Le Sirenuse, Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
 

Introduction For context, my husband and I were in the Amalfi Coast for our wedding anniversary. It had always been my dream to stay in Positano and we chose to do three nights in Il San Pietro di Positano as I preferred aspects such as the privacy (private beach and guests only restaurant) and the room sizes. We chose to do only one night at Le Sirenuse as I'd always wanted to stay in the iconic hotel but I didn't feel like it was great value for money. Check In We arrived at Le Sirenuse at around 12.30 as we wanted to make the most of our one night stay there. When we arrived at ISP I found even the lobby jaw droppingly beautiful and we were checked in straight away. At Le Sirenuse the lobby is small and crowded and we had to queue to check in. I think we might have arrived at the same time as a big group. We were also surprised that such a high end hotel would have such a formal check in (same at ISP though).We weren't offered a welcome drink, not even water, whereas at ISP we were given rossinis on the terrace. Our room wasn't ready but we weren't expecting it to be and had intended to arrive in time for lunch. We headed to restaurant La Sponda which was very busy. We asked for a seat on the terrace by the pool and the waiter eyed us suspiciously... 'it's for guests only...' "We are guests we've just checked in' then of course we were welcomed with open arms. We slightly felt like we'd started on the wrong foot. Room Awkward check in aside the rooms was what I felt let the stay down. It's beautifully appointed but small and poorly planned. Absolutely not a problem were it even half the cost but Le Sirenuse is the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in per square foot of the room. Velaa is the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in in monetary value but we had a huge room, massive private pool and bathroom. Our room as Le Sirenuse was probably the size of the bathroom at Velaa in total. Bathroom is again beautifully appointed with Le Sirenuse own products but very small. There's not even a separate shower. But one of the key selling points is the view. The view from our balcony was utterly magical and just what I'd always hoped for from Positano. Be aware though not every room has a view. The 'cheaper' rooms do not and its definitely worth paying a extra for the view. Service Though we had a slight snafu with the check in, service from there on was utterly wonderful. Many of the staff have spent a lifetime working at the hotel. They are warm and friendly and perhaps one reason people return to this hotel time and time again. One other thing that could be described as a service issue was we were never given a full tour of the hotel. This meant I didn't realise Francos bar was separate and I assumed the famous bar was next to the champagne bar in the hotel. I realised my mistake after but felt very annoyed (and a bit stupid as I'd looked on the website so many times before going!) that after paying that much to stay in the hotel, I never actually saw the bar! Dining The hotel has three drinking / dining areas. Francos Bar (which we never saw) is apparently legendary. The Champagne bar in the hotel is beautiful and atmospheric. We had a drink there before dinner on the night that we stayed. La Sponda is the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant and where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a gorgeous buffet or an a la carte menu. Lunch is delicious pasta, fresh fish etc. Of course with that spectacular view of Positano. Dinner was spectacular as the restaurant is lit up with candles and there's the twinkling lights of the Amalfi Coast beyond, and there's live music. It's honestly the most romantic restaurant I've ever been to. Foodwise, the menu is a more refined version of lunch. Location You'll love / hate the location. Pros: The amazing view over Positano. There's nothing quite like it. The proximity to the main town meant the bar felt more lively - at ISP it was more chilled. Love / Hate - you can walk to the beach in 2 minutes but the beach is very crowded and touristy. I personally couldn't wait to get back to the hotel but if you want to browse the shops and try other restaurants than it's worth popping down. Cons - Unlike ISP it's in the middle of town so you got the feeling people were just popping in to take photos. It doesn't feel private like ISP. Pool Again the pool is love / hate. I've seen reviewers say the pool is too small, for me that's not a problem as I don't require a huge pool. Plus it's utterly gorgeous. My problem with the pool was that unlike ISP it's right next to the main restaurant which is open to the public so it felt less private and relaxing. Spa There is a spa but we didn't try it. Amenities I thought the public rooms were utterly gorgeous. Everywhere had beautiful fresh flowers and ceramic tiles. Overall For a hotel to be this expensive, it really has to be perfection and unfortunately Le Sirenuse isn't. As a 'hotelaholic' I really wanted to add Le Sirenuse to my collection but I had my husband saying to me 'why are we staying here again, the other hotel was better...' regarding ISP which had bigger rooms, was less expensive and more private. I also found the property more beautiful as it was carved into the cliff rather than in the middle of town. Though there is negativity in this review I will say that I utterly loved Le Sirenuse, I simply don't think it was worth the price point. For those visiting Positano I would say stay at ISP and visit Le Sirenuse for lunch or dinner. It's only about a fifteen minute drive between.

I am really happy to read your review to learn more about the hotel. When we went to the Amalfi Coast, we considered this hotel but decided against it. We dropped by for afternoon coffee. That very limited exposure left me preferring the quieter environment of Il San Pietro though the view here is stunning. Thank you for taking the time to review this.

I'm so glad that it was helpful :)

Fantastic review, thank you!!! We are currently planning/debating to visit Le Sirenuse for 3 nights next June before returning to Park Hotel Vitznau for a wedding but back and forth about the value...Your review is greatly appreciated!

And to your point, we were thinking to either splurge for a Jr. Suite or above for the balcony/views or don't go at all as the lower rooms feels significantly different and somewhat pointless.

Agreed, if ISP works with your plan, the rooms are better value and every one of them has a balcony. The view isn't quite as iconic at ISP as it is at Le Sirenuse but it's still very beautiful.

I'm not sure I 100%agree with you. We stayed at Hotel Santa Caterina and had a room with a "partial view" or something like that. We don't drink coffee and did not need to lounge in our room and look out on the balcony or out the window. Our time was spent eating at the restaurant or by the pool, or off on an excursion to Capri. Spending the extra money just didn't make sense for us. Views aren't THAT important that we would want to pay a significant amount more than a regular room.

That being said, we don't go to the beach and not get a property that is not directly on the beach. We don't take inside cabins either on cruises. If we were to go on safari, I think I'd want a place with a view of the watering hole or whatever.

It is funny how we, and some others I suppose, pick and choose.

100% agree with you that it's funny how we all pick and choose. No wrong or right point of views as to which room type is the best. We do enjoy morning coffee/breakfast on the balcony (esp. any suites with a terrace would just be fabulous). But like you, we also really enjoy spending time by the pool and other facilities on the property. So while views and balcony space are important to us, we still may not find it worth while to pay SIGNIFICANTLY more for it if we can get meals with a view elsewhere on the property, to your point :) Thus, the back and forth debate we've been having.

We were there for one night last weekend, and FWIW they do offer lemonade and cold towels at check-in now.
Overall, I agree with a lot of points about your review. The hotel is really nice and well done. Ultimately though, at least in July, we did not like the town of Positano and so felt that being in the center of it, is not worth it relative to ISP (especially when considering the lack of direct, private water access). Twice while lying by the pool, the attendants had to send non-guests away for trying to take pictures. One of them even argued that she was an instagram "publisher". If we go back, I think we would just stay at the ISP and come to Sirenuse for drinks and crudo at the Champagne bar.

+1 for not liking the town of Positano

An amazingly informative post guiding people out with an extensive knowledge in general. The pictures were fascinating indeed.