Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi

Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi Review

Under the moniker Hotel Cappuccini Convento this fabled medieval monastery was the most atmospheric hotel on the Amalfi Coast. Immortalized in postcards and paintings, lauded by such guests as Longfellow and Wagner, the view of Amalfi's waterfront from the hotel terrace became one of the first travel icons of the Victorian age. The 13th-century monastery morphed into a hotel in the mid-19th century; and until 2002 guests headed here to retreat into the sepia-colored past. But that year NH Hotels began a seven-year restoration, which was completed in 2009. First impressions? The ugly outside elevator has been replaced by an indoor modern monstrosity; the new entrance area on Via Matteo Camera, now adorned with steel sculpted motifs, has been scorned by locals. Ride up the cliffside and enter the hotel itself, however, and things look rosier. Still in place are some relics of the past, such as Victorian lecterns and Savonarola chairs, along with the celebrated Arab-Sicilian cloister. The contemporary-style guest rooms, though, are totally "corporatized." Once sublimely bare monk cells, they are now comfy cocoons with wicker settees and beds. Another change is that the restaurant—long derided as the worst on the coast—today takes dining seriously, serving local specialties with "an international flair." The stunning ½-km-long (¼-mile-long) terrace promenade holds the obligatory (small yet glorious) infinity pool but time-burnished columns and clouds of bougainvillea still frame timeless views of Amalfi's harbor. Alas, nonguests are no longer welcome.