Positano cliff
Il San Pietro di Positano
Lift through the rock to a private beach platform
Explore Hotel
A little local perspective
Worth knowing.
Worth going.
- Destination
- Amalfi Coast, Italy
- The selection
- 6 hotels
- Your kind of trip
- honeymoon · couples · special occasion · boating
$$$$ — roughly 700-2,000 euros a night, closed November to March
The SS163, the Amalfi coast road, is 50 kilometres of switchbacks cut into a cliff face, mostly one and a half lanes wide, with buses that have to reverse to pass each other. In July and August the drive from Sorrento to Amalfi, which is about 35 kilometres, can take over two hours. Positano to Ravello, 15 kilometres, can take an hour.
It is also one of the most beautiful roads in the world, which is the trade. But most visitors discover the traffic on day two and spend the rest of the week reluctant to leave whichever village they booked.
Why a jetty changes the geography
The coast is a series of villages strung along the cliff, and every one of them is on the water. Before the road was completed in the 1850s, the only sensible way between them was by boat, and that remains the fastest way today.
A hotel with its own jetty means a boat can collect you from the property. Ferries and private transfers run along the whole coast and out to Capri, and from a jetty you step onto one without touching the road. Amalfi to Positano by sea takes about twenty-five minutes regardless of the month.
The other thing a jetty implies is sea access. This coast has very little sand and most hotels sit high above the water on the cliff with a road between them and it. A property with its own platform or beach at the bottom, usually reached by a lift cut through the rock or a funicular, is a fundamentally different holiday from one where swimming means a walk down to a public beach and back up.
There are not many. The six below are all of them worth featuring.
Positano
The vertical village, and the one everybody pictures. Steps everywhere.
Il San Pietro di Positano is built into the cliff below the road with terraces stepping down through bougainvillea to a private beach platform and a lift through the rock. Every room faces the sea. It is the best hotel on the coast and it has no sign at the entrance.
Villa TreVille occupies a former private estate above Positano with terraced gardens, a private jetty and boats to the village and to Capri. It is the most secluded property here.
Le Agavi Hotel sits on the cliff at the eastern end of Positano with a funicular down to a beach club on the water and gardens above.
Amalfi and Conca dei Marini
The middle of the coast, closest to Ravello and the ferry hub.
Hotel Santa Caterina occupies an art nouveau villa on the cliff just outside Amalfi with a lift down to a seawater pool and a bathing platform, a lemon terrace and one of the coast's best kitchens. It has been in the same family for over a century.
Borgo Santandrea sits between Amalfi and Conca dei Marini with a private beach, a lift through the rock and interiors of considerable restraint. It is the newest of the six and the most contemporary.
Praiano
Between Positano and Amalfi, quieter than both.
Casa Angelina occupies a clifftop position with a lift down to a private beach club on the water, white minimal interiors and views along the coast in both directions. It is adults-only and the best value on this list.
What we have left off
The most famous hotel in Positano is excluded, along with the great Ravello properties. They have the terraces, the reputations and in Ravello's case the best views on the coast. What they do not have is a jetty or a lift to the water, which means the sea is a walk down and a walk, or a shuttle, back up.
What to do by boat
Go to Capri for the day from your own jetty, early, before the ferries from Sorrento land. The Blue Grotto only works in calm conditions and is often oversold.
Hire a small boat with a skipper for a day and swim off the rocks at Furore, the fjord, and the coves between the villages. This is the single best thing to do on the coast and it costs less than most people expect when split.
On land, Ravello is 350 metres above the sea and worth the drive for the Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo gardens. Go early or late.
Pompeii and Herculaneum are an hour towards Naples. Herculaneum is smaller, better preserved and far less crowded.
Eat lemon, anchovies and pasta with courgette. The lemons here are the size of a fist and everything is made with them.
Practical notes
Naples airport is the gateway, 90 minutes to two hours to Positano by road, considerably more in August. A private transfer to Sorrento and a boat onward is the civilised route.
May, June, September and early October are the good months. July and August are hot, full and the road is at its worst. Many hotels close from November to March.
Do not hire a car unless you are confident on narrow cliff roads with buses. Parking is scarce and expensive everywhere.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Amalfi Coast Hotels
Prices shown are sample rates from upcoming dates — not quotes for specific dates. Open a hotel and choose your own dates and guests to see the exact price.
Questions people actually ask
Positano, Amalfi or Ravello?
Positano for the setting and the steps, Amalfi for the ferries and the flat centre, Ravello for the views and the quiet. Positano for a first visit.
Is the coast road really that bad?
In July and August, yes. In May or October it is a pleasure. The boat is faster in every month.
Are there beaches?
Very few and mostly pebble. The hotels with private platforms are the answer, which is what this article is about.
How many nights?
Five. Four is enough for two villages and a boat day.
