Amalfi Coast Hotels, Italy: which one?
Jul 17, 2019, 10:13 pm
#136
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,048
I just came back from a stay on the Amalfi coast, so figured I would add my thoughts. One thing to note is that I booked these rooms two weeks before we stayed in July so availability was limited which is why we moved around. We booked all three hotels through the same Virtuoso TA and received upgrades at Caruso and ISP, but not Le Sirenuse. Our rooms were ready by 1pm at all three hotels. All three offer fantastic breakfast buffets. the virtuoso amenity is probably the best at the Caruso as it is an overall hotel credit which we could use for lunch one day, and the weakest at the ISP, which is just a 50 euro credit to the spa. Finally, all three hotels had fairly formal check-in procedures, which may just be an Italy thing - it caught us off guard almost at the Caruso, but they were all similar.
Ravello: We loved Ravello and think you could spend 3 nights here without getting bored, but that is us. By far the most relaxing of the main towns we visited. Between hiking, the music festival and staring at the views we really enjoyed our time here. We stayed at the Belmond, which was lovely. We have stayed at a few Belmonds, and this one is our favorite. I am not sure if it was randomness or the time of the year, but this was the only hotel we stayed at that had numerous children, which we thought was notable because this is not a place I could imagine bringing a child to. We stayed here over the Palazzo Avino because a) the entry level rooms are much larger (I generally have a few hours of work every day so need a room with a desk) and b) because it had availability. That being said, if we were to come back (which we will), I would pick the Palazzo over the Belmond. Nothing specific, and the Caruso is great, but from a general vibe we preferred the Palazzo, but the entry level rooms are much smaller. We received lemonade upon check-in, were given a tour and our room was ready at 1pm. Overall, a 3 night stay here I think would be perfect if you want to decompress (which we did after 5 nights in Porto Cervo). We booked a non-view room, but received an upgrade to a partial sea view. I will say that the terrace rooms are not ideal as they are not very private (our balcony overlooked three seperate terraces). We did the complimentary boat tour which was fine. It was our first one on the trip and so we enjoyed it, but was not nearly as nice as the Il San Pietro boat. Complimentary shuttles to amalfi are frequent and even in July it only took ~15 minutes, which was no problem. One downside here is that the famous pool is quite small, so if you do not get there early, your loungers will be in a garden area. the garden itself is quite nice and the views are comparable, but wanted to point this out to people.
Il San Pietro: This was our favorite hotel of the three. Again, we booked an entry-level room and here we were upgraded to an elite-level room - in fact we were upgraded to the room on the website with the ugly blue bed spread. the room overall looks much nicer in person than on pictures. The bathroom here only had one faucet for those who care and the bathroom was smaller, and not as nice as the Caruso. The balcony was glorious however with a table with chairs and two loungers. We had a south facing view of the ocean and coast and it was very nice. this hotel really is great with very friendly staff. Honestly, the biggest downside may be that with so many repeat guests we kind of felt like outsiders. though this was an internal feeling based on conversations with other guests and the staff could not have been nicer. We had drinks on the famous terrace and then dinner at the restaurant. food was fine, service and setting were great. We also took the complimentary boat here and it was very nice. the boat is exclusive to the hotel and the service standards were in-line with what you would receive at the hotel. The "beach" is just cement, but we had fun jumping into the ocean and there was no worry about a lack of chairs. I took a complimentary cocktail class, and it was fun for an hour and the new bartender certainly knows his craft. Also, for tennis players, this is one of the cooler tennis courts I have seen in a while. In short, I can see why people come back here year after year. Finally, we were given a lot of free-bees here - sandals, a tote, passport holders and a collection of bath products. Overall, it felt comparable to a great Aman stay.
