This old Italian style hotel sits in the village of Pogerola, overlooking the town of Amalfi. If you want North American style hotels with modern amenities, this is not the place, BUT, if you want a taste of old Italy where you can have breathtaking views of the Sea, Amalfi, yachts floating by as you rest on your balcony, then this is the place. I really cannot speak to the costs as the hotel was part of our tour package. The head waiter Antonio is a darling, always greeting us with a smile and making sure we had our special seats, overlooking the sea. The concierge, Annie, is wonderful. She arranged our concert tickets for Ravello, made sure any of our problems were taken care of and spoke with perfect English. The free hotel shuttle provided allows you to get into the town of Amalfi where you can take buses all over the Amalfi Coast. This is a charming place when you want to step back in time and feel like a local traveller who will be offered up incredible vistas!

The hotel views were spectacular, however it felt like you were living in the 80's. This hotel is in desperate need of a refurbish. The shower dribbled out, the beds were like planks of wood, the air conditioner didn't work, the Internet was extremely slow and there was no safe in the room. The positives out of our stay were the views, the free shuttle and the head waiter at the restaurant who ran a tight ship. Amalfi was beautiful, however I wouldn't recommend this hotel to my friends or family.

There have been some mixed views about this hotel. My wife and I stayed here during the last week in September and enjoyed our stay. It's true that the hotel could do with some refurbishment but this is really a detail in relation to the overall experience. Architecturally the hotel is very interesting and a pleasure to stay in.

Our room was a good size, clean and enjoyed remarkable views from the balcony. The quality of service from the staff, particularly the resteraunt and bar staff was exceptional. With one exception (when it rained) evening were served on the resteraunts balcony although inside seating was available for those who wanted it. We did'nt eat in the hotel every night not because the food was poor but because we wanted a change of scene. Individual portions were not large but over three courses were sufficient.

The pool is a good size but the seating area around it is not sufficently spacious to allow the use of loungers. A terraced area adjoins the pool via a bar/cave where there is further seating and light lunches are served. We did'nt visit the beach as quite frankly we thought that the extra charge of 10 euros per person per visit was a rip off.

The hotel is actually in the village of Pogerola a few miles above Amalfi and I think that the secret of staying here is to always have a couple of SITA bus tickets so that you are not totally dependant on the hotel courtesy bus. There a selection of good bars and eateries in the village with Gerry's Bar being particularly special.

The hotel is very big but starting to look a bit tired. Very clean and tidy though. Only ate once in the restaurant as the food was awful and the portions were meagre. The bus service to the town is prompt and useful but unfortunately stops too early. Could have been a seasonal timetable as we did visit in October 2010.

The view from the balcony was positively amazing. The ports in Amalfi and the whole coastline was there to see. It's spectacular.