Top 10: the best Amalfi Coast honeymoon hotels
An insider's guide to the best honeymoon hotels on the Amalfi Coast, including the top places to stay for infinity pools, direct beach access, Michelin-starred restaurants, sumptuous spas and romantic views, in locations including Ravello, Positano and Conca dei Marini.
Villa Maria Hotel
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
An understandably popular spot in Ravello whose ravishing dining terrace with dreamy views (a favourite for marriage proposals) takes centre stage, but whose quiet hotel, little changed for decades, makes one of the most pleasant and authentic places to stay in the town. It feels as if it has changed little since it first opened, a charming medley of potted palms, busts, piano, inlaid furniture and silver arranged on wooden shelves that lends the old villa a distinctly Edwardian feel. All rooms have a sea view (or partial sea view), but no. 3 is a cut above the rest, with its huge terrace, five sets of French windows and handsome secretaire. Sit in the sunshine at one of the tables in the Villa Maria's lovely garden restaurant, Orsola’s, sip chilled white wine, eat perfectly cooked pasta and enjoy the glorious view. Read expert review From £134per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Hotel Santa Caterina
Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
A mix of familial warmth, glamour and professionalism makes Hotel Santa Caterina stand out from the competition. Now run by the fourth generation of the family that opened it as a hotel in 1904, it’s the sort of homely yet sophisticated place that you long to return to. Family antiques pepper the cool, white interiors, which are splashed with Mediterranean colour on patterned tiles and fabrics. The airy dining room has a stunning blue Brazilian-marble floor and a lovely terrace overlooking gardens and sea. The big surprise is the glass lift that whooshes down the cliff where the pool, bar, beach-shack restaurant (dancing to live music on Tuesdays), sea and boats await. As well as the Beach Club, there is a small but hard-working spa and a boutique. Read expert review From £238per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Hotel Villa Cimbrone
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Occupying one of the most romantic spots in the world, Villa Cimbrone comprises beautiful gardens, open to the public during the day, and rooms full of antiques, paintings and frescoes. Ernest William Beckett, 2nd Lord Grimthorpe, who found solace here after the death of his beloved wife in childbirth in the late 19th century, acquired the noble Villa after visiting on his Grand Tour. He created the romantic English gardens that culminate in the Terrace of Infinity, described by Gore Vidal as ‘the most beautiful view in the world’. The 19 bedrooms are all different, with antique furnishings and wonderful views, original Vietri majolica floors and stone or majolica fireplaces. There are two stand-out suites: romantic Greta Garbo and Camelia, both with superb frescoed ceiling. Read expert review From £336per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Le Sirenuse
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Built into the steep southwest-facing side of Positano, the hotel’s oxblood-coloured facade is high enough to command excellent sea views, while being within a 10-minute walk (down lots of steps) to the resort’s dark-sand beach. An eclectic collection of antique furniture and art helps the hotel retain its atmosphere of the private home it originally was, though over time it has conjoined with neighbouring houses to become a warren of rooms and public areas. Bright, white walls setting off the shiny terracotta-tiled floors and glossy potted plants create fresh, light interiors enhanced by large French windows opening onto broad terraces. A compact pool terrace has outdoor loungers and is shaded by lemon trees. The Michelin-starred La Sponda restaurant is about as romantic as a dining room can possibly be. Entirely lit by 400 candles, it has creeper-clad walls, stiff white tablecloths and grandstand views. Read expert review From £352per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Il San Pietro di Positano
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
9Telegraph expert rating
Often included in ‘World’s Best’ lists and frequented by such stars as George Clooney and Julia Roberts, the legendary San Pietro lives up to its reputation. But the luxuriousness and spectacular setting belie what is, at the heart, a family operation. The terraces and some of the bedrooms overlook the village; all around there is the deep, blue sea. People come here for peace and quiet, but if you are feeling sociable, Positano’s bars and restaurants are within a short hop in the hotel’s free shuttle bus. Just about anything you could possibly wish for is on site, and for a zip up the coast, one of the hotel’s private boats will pick you up from the jetty. There is a bar with a spectacular terrace, a Michelin-starred restaurant, fabulous terraced gardens and, on sea level, a private ‘beach’, a tennis court, spa and a casual-chic restaurant. The rooms tumble down the cliff-side in a series of flower-bedecked terraces, all with extraordinary sea vistas. Read expert review From £428per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Belmond Hotel Caruso
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This sprawling edifice, perched high above the hilltop town of Ravello overlooking the Bay of Salerno, is one of Amalfi’s most romantic boltholes. Occupying a splendid, rambling palazzo originating in the 11th century, the Caruso is a hotel in grand style with marble hallways, sweeping arches and vaulted ceilings, weathered old floors, frescoes and chandeliers. There are facilities and services galore here, starting with the celebrated infinity pool that is often listed among the best hotel pools in the world. Then there are several restaurants and bars, a spa, boat trips along the coast and a shuttle service down to the coast. All but a handful of the 50 bedrooms and suites have sea views and all have some kind of private outside space ranging from compact terraces to vast gardens. Read expert review From £661per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Monastero Santa Rosa
Conca dei Marini, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
From its perch atop a sheer, rocky outcrop, just outside the quiet the village of Conca dei Marini and aloof from the day-trippers down on the coast, the Santa Rosa enjoys a magnificent location with incredible views in all directions. One of the most exclusive of all the hotels in this most-exclusive chunk of Italy, the Santa Rosa’s creation is down to one woman, American Bianca Sharma, who bought the vast, clifftop building after spying it from a boat. She spared no expense in transforming the 17th-century monastery into a stylish and cocooning hotel, while fully respecting the building’s origins. There are fabulous terraced gardens with a heated infinity pool that seems suspended over the water; a huge spa; excellent food; and shuttle bus service to Amalfi. The dining terrace – suspended high over the sea – is a supremely romantic spot for dinner. Read expert review From £570per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Palazzo Murat
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
Palazzo Murat enjoys a prime position just off Positano’s main drag down to the beach, yet is shielded from the worst of the crowds by its lush, exotic garden (with a small pool). A short stroll down the hill, past boutiques, art galleries and souvenir shops, leads you to the main beach. 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. A trip along the coast in the hotel’s own boat is complimentary to all guests. 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. Read expert review From £164per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi
Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy
8Telegraph expert rating
This historic early 13th-century monastery, slung across cliffs above Amalfi’s harbour, first became a hotel in 1885. Reached by lift (or a path that zigzags up the cliff face), it’s a lofty world of its own, including church, cloister, lemon groves and pool. Alighting from the lift, it feels as if one has been transported to a castle – or in this case Capuchin monastery – in the sky, with exhilarating sea and harbour views. The 53 rooms are small in size (the legacy of a converted monastery), and decorated in cool, contemporary style: elegant, simple, linear and white. Many rooms have a balcony or terrace with breathtaking views over the coast and Monks’ Walk below. Best is the Eremite Suite, on its own at the top of steep steps, with panoramic views and outdoor hot tub. Read expert review From £413per 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. Its great advantage is the exceptional view, taking in both Positano and Capri, and the Li Galli islands. 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 top suites are amazing, with huge private terraces and breathtaking views. For those seeking real privacy, there are four apartments by the beach. Read expert review From £290per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
