Location scouts go weak at the knees when they round the bend in the Amalfi Coast road and spy Positano nestled in the cliffs, rising from the bright blue sea towards fragrant citrus and olive groves. Its unbleached peach and pink buildings are stacked without many gaps in between, and there are numerous properties with exquisite views — including ALL of the hotels listed on our Gurus recommendations for the best places to stay in Positano! The town has a reputation for being glamorous and luxurious, but there are a number of excellent value picks in our selection, as well as grand palazzos, elegantly converted villas and townhouses, traditional Mediterranean hotels, and the very best B&Bs and guesthouses we could find.
Some of our Positano Collections:
To Positano’s idyllic location and charming architecture add roads so narrow you can barely fit a car through, beaches lined with coloured parasols, colourfully painted fishing boats, magenta fronds of bougainvillea, and girls in floaty florals. It is colourful and lively, full of kids queuing for gelati and families playing on the beach. Though of course it also has immaculate boutiques for the chic Milanese to peruse, and restaurants to please even the most gourmet palates. It’s basically a dream come true for photographers, artists, romantics, sun-lovers, Italiano-philes, walkers, beach-lovers, sailors, drivers, and families.
If you want the full experience you have to visit in the summer (though this is when the best places to stay in Positano will be incredibly busy), when the streets bustle from dawn until dusk, the restaurant terraces and gelato shops are always full, and the queue to pick up a pair of made-to-measure sandals (which is a Positano tradition begun at the end of WW2) are longest. But it’s beautiful here out of season too. Whatever you do don't fall too deeply in love with pretty Positano that you don't explore more of the Amalfi Coast while you're here. Take a trip along to Naples, Pompeii and Sorrento (at least!), and possibly pop over to Capri. If you're really brave, one of the best ways to discover the Amalfi Coast is by scooter!