It’s no coincidence that the “borgo” of the hotel’s name means something closer to a hamlet or a village than a building in and of itself. (If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could swim a few minutes over to the neighboring bay to visit La Tonnarella, Jackie Kennedy’s go-to restaurant when holidaying in the region.)
Stepping out into the light, airy pool bar and terraced lunchtime restaurant, a small crew of attendants will happily guide you to a lounger and offer you a drink before you either dip your toe somewhere along the pebbled beach, or use the ladder adjacent to the private jetty to swim all the way out to a pontoon and look back at the hotel’s breathtaking situation atop an enormous cliff. It helps that there’s a sense of ceremony involved: an elevator from the hotel proper descends down 90 meters through the heart of the rocky outcrop on which it’s perched, before opening up to a long corridor that shimmers with the sunlight bouncing off the Tyrrhenian Sea. (You could happily eat this on a terrace for lunch among the hotel’s impressively established gardens, overflowing with fragrant winter jasmine and myrtle.)Īrguably the greatest draw of all here is the private beach-not only a rarity for hotels situated within the sprawling hilltowns of the Amalfi Coast, but one that boasts a truly spectacular setting. For dining, there are three restaurants to pick from, all overseen by the Michelin star-awarded chef Crescenzo Scotti, offering a range of experiences from gourmet tasting menus featuring locally-sourced ingredients to hearty plates of spaghetti alle vongole. For those who might not necessarily be able to sort their Marco Zanusos from their Tobia Scarpas, Borgo Santandrea still delivers the utmost in comfort, with beds decked out in Once Milano linens and Acqua di Parma products in the bathroom that capture the scent of citrus so closely associated with the Amalfi experience. As if that wasn’t enough, many of Borgo Santandrea’s sleek furniture pieces come directly from one of the owner’s private collections, lending it a familial, warmer touch.Īll that said, the property wears all this design know-how lightly. (The tiles which feature in every room, for example, took almost two years to complete.) The architect Bonaventura Gambardella, who masterminded the overhaul of the property, is a native of the nearby Ravello, having previously worked on the town’s five-star jewel of a hotel, Palazzo Avino. The hotel itself is the product of a collaboration between its owners, two families with a deep-rooted history on the nearby island of Ischia, who looked to build a hotel that not only celebrated Italy’s rich 20th-century design history, but also the impressive skills of local artisans. With their well-established and steadfast clientele, many of whom are likely return year after year, why would they change? Still, for the most part, the classic Amalfi Coast five-star hotels remain firmly in a traditional mold, emphasizing their historical pedigree and old-world charm. When it comes to the upper echelon of luxury hotels, there are few places in the world as spoiled for choice as this 34-mile-long stretch of beaches, grottos, and vertiginous cliffs. While the mouthwateringly fresh seafood and tangy limoncello or the crystal clear waters of a private swimming cove are indisputable highlights, it’s the sheer natural beauty of the region-and yes, those views-that has led to its ubiquity. The real treat, though, is a grand surprise the next morning when you pull open your curtains or shutters to reveal those views: The horizon perfectly bisecting the dusty blue skies and sparkling seas, and the rocky outcrops teeming with picture-perfect clifftop towns, framed by bougainvillea.
As you approach your accommodation, you’ll find yourself catching glimpses of the resort towns that spill down from the mountains to the sea, the lights of their grand hotels and harbors twinkling gently. From the bustle of Naples Airport, you’ll find yourself winding through the scattered villages and homesteads of the Lattari Mountains before emerging on the other side to one of the world’s most breathtaking coastal roads, famous as much for its show-stopping views as for its hair-raising hairpin bends. There’s an argument to be made that a perfect stay on the Amalfi Coast begins with arriving at night.