Le Sirenuse: Booked a non-view room and this was the only hotel where we were not upgraded. Not a complaint, but just pointing it out. The bigger issue here is just how small the lower-level rooms are. No room to open our suit cases, no desk, tiny bathroom. My wife summed it up by saying "it feels like a city hotel". We were greeted at check-in with cool towels and the best lemonade of the three hotels. Overall, the hotel is lovely, but it is let down by being in the heart of Positano in July. Nonstop people trying to take selfies. It just felt too busy to be relaxing. Even at the pool, there were people speaking into their cell phones on speaker, non-guests trying to come to take pictures, etc. I could imagine coming here in September and having a great time, but in July it was too much. Also, we did not particularly enjoy the town of Positano in July, so the benefit of being in the middle of it all was not a selling point for us. We had dinner at the Champagne & Oyster bar and the food was very good, and the views are perfect, but it felt like being in the lobby of the Chiltern or Mercer, but with better views. Again, I am sure it would be different in May or September. We did do the wine tasting and it was very nice.
When we go back, we will probably do 2-3 nights in Ravello and then 2-3 nights at ISP and then add in some time in Capria and Naples to see Pompeii.
Ravello: We loved Ravello and think you could spend 3 nights here without getting bored, but that is us. By far the most relaxing of the main towns we visited. Between hiking, the music festival and staring at the views we really enjoyed our time here. We stayed at the Belmond, which was lovely. We have stayed at a few Belmonds, and this one is our favorite. I am not sure if it was randomness or the time of the year, but this was the only hotel we stayed at that had numerous children, which we thought was notable because this is not a place I could imagine bringing a child to. We stayed here over the Palazzo Avino because a) the entry level rooms are much larger (I generally have a few hours of work every day so need a room with a desk) and b) because it had availability. That being said, if we were to come back (which we will), I would pick the Palazzo over the Belmond. Nothing specific, and the Caruso is great, but from a general vibe we preferred the Palazzo, but the entry level rooms are much smaller. We received lemonade upon check-in, were given a tour and our room was ready at 1pm. Overall, a 3 night stay here I think would be perfect if you want to decompress (which we did after 5 nights in Porto Cervo). We booked a non-view room, but received an upgrade to a partial sea view. I will say that the terrace rooms are not ideal as they are not very private (our balcony overlooked three seperate terraces). We did the complimentary boat tour which was fine. It was our first one on the trip and so we enjoyed it, but was not nearly as nice as the Il San Pietro boat. Complimentary shuttles to amalfi are frequent and even in July it only took ~15 minutes, which was no problem. One downside here is that the famous pool is quite small, so if you do not get there early, your loungers will be in a garden area. the garden itself is quite nice and the views are comparable, but wanted to point this out to people.
Il San Pietro: This was our favorite hotel of the three. Again, we booked an entry-level room and here we were upgraded to an elite-level room - in fact we were upgraded to the room on the website with the ugly blue bed spread. the room overall looks much nicer in person than on pictures. The bathroom here only had one faucet for those who care and the bathroom was smaller, and not as nice as the Caruso. The balcony was glorious however with a table with chairs and two loungers. We had a south facing view of the ocean and coast and it was very nice. this hotel really is great with very friendly staff. Honestly, the biggest downside may be that with so many repeat guests we kind of felt like outsiders. though this was an internal feeling based on conversations with other guests and the staff could not have been nicer. We had drinks on the famous terrace and then dinner at the restaurant. food was fine, service and setting were great. We also took the complimentary boat here and it was very nice. the boat is exclusive to the hotel and the service standards were in-line with what you would receive at the hotel. The "beach" is just cement, but we had fun jumping into the ocean and there was no worry about a lack of chairs. I took a complimentary cocktail class, and it was fun for an hour and the new bartender certainly knows his craft. Also, for tennis players, this is one of the cooler tennis courts I have seen in a while. In short, I can see why people come back here year after year. Finally, we were given a lot of free-bees here - sandals, a tote, passport holders and a collection of bath products. Overall, it felt comparable to a great Aman stay.
