My wife and I just returned from a seven night stay at the Hotel Parsifal. Simply put, it was outstanding. The hotel itself is very clean and uncomplicated. There is a guest use laptop with internet access in the main lobby which was convenient for sending quick emails. A central common room with comfortable seating and sea view is just off the main entrance. An outdoor terrace with a sea view is available anytime for relaxing or eating and drinking. Meals are served on the outdoor terrace (weather permitting), in the indoor dining room, which also has a spectacular view from any seat as the entire wall facing the sea is glass, or in your room (for a nominal additional service fee). The hotel has tile floor throughout and cathedral style rounded ceilings in the rooms. It is not “perfect”, but it is charmingly genuine. There are plans for a complete renovation within the next few years. The drawings for these upgrades are currently on display in the main lobby. I imagine that the rates will go up once these have been completed.

What to expect… The Parsifal is not a thoroughly modern, Americanized, pasteurized and homogenized hotel. It is an authentic Italian experience in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The staff and the food will amaze you. The rates are, for Ravello where you can easily spend upwards of $2,000 a night for a hotel, extremely reasonable.

The view… from our room it was spectacular as it is from just about anywhere in Ravello.

The room… We were in room 24, which faces Minori and overlooks the sea. The bed was firm and very comfortable; storage space was adequate for our needs. The bathroom was spacious and included a full size tub with a European shower. Room 23 ,which was next to ours, has an enormous balcony with a table and seating for four !

The food... We booked during July, so half-board was included; this is breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Breakfast is continental style with a selection that included: cappuccino, espresso, American coffee, teas, juices, yogurts, fresh and dried fruits, croissants, hard boiled eggs, salamis, cheeses, breads, pastries and a variety of cold cereals. Lunch was full fare; we ate lunch at the hotel only once during our stay and it was excellent. There was an appetizer course of tuna and anchovies with basil, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and an olive oil vinaigrette over homemade crusty bread followed by “flag” fish (described as a type of blue fish) with a fresh lemon and orange sauce, green beans from the hotel’s garden and a small serving of broiled potatoes, also from the garden. It was very light and cooked to perfection, one of our favorite meals of the stay. Dessert was a boozy and light home made coffee cake. We ate dinner at the hotel every night except once when we splurged and went out in town (we ate at Cumpa Cosimo, which was excellent!). Each night at the hotel we were presented with something inventive and delicious; house wines are regional and we sampled them based on Antonio’s expert recommendations. A full bar is also available for pre and post meal cocktails.

Things to do... We choose Ravello as our Amalfi Coast destination because it is peaceful and beautiful. There was more than enough for us to do and see in Ravello for the entire stay. If you want night clubs with thumping music which stay open all night, you will not find any. You will find a central town square which is alive with activity until late at night where you can sit and people watch, sip a limoncello or eat some gelato and just relax. We went to Capri, but regretted it. The ferry ride was vomitiously choppy on the way out and the island itself was overrun with tourists. We also went on a tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius which was booked through the hotel. It was an excellent tour and it only cost about 80 Euro for two people including all tickets and transport –recommended.

Antonio, Leonardo, Stefania, Raffaele, Raffaele Junior and especially the Chef / kitchen staff ! --Thank you so much for a wonderful stay.

A copy of my "Thank You" letter....

Antonio,

Jeremy and I are back from Italy and wanted to thank you for everything with regards to our wedding holiday.

First, I have to say, that EVERY member of my wedding party wants to come back to your hotel, to first see you and your wonderful family, and second to stay at your lovely hotel again!! From your tireless help in assuring every detail was ready for our arrival, to makeing every member of my family felt like part of yours, planning accomidations for my wedding party was a pleasure. I can assure you we will be back as soon as we are able.

I will absolutly pass the name of your hotel to anyone interested in staying in the area.

Jeremy and I hope you are well, and truly look forward to staying at the hotel and meeting you again when we come back for our wedding anniversaries.

Thank you!! Thank you!!

-Tracy

The Parsifal has a beautiful setting and spectacular views above the Amalfi coast. It also has exceptional, professional and friendly service.
When we arrived, not knowing what to do with our car, a staff member appeared at the portal to the former convent and unloaded our bags and took away the car. Our room was ready despite an early arrival and Antonio, the energetic manager of the family run hotel, walked us to our room. He later provided us with bus and ferry schedules and directions to any thing of interest in Ravello which is a lovely town, easy to walk around.
Drinks are available at any time on the balcony overlooking the rugged coastline and dinner is served on an outdoor patio, again with beautiful views. Breakfast is served in an open air sun room. Dinner and breakfast are included in the room rate and both are good (wine with dinner is extra. I suggest the house red as a good table wine.)
Our room and bath were good sized, simple and clean and came with a small balcony overlooking the beautiful garden in the cloister.
The hotel is a 10 minute walk to the main piazza and the bus stop down to Amalfi (15 minute ride). There is a little grocery store 50 meters away where fruit, wine, cheese and water can be bought until about 10pm. The hotel also provided free internet access via a computer in a lounge. Antonio also permitted me to print out our air tickets on the hotels private printer.
If you want a quiet, beautiful location on the Amalfi coast which is reasonably priced and has excellent service the Hotel Parsifal would be a great choice.
J. Amato

A former convent, complete with charming cloister and stunning views along the Amalfi Coast, the Hotel Parsifal provides atmospheric accommodation in a gorgeous setting. And Antonio and his family - who own and staff the hotel and who speak English fluently - provided consistently friendly and attentive service.

I stayed in the hotel's only single room - a small room with a tiny bathroom; comfortable furnishings; and a wonderful, deep window with a breathtakingly magnificent view. As Antonio noted, the room might begin to feel a bit cramped if one were to stay there for more than a few days, but it was more than sufficiently comfortable for a few days. At day's end, I could sit by "my" window (or on a small landing outside the room, or in the cloister) to watch the changing light. The stillness of the night was occasionally broken by the sound of a car - or a man walking his mule - on a nearby road. Wonderfully relaxing!

My room rate included half board, so in addition to a breakfast buffet that included a nice array of delicious foods, I ate two dinners at the Parsifal. Prepared with very fresh ingredients, both were good - one was especially memorable. In both cases, the service was excellent. I also enjoyed the wine that bears the hotel's label.

I hope to return to Ravello one day, and if I do so, I will definitely try to stay at the Hotel Parsifal again!