Top 10: the best boutique Amalfi Coast hotels
An expert guide to the best boutique hotels on the Amalfi Coast, including the top places to stay for artsy interiors, azure-coloured sea views, Michelin-starred restaurants, private infinity pools and cliff-hugging terraces, in locations including Ravello, Positano, Praiano, Vico Equense and Sorrento.
Villa Maria Hotel
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Villa Maria Hotel is a charming medley of potted palms, busts, piano, inlaid furniture and silver arranged on wooden shelves, which lends the old villa a distinctly Edwardian feel. It's a gentle, charming place where time stands still. Up the marble staircase and through heavy wooden doors, the bedrooms strike the same note as the reception areas, with vaulted ceilings, solid furniture and pretty ceramic tiled floors. No. 3 is a cut above the rest, with its huge terrace, five sets of French windows and handsome secretaire. In a modern annexe there are six rooms, all with a view of the sea. Read expert review From £134per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hotel Marincanto
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
The hotel clings to the cliff face on the outskirts of Positano, with the private beach about 10 minutes' walk away down steps passing several terraces. There are terrific views of both town and sea. Palest colours or plain white, cream curtains and wooden furniture set the tone. Every detail is executed with taste and flair - the effect is fresh and elegant. Occasional splashes of colour, for example acid green, or blue-striped fabrics, provide a calm contrast. There is a wellness centre, an infinity pool and gym, and, as well as the main terrace, there are several mini terraces providing peaceful corners to sit back and relax. Read expert review From £300per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Palazzo Murat
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This 18th century, L-shaped palazzo was once home to Joachim Murat, king of Naples and brother-in-law to Napoleon, and there is an air of grandeur (but not pomposity) about the place, especially in the vaulted public rooms with their antiques and fine paintings. An elegant wrought-iron gateway leads into the enticing arched courtyard, dripping with bougainvillea and shaded by big white umbrellas. The large rooms in the original part of the palazzo, furnished with four-posters, antiques and opulent fabrics, are quite grand and have tall French windows opening onto creeper-draped balconies. It is said that the King slept in the ‘Special Deluxe’ room with his many lovers (not all at once). Read expert review From £164per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Casa Buonocore
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Until recently, this lovely guest house was the home of the Buonacore family who now run it with great dedication and style. The location is excellent and compared to Positano’s often outrageous prices, it is pretty good value too. It stands at the top of a long, steep flight of steps (don’t worry, help with your bags is on hand) just outside the pedestrian area of Positano. A five-minute wander down narrow Via dei Mulini brings you to the beach. Six beautiful rooms of wildly varying sizes are all meticulously furnished with lots of attention to detail. The two-roomed ‘Suite’ which has a huge panoramic terrace with views over the town and sea, plus day beds. Read expert review From £406per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Casa Angelina
Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Praiano is a tourist-free former fishing village between Positano and Amalfi, where Casa Angelina is reached by a steep and twisting private road. The all-white, open-plan ground floor is a stunning showcase for the owner’s art collection, including eye-catching, vibrant sculpture in Murano glass; wild and whimsical works designed by Cuban artist Alfredo Sosabravo; and oil paintings by Argentinian Patricia Valencia Carstens, amongst others. There is a small swimming pool and a stylish terrace, perfect for sipping a cocktail. The rooms are successful because they are kept in such pristine condition, without a scuff in sight. The top suites are amazing, with huge private terraces and breathtaking views. Read expert review From £290per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Casa Privata
Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This former fisherman’s house stands in delightfully informal terraced gardens that tumble down to a private rocky beach. The original owners — Austrian architects — came across a derelict fisherman’s house when they were on holiday and set about a meticulous restoration using local materials and artisans. The feel is still very much one of a stylish, private home done out using a soothing, neutral colour palette, lots of cool Lecce stone and natural linens. Although there is a cosy sitting area and brick-vaulted restaurant, you will be wanting to spend all your time outside, either on the shady terrace area (where meals are served in warm weather), by the pool or down on the private beach area where platforms built into the rock hold sunbeds and big white umbrellas. Read expert review From £156per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Villa Rosa
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
7Telegraph expert rating
A sprawling, 19th-century villa built into the cliffside, Villa Rosa is typical Positano in feel: cool, tiled floors, whitewashed vaulted ceilings, uncluttered rooms and a feeling of understated Mediterranean style. The 12 immaculate rooms arranged over three floors are all variations on the same theme: think dazzling white paintwork and arched ceilings, colourful tiled floors, hand-painted headboards and crisp white covers and pristine tiled bathrooms. Each has a sea-facing terrace with fabulous views furnished with deck chairs and a table: the vistas from the top two floors are truly extraordinary. Staff can arrange car, bike and boat hire, organising excursions and handing out beach towels for lazy days in the sun. Read expert review From £91per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hotel Villa Franca Positano
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
The look here is classic Positano (cool white tiles and paintwork, vaulted ceilings, wrought-iron balconies) with a smart, contemporary twist. Quirky local artwork and colourful ceramics brighten the open-plan sitting room and bar area, which is furnished with generous sofas and armchairs and supplied with glossy coffee table books. For a small hotel, there are excellent facilities, including a decent-sized rooftop pool with comfortable sun loungers, a small spa, two bars and a choice of gourmet and more casual restaurants. Foodies can sign up for cooking lessons and cocktail-making classes with the prize-winning barman, and tours of local food and wine producers can be arranged. Read expert review From £242per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Capo La Gala
Vico Equense, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Capo La Gala first opened up to guests in the late 1950s and was a popular seaside resort in the days of La Dolce Vita, but its present ‘Mediterranean marine chic’ look dates from a re-vamp by local architect-designer Marco de Luca, who drew on the experience of being on an ocean liner for inspiration. At Michelin-starred Maxi, tables are laid out on a wide, sea-facing terrace or, in cooler weather, in an elegant, softly-lit dining room with huge windows looking out to sea. Rooms with terraces look out onto the sea, three have their own hot tubs and the vast Marité suite has a private infinity pool. Read expert review From £173per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Maison La Minervetta
Sorrento, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
The Minervetta is the hippest hotel on this stretch of the coast, and architect-owner Marco de Luca’s jaunty, nautical look is perfect for a sunny, seaside retreat. White paintwork offsets bright, hand-painted Vietri tiles and quirky, colourful ceramics and huge picture windows make the best of those extraordinary views in all directions. All rooms get an eyeful of that view, the best through floor-to-ceiling, wraparound picture windows. Several have small balconies. Open-plan sitting rooms are supplied with squashy sofas and piles of books and magazines and there is a terrace half way down the cliffside with a small whirlpool tub and sun loungers. If you want a day on the sand, arrangements can be made with a private beach yards from the hotel. Read expert review From £199per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
