bad choice in positano?
 

i am booked into the villa rosa in positano for the beginning of may. the reviews i've been reading have not been too positive about the hotel. it seems the marincanto or miramare have mch better reviews at basically the same prices. i'm getting a little nervous about my choice. what do you think?

Where are you reading the negative reviews, and what are they saying? We stayed there in May of '01 and had a lovely room with a terrace that had a spectacular view of the sea and mountains. It was friendly, clean, nicely appointed in a kind of airy, light way, and at that time it was truly reasonable--less than $90 for a double.

I agree with grandmere - where are you seeing negative reviews on Villa Rosa? We stayed there (and got engaged there too