’ area with hammocks – ideal for a Prime  Minister who reputedly has a taste for 'chillaxing'. Chillaxing: David and Samantha Cameron enjoy a drink by a beach during their holiday in Lanzarote, Spain on April 13



Angela Merkel and husband Jaochim Sauer take a break in Italy
