One Of The Best Hotels In Positano Is An Artsy, Family-Owned Amalfi Coast Haven With An Elegant Oyster Bar

The defining image of the Amalfi Coast is undeniably the flourish of color painted down Positano's improbably steep cliffs in hues of yellow, terracotta, and pink. There are trees dividing up mansions, ornate church domes breaking the skyline, and a sliver of impeccable blue waters licking at a shoreline busy with boats. Somewhere in the middle is the gorgeous family-owned Le Sirenuse hotel, its facade a cheery greeting towards the sea in an eye-popping red.

The same aristocratic Sersale family has owned Le Sirenuse since its opening in 1951 (before that, it was their Amalfi vacation home) and has since devoted this private slice of Positano to delivering La Dolce Vita (the good life), with various restaurants, including an elegant oyster bar overlooking the bay and 58 rooms, that have played host to Princess Margaret, Kylie Jenner, and Julia Roberts, to name just a few. While expensive, countless reviewers leave high praise for the exceptional service, exquisite sea views, and good value.

The closest major airport is Naples' Capodichino International Airport, around a 90-minute drive away. Traveling from Italy, you can connect to Naples by train from cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice, and then take a bus from Naples directly to Positano in around 1 hour and 50 minutes. A more adventurous way to arrive is by taking a bus from Naples to Sorrento, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast, in 1 hour and 17 minutes, and then traveling to Positano via the Positano jet ferry in as little as 30 minutes (only viable in the summer months).

You'll find your way to Le Sirenuse via a busy network of streets dripping with Amalfi charm and the crowds that come with it. But step through the hotel's threshold, and you change from yet another onlooker to a guest in one of the region's most sought-after stays. A haven amongst the bustle of Positano. The service is faultless, with at least one member of the Sersale family always at the hotel. But the service extends to personable greetings on arrival and tours aboard the private boat, the Sant'Antonio.

Le Sirenuse's rooms are chic, each different despite fitting into one of 10 room categories. Most are finished with crisp white linens, as well as Italian-home-away-from-home style furnishings. Little iron balconies in the classic sea view rooms boast unobstructed coastal views, while the enviable collection of suites oozes Italian style with frescoes, custom art from the family's collection, and custom toiletries in the marble bathrooms. Throughout the hotel, the floors are made of tiles designed just for Le Sirenuse by a historic Salerno-based ceramics designer. Every detail feels considered and sensitively aligned with Le Sirenuse's elegant Amalfi style.

The common areas are a delight to wander, and not just decorative either. They're filled with an extensive art collection (tours are available), making journeys between room and reception as picturesque as an evening on a private balcony watching the boats. The modern gym has a full-time coach who can arrange mountain hikes to extend your workout regimen, the hotel's concierge can arrange visits to nearby sights like must-see Pompeii, and the pool on the terrace is fringed with lemon trees and, with its mosaic floor, feels like an immersive work of art.

The Amalfi Coast, and more generally, Italy, is renowned for its food and drink to a legendary degree –– and Le Sirenuse is no different. The included breakfasts are served at the Pool Bar and have abundant fresh bread, pastries, and zesty fruits alongside creamy balls of mozzarella and an a la carte menu of breakfast staples. And it's all the better for the poolside location.

By evening, the main restaurant, La Sponda, gently echoes with live music and is romantically lit with candlelight for dinners of fresh-off-the-boat seafood and pasta twisted into peaks topped with truffles and lobster. There are lemon trees and climbing plants throughout, and the views show off the best of Positano when it's bathed in amber streetlights. Finish with a Neapolitan babà dessert (a sponge cake drenched with rum), a favorite from nearby Naples.

In the evenings, guests of Le Sirenuse tend to flow towards Aldo's Bar, spilling out onto a terrace overlooking the sweeping vistas of Positano and Santa Maria Assunta's unmistakable dome. The ideal way to enjoy it is by ordering a glass of sparkling wine with a side of fresh oysters just as the sun sets to fully admire and appreciate your location in one of the most dazzling cliffside hotels on the Amalfi Coast.