I wanted to give some small impressions of the three hotels where we stayed. We were well pleased with each, and each was completely different than the other two. All 3 were Virtuoso properties. Breakfast and free internet are both benefits of a Virtuoso booking. However, each of these three include breakfast and internet for any booking. Virtuoso bookings are entitled to upgrades depending on availability. Because of the May 1 holiday, both Monastero Santa Rosa and Il San Pietro de Positano were solidly booked. We stayed at Palazzo Avino prior to May 1. We were given a very nice upgrade. For each hotel, I had carefully studied the room categories and made the decision to book the level where I would be happy to stay without an upgrade. In Gallivanters Guide, room 201, a junior suite, was recommended. Thus, I booked a junior suite and had the agent request room 201. This request was noted by the hotel a week in advance of my stay. I was surprised to learn on arrival that the room was in fact 2 categories above what I had booked. It was already occupied by someone else, so in the end it didn't matter, but I remain perplexed. We were proactively upgraded to a superior junior suite from a junior suite. However, hotel management then upgraded us further to their Suite Orizonte. Although called a suite, it was an extremely large room. It had a dining table and sitting area. It was a corner room, and I valued the 4 windows. Most balconies at the hotel are juliets, but we had a balcony big enough for a tiny cafe table with 2 chairs. This upgrade was extremely kind and very generous on the hotel's part.

Other Virtuoso benefits:
Palazzo Avino - 80 euro spa credit. We each had a half hour back massage for 45 euros, so got great value from this.
Monastero Santa Rosa - we were to get a 3 course meal, either lunch or dinner. When we arrived, we were told that this was the 2013 Virtuoso benefit. In 2014, they are giving a 75 euro food/beverage credit. I had thought the 3 course meal was an extraordinary benefit and it had been part of our decision making. I pushed back on the issue. In the end, we were given a 100 euro credit to use as we liked on the menu.
Il San Pietro de Positino - we were given a voucher for 1 hour free of a 4 hour private tour. We did not use this benefit.

I get pleasure out of small gifts from hotels. We received gifts from two of the three.
Palazzo Avino - ceramic bright blue donkey, of the area
Monastero Santa Rosa - box of locally made macaroni

Palazzo Avino, Ravello
From the time we arrived to the time we left, service was impeccable, understated, non obtrusive. You feel as though you are staying in a very comfortable home, not too fussy, clean lines, but elegant. You walk in to the front desk/concierge area, then down a few steps to an area that stretches the length of the hotel which is the bar/lounge area. There are intimate seating areas the length of this where you can sit and enjoy the sea view. There is a small indoor dining area for lunch, but you can have it anywhere you like. The weather cleared enough that one day we had it on their terrace at the edge of the hill overlooking the water. Another day, we ate inside in a comfy seating area while enjoying great views. Breakfast is served inside or out on the lower level. This area is shared by the gastronomic restaurant, Rossellinis, where we ate one night. It was excellent. There are 32 rooms and 11 suites. There are several terraces below the dining area for the swimming pool and varied seating areas. I had thought that the town was some distance from the water, and I would feel removed from it. That wasn't the case at all.

I liked the location of this hotel within the town the best of the three. It was an easy walk down a sloping path with broad steps to the town center. There are shops, cafes, and restaurants. There are classical music concerts most nights of the spring/summer.

Monastero Santa Rosa, Amalfi
This hotel opened in 2012. I saw articles in all the travel magazines almost immediately, and was intrigued. The owner saw a ruined monastery when boating along the coast. She bought it and spent 12 years making it into a luxury hotel. There are only 20 rooms. We were told that they are all the same size, the size of a nun's cell. Thus, I booked an entry room here. The restoration has kept a feel of the monastery yet has a very fresh and cool look to it. The rooms are indeed small, and we spent no time in ours other than sleeping. The grounds are what are absolutely extraordinary here. There are several narrow terraces that drop down to the infinity level swimming pool at the lowest one. Each terrace is immaculately landscaped with fragrant plants. There are a couple areas for sitting at each level. There is a bocce court at the top level. There is an open air workout room on the level below. We appreciated the free parking and the van service anywhere in Amalfi.

Il San Pietro de Positano, Positano
We had not realized we would only see the chapel on approaching the hotel and overshot it. Fortunately, we quickly realized our error and returned. Our car and bags were quickly whisked away. We were directed down a well landscaped stairway to the lobby, roughly 3 flights of steps. We could begin to see down to the coast, as well as the tennis court at the ground level and the terraces of gardens up the hill. The hotel grows all of its own produce.

This property has 60 rooms. I booked a "junior special room with terrace and sea view". blv had been endlessly patient with me last summer as I was planning this trip. She shared with me pictures of the room she liked as well as giving me its number and that for another room she likes. I had specifically inquired about those rooms via the hotel's US representative. I heard from him a couple times about the renovation work being done at the hotel during the winter and some room number changes that resulted. There was never closure on this. I was given a room completely different than those we had discussed, but none the less lovely. We had room 49 which we thought was a terrific location. Because the hotel is built into the hill, there are only elevators to the four floors above the lobby level. The four floors below have no elevator access. Some of these rooms are great favorites of returning guests because they have the most immediate views of the water. Our room was one level above the dining room. It looked out over a rose garden and had complete privacy with no one able to walk in front of it. Our wall was all glass, as was the bathroom wall. We had a comfortable terrace with two loungers as well as a table and two chairs. It was nice to be able to sit inside and still see the view when the weather was indifferent to poor.

We were very surprised to find that the elevator for our floor actually went all the way up to the parking lot. The bank of rooms in this section of the hotel would be ideal for anyone who has difficulty with stairs. The website gives no sense of what you get for each level of room or how each room within a level is completely different from any other. The website is completely changed from last year, but I still find it incomplete at providing desirable information. I can only suggest calling the hotel directly to understand the rooms better. The hotel has guests who return year after year and have their favorite rooms. I would certainly be happy with the one we had on another visit, though am confident there are many rooms that would satisfy.

I was fascinated by the elevator that was bored in the rock to take folks from the ground level down to the water level. It takes 45 seconds. On the ground level is a small private beach, a larger area with loungers, and a seaside restaurant, Carlino. Weather was poor when we ate, so we were forced inside. Food was excellent. Their gastronomic restaurant was at the lobby level of the hotel, used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They request that men wear slacks and long sleeved shirts. Probably 75% of the men were wearing jackets. The lobby lounge is very large, as is the outside terrace. Thus, there is not the same sense of intimacy as at the Palazzo Avino.

We appreciated the van service to Positano. There is no place to park. In Positano, you are dropped at the head of a narrow road that goes down to the harbor. It is quite a hike down to where the ferries leave for various destinations.

Here is an article about the hotel with some good pictures.

We have been to Capri before, thus did not include it on this trip.