Amalfi Coast Directory
Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel
A thirteenth-century Capuchin convent turned luxury hotel, the Convento sits above Amalfi town with expansive views along the coast. The cloister, with its Arab-Norman arches and citrus garden, is magnificent, and the infinity pool overlooking the town and the sea is excellent.
Belmond Hotel Caruso
The infinity pool at Hotel Caruso, set in the gardens of an eleventh-century palazzo, appears to merge directly with the sea 300 metres below. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most photographed hotel pools in the world.
Casa Angelina
The coast's most design-forward hotel, Casa Angelina is a study in Mediterranean minimalism: all white surfaces, clean lines, and vast windows framing the sea. It is a striking counterpoint to the baroque opulence of properties like Palazzo Avino.
Chez Black
An institution on Positano's main beach since 1949, Chez Black is the kind of place where you will see A-listers in linen shirts eating pizza alongside Italian families on holiday. The wood-fired pizzas are excellent, the seafood pasta is reliable, and the people-watching is world-class.
Cumpa Cosimo
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Rossellinis, Cumpa Cosimo has been feeding visitors and locals in Ravello since 1929. The portions are enormous, the pasta is handmade daily, and the atmosphere is cheerfully chaotic.
Don Alfonso 1890
Don Alfonso holds one Michelin star and has kept its place among the south's finest restaurants for decades. The Iaccarino family's restaurant sits above the coast in the quiet hilltop village of Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, away from the tourist crush below.
Il Pirata
Tucked into the tiny harbour of Marina di Praia below Praiano, Il Pirata is a family-run seafood restaurant that has drawn devoted regulars for years. The setting is intimate, a small cove with fishing boats pulled up on the sand, and the food is honest, unfussy, and based entirely on what came in that morning.
Il San Pietro di Positano
If Le Sirenuse represents old-world Positano elegance, Il San Pietro is its slightly wilder counterpart. Built into the cliff face just south of town, the hotel is reached by a road that descends through the rock to a lobby perched above the sea, and a private lift drops guests to a beach club at water level.
Kasai
Praiano has emerged as the coast's most interesting dining destination for those willing to venture beyond Positano and Ravello. Kasai, an independent restaurant in Praiano, offers modern Japanese-Italian fusion that sounds improbable but works beautifully.
La Sponda
If there is a more romantic restaurant setting on the Amalfi Coast, nobody has found it yet. La Sponda occupies the terrace of Le Sirenuse hotel, and on a warm evening, with hundreds of candles flickering, the village tumbling away below, and Positano's beach glowing in the distance, the effect is transporting.
Le Arcate
Atrani is the Amalfi Coast's smallest and, to many minds, most charming village, a tight cluster of houses around a tiny piazza just a five-minute walk from Amalfi but feeling entirely separate. Le Arcate, facing the village square, serves what may be the best-value lunch on the entire coastline.
Le Sirenuse
The undisputed icon of Amalfi Coast hospitality. Le Sirenuse has occupied a converted eighteenth-century palazzo in the heart of Positano since 1951, and it remains, by a comfortable margin, the most desirable address on the coast. The rooms are hung with the Sersale family's personal art collection (Picasso ceramics, Warhol prints), and the sense of staying in a private home rather than a hotel persists despite the property's fame.
Lido Azzurro
A more casual option right on Amalfi's beach, Lido Azzurro works beautifully for a long lunch. The seafood salad is fresh and generously portioned, and the pasta with clams hits exactly the right notes.
Lo Scoglio
Lo Scoglio does not have a Michelin star, and the regulars rather hope it stays that way. This family-run restaurant sits directly on the water in the tiny bay of Marina del Cantone, and it has been serving some of the coast's finest seafood for three generations.
Marina Grande
Set right on the harbour in Amalfi, Marina Grande has earned its reputation with consistently excellent seafood. The fritto misto, a towering pile of lightly battered squid, shrimp, and small fish, is one of the best you will find anywhere on the coast.
Monastero Santa Rosa
Situated between Conca dei Marini and Amalfi, the Monastero occupies a seventeenth-century Dominican monastery that has been converted with extraordinary sensitivity. The infinity pool, set in the former vegetable garden, hangs above the sea, and the spa, built into the monastery's vaulted cellars, may be the most atmospheric in Italy.
Next2
A more contemporary option in Positano, Next2 serves creative Mediterranean cooking in a stylish but relaxed setting. The menu changes frequently, and there is a real commitment to local sourcing that goes beyond marketing language.
Palazzo Avino
Ravello's most celebrated hotel occupies a twelfth-century private residence that has been transformed into something magnificent. The decor is bold (hand-painted tiles, vivid fabrics, antiques in every corner), and the overall effect is more aristocratic Italian villa than corporate luxury hotel.
Palazzo Murat
A more accessible option in the centre of Positano, Palazzo Murat occupies a seventeenth-century palazzo with a courtyard garden that offers welcome respite from the bustle outside. The rooms in the historic building have more character than those in the modern wing, and the location, steps from the beach and the town's best restaurants, is excellent.
Rossellinis
Perched high above the coast in Ravello, Rossellinis delivers Michelin-starred dining with views that would justify the visit even if the food were mediocre. The food, however, is anything but.