Le Sirenuse: Booked a non-view room and this was the only hotel where we were not upgraded. Not a complaint, but just pointing it out. The bigger issue here is just how small the lower-level rooms are. No room to open our suit cases, no desk, tiny bathroom. My wife summed it up by saying "it feels like a city hotel". We were greeted at check-in with cool towels and the best lemonade of the three hotels. Overall, the hotel is lovely, but it is let down by being in the heart of Positano in July. Nonstop people trying to take selfies. It just felt too busy to be relaxing. Even at the pool, there were people speaking into their cell phones on speaker, non-guests trying to come to take pictures, etc. I could imagine coming here in September and having a great time, but in July it was too much. Also, we did not particularly enjoy the town of Positano in July, so the benefit of being in the middle of it all was not a selling point for us. We had dinner at the Champagne & Oyster bar and the food was very good, and the views are perfect, but it felt like being in the lobby of the Chiltern or Mercer, but with better views. Again, I am sure it would be different in May or September. We did do the wine tasting and it was very nice.
When we go back, we will probably do 2-3 nights in Ravello and then 2-3 nights at ISP and then add in some time in Capria and Naples to see Pompeii.
Last edited by uclabruin82; Jul 18, 2019 at 12:38 pm
Jul 18, 2019, 6:03 pm
#137
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
Spent five nights at ISP end of May. The new & exciting installment this year is the Bee Chic food truck that was air lifted onto the terrace and will be residing there (until the end of the season? Not sure if it will be a permanent thing) and a sexy new bar next to Zass. It was in the process of being built out so I’ll get to check it out next month:
Last edited by BLV; Jul 18, 2019 at 6:10 pm
Jul 18, 2019, 6:35 pm
#138
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,048
The bar next to Zass was where the cocktail class was and is very nice. But when it came to actually having drinks, apertivo were still on the terrace and after-dinner drinks in the lobby / on the terrace. Did not see anyone manning the new bar at any time to be honest.
Last edited by uclabruin82; Jul 18, 2019 at 7:08 pm
Jul 18, 2019, 6:39 pm
#139
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
@uclabruin82 thanks for the summary!
Why the preference for Palazzo Avino over the Belmond Caruso? Anyone else on the pros and cons for those 2 properties?
Why the preference for Palazzo Avino over the Belmond Caruso? Anyone else on the pros and cons for those 2 properties?
Jul 19, 2019, 1:01 am
#141
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 676
@uclabruin82 thanks for the summary!
Why the preference for Palazzo Avino over the Belmond Caruso? Anyone else on the pros and cons for those 2 properties?
Why the preference for Palazzo Avino over the Belmond Caruso? Anyone else on the pros and cons for those 2 properties?
Jul 31, 2019, 4:32 am
#143
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2
Just spent 2 nights at the Belmond and while the property itself was spectacular, the service, particularly at the food areas, left something to be desired.
Anyway, the staff in general just didn't feel very warm, as if this was just a job. This is perfectly fine, I'm just being honest about how I feel.
However, the wait staff in particular didn't feel very attentive. It was difficult to flag a waiter down often times at breakfast or lunch. What was egregious though was for one our breakfasts, we ordered an omelette and scrambled eggs and it never came! I thought it was just slow after not receiving anything for 25 minutes after we had ordered, but we then saw other people's eggs who ordered well after us start to receive their food. We had a strict time to finish breakfast and since the hot food didn't come, had to leave breakfast still hungry. The GM later emailed us apologizing and informing us that what had happened was that they simply lost our order. We never received an apology from the wait staff when we asked about our food while we were dining.
For the amount of money we were paying, it was fairly disappointing.
We're now at San Pietro, and wow, the hotel and service is phenomenal.
Anyway, the staff in general just didn't feel very warm, as if this was just a job. This is perfectly fine, I'm just being honest about how I feel.
However, the wait staff in particular didn't feel very attentive. It was difficult to flag a waiter down often times at breakfast or lunch. What was egregious though was for one our breakfasts, we ordered an omelette and scrambled eggs and it never came! I thought it was just slow after not receiving anything for 25 minutes after we had ordered, but we then saw other people's eggs who ordered well after us start to receive their food. We had a strict time to finish breakfast and since the hot food didn't come, had to leave breakfast still hungry. The GM later emailed us apologizing and informing us that what had happened was that they simply lost our order. We never received an apology from the wait staff when we asked about our food while we were dining.
For the amount of money we were paying, it was fairly disappointing.
We're now at San Pietro, and wow, the hotel and service is phenomenal.
Last edited by kyt; Aug 3, 2019 at 4:45 am
Aug 4, 2019, 12:27 am
#144
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: Virtuoso, Marriott Stars/Luminous, Hilton Impresario, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle, Hyatt Prive etc
Posts: 2,004
For those staying near Ravello, the Mamma Agata cooking school is highly recommended.
Dec 16, 2019, 3:43 pm
#145
Was sydakllon
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SYD
Programs: Virtuoso, Rosewood Elite, FSPP, Bellini, Dorchester, MO Fan Club, Oetker Pearl, etc.
Posts: 709
Wasn't sure where to put this, but didn't see anyone mention that Capri Palace will reopen in April as Capri Palace, Jumeirah! Will be the group's first Italian property. Press release says: "Under Jumeirah's direction, the property is set to continue to grow with exciting upgrades and refurbishments in the pipeline." Should be interesting.
I really like this place and it was looking great when I visited in September for lunch and an inspection.
https://mailchi.mp/jumeirah/jumeirah...3?e=ba341d40d3
I really like this place and it was looking great when I visited in September for lunch and an inspection.
https://mailchi.mp/jumeirah/jumeirah...3?e=ba341d40d3
Dec 16, 2019, 6:48 pm
#146
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
Spent a few nights at Don Alfonso this August before heading down to our usual Positano home aka ISP. Have been at DA for dinners countless times throughout the years but never stayed over night. The location is far from perfect but still has more or less an authentic feel (very few tourists if you decide to get out for a walk). Had a Jr. Suite with a small terrace overlooking the courtyard. Loved everything about the place but I see it as a “let’s spend the night after the late dinner we had at the property” or “spending the night while passing through onto something closer to the sea” type of destination. And it is perfect for that, providing a feeling of staying at someone’s very nicely appointed home with seriously good food on premises. Don’t have anything interesting as far as visuals to attach, but here are some photos from ISP (yet again) and Villa TreVille:
Feb 13, 2020, 10:00 am
#147
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 1
San Pietro room suggestions
Thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread. My husband and I were considering all of the Hotels that were mentioned here, but have now decided on San Pietro because of things mentioned in this thread. I'm now stuck on what room category to choose and an approximate location. I've watched YouTube videos, read TripAdvisor room suggestions and emailed the Hotel directly, and have to say none of that has been very helpful, most likely because every room is different. The Hotel has already told me that I can not make a specific room number request and they do not have a property map, but could someone make a floor suggestion or room category recommendation? We have 2 things we'd like in a room: 1) Quiet location: not near the pool, restaurant, road... 2) Hubby thinks he's going to get up early and work in the morning (funny guy). I'll humor him though, and would very much like a large terrace so he can "work" while I slumber away my limoncello hangover. Any suggestions?
Feb 14, 2020, 9:58 am
#148
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,007
You won’t have issues with noise unless you are directly below the restaurant. And even then, we are not talking crazy-partying-type-of-noise.
You should instead concentrate on the view - Positano, Praiano or both and book with that in mind. Classic rooms are the smallest and the ones to avoid. The higher the category the better/bigger the room but since no two rooms are alike, every room has sea view and/or balcony/terrace and most have been renovated, chances are high you won’t be disappointed. For example, some Deluxe rooms will have insane bathroom views or views over the main terrace.
You should instead concentrate on the view - Positano, Praiano or both and book with that in mind. Classic rooms are the smallest and the ones to avoid. The higher the category the better/bigger the room but since no two rooms are alike, every room has sea view and/or balcony/terrace and most have been renovated, chances are high you won’t be disappointed. For example, some Deluxe rooms will have insane bathroom views or views over the main terrace.
Feb 23, 2020, 2:18 am
#150
Was sydakllon
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SYD
Programs: Virtuoso, Rosewood Elite, FSPP, Bellini, Dorchester, MO Fan Club, Oetker Pearl, etc.
Posts: 709
I’m really interested to see how this turns out: https://borgosantandrea.it/