Positano is the most photogenic - and the most photographed - village in Italy. Its pastel facades soar up from sea-washed crags, which once tempted Odysseus with Siren songs, to summits swathed in mist and forest. Nowadays it tempts a different kind of traveller: rich and famous, young and beautiful, lovers of boutiques and bronzage and of each other, who lounge on its black-sand beaches and ply the coast in elegant yachts.
If you're part of that crowd, or enjoy being among them, there's only one place to stay: the Sirens' Palace. A lift glides down to the 4th floor to emerge on a sparkling sun terrace, with a strip of pool and white-clad loungers to your left, a glassed and vaulted dining conservatory to your right, and ahead a view past Santa Maria's majolica dome to an azure canvas pierced by the fabled Li Galli rockstacks. With 58 rooms, it's larger than it appears, but cleverly tiered across 2 ochre palazzi. Expect every comfort (huge Jacuzzis, Bose speakers), seamless service (poolside cocktails, superb spa), and a bill to match.
Highs
- Superb position in the heart of town, 5 minutes from the beach. There really is nothing like it in Positano so if you can afford it, go for it!
- Sumptuously appointed bedrooms, almost all with sea view and balcony
- Elegant antique-filled drawing rooms (one a champagne bar) and flower-decked terraces
- Wonderful spa with bio-sauna, Turkish bath and natural Aveda products
- The La Sponda restaurant earns rave reviews for its meals and views
Lows
- It's shockingly expensive (but that's half the point)
- Avoid the Inner Courtyard rooms: no view, no balcony
- You need to book several months ahead in summer
- Poolside loungers - and the one lift - are at a premium when it's full
Best time to go
Summer is extremely busy - to the point that, in mid August, shops actually have to close because the surging crowds damage their displays. Come in spring (April-May) or autumn (mid Sept-Oct) if you possibly can. The weather then is perfect for gentle exploration, and swimming is quite feasible until early November (though in April it's chilly). In April and October, rates practically halve: worth a chance if you're on an (average) budget.
Our top tips
Bring your favourite dress/jacket for the evening passegiata, your slinkiest swimwear for the bustling beach, sandals or flip-flops for paddling (if you forget them, you can have them custom-made in town), sun protection and a good book for lazy afternoons on the terrace.
- Luxury Hotel
- 58 rooms
- Restaurant and bar
- Only children aged 6 years and over are accepted
- Open all year
- Heated Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Concierge Service
- Boats
Rooms
After the dim corridor, bedrooms come as a wonderful surprise: bright white walls with a scattering of rustic portraits, gleaming Vietri-patterned floor tiles, a few antique pieces of furniture (a wave-fronted dresser and small desk, both in polished walnut), and shuttered French windows to a private balcony which looks out over the pool to a sparkling sea. It's a great spot for a sundowner - you'll find the minibar disguised in a marbled cabinet. The only sound, by day, is from the harbour dredger which seems to have become a permanent fixture in Positano; at night, it's astonishingly quiet (with windows shut and air-conditioning on). The bed, thankfully, is not antique, but a broad kingsize with firm mattress and buoyant pillows.
In the bathroom, clad in streaky grey marble and old-fashioned chrome taps, they have installed Jacuzzi tubs across the board. There are excellent bespoke toiletries and perfumes from Eau d'Italie (and, as a man, I'm not normally moved to such observations), which combine scents of bergamot, blackcurrant, incense and the ubiquitous lemon.
The majority of rooms are classified as Sea View, which deliver their promise to a T, and are the ones we'd recommend. The only ones that aren't are the Inner Courtyard rooms - which lack both balcony and view - and the Standard Double (Pool Terrace View) rooms - good for checking on kids, but less private and lacking those elevated views (generally the higher the room number, the better the view). Junior Suites are larger, with their sofa and armchairs in a separate space. Superior Junior Suites get larger balconies (some big enough for a family to sit out); one has a picture window by the Jacuzzi tub, so you can gaze out to sea while you soak. There are some communicating suites, which can be arranged to offer spacious 1 or 2-Bedroom Suites.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Minibar
- Safe box
- WiFi
Eating
On the pool level is the gorgeous La Sponda restaurant, no doubt the family's winter limonaia judging from the arcade of sea-facing windows and the potted lemon trees, still heavy with fruit in April. With the addition of elegant leafed chandeliers and vivid bougainvillea fanning up the vaulted ceilings, it feels like a cross between a botanic garden and a Baroque church.
Either way, it's a splendid setting for a refined, candlelit dinner, with occasional live guitarists to complete (one hopes) the romantic ambiance. Cuisine is delicate but not snobbish: roasted sea-bass sits alongside a classic Neapolitan scorfano all'acqua pazza (literally 'scorpion in mad water'), which is a local rock fish in light tomato sauce. Rack of lamb comes with fennel and Amalfi-style ratatouille, while desserts include a sinful almond and chocolate cake. It's not cheap but it is unfailingly good, if the comments of our co-diners were anything to go by.
One of the best breakfast buffets we've seen is laid out here on blue-white ceramic bowls and silver-domed stands, with everything a hungry Odysseus could have dreamed of and more: piping hot eggs, bacon and sausage, succulent melons, kiwi, strawberries and pineapple, patterned roundels of cottage cheese, long strips of prosciutto crudo, tender slivers of salmon and all manner of pasticcerie, from mini pains au chocolat to maxi jam tarts. You'll find jugs of freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, pineapple and carrot squashes, even a bottle of cava on ice. And it all tastes as good as it looks.
In high summer both breakfast and dinner move outside to the lemon-scented terrace, where there's also the fabulous Aldo's Bar. And of course there are plenty of other eateries in town, most of them offering Neapolitan-style seafood, pasta and pizzas at Positano-style prices. Reception staff will be glad to offer recommendations to suit your appetite and budget; a favourite is a meat-fest at one of the mountain taverns in the cliff-hanging village of Montepertuso (most offer transport to and from Positano).
Features include:
- Bar
- Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Restaurants nearby
- Room service
Activities
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Boat trips
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Nightlife
- Sailing
- Scuba diving
- Shopping / markets
- Snorkelling
- Swimming
- Well being
Kids
Children over 6 are welcome. Extra beds and baby-sitters can be arranged (subject to a supplement).
Family friendly accommodation:
Extra Beds Available
Babysitting:
Babysitting available by arrangement
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Le Sirenuse is in picture postcard Positano, 60km south of Naples.
From the Airport
Fly to Naples Capodichino (65km), then take a taxi to Positano (about 2 hours).
By Car:
We don't recommend hiring a car, as the roads are treacherous and clogged in summer, parking is expensive in Positano, and the boat service along the coast is pretty efficient. However, if you are touring around Italy by car we can recommend that you book your hire car well in advance in the summer months. See our car rental recommendations.
Detailed directions will be sent once your booking is confirmed.
Read our guide to Getting to Italy and Getting around
Airports:
- Naples - Capodichino 65.0 km NAP
Other:
- Beach 0.1 km
- Shops 0.1 km
- Restaurant 0.1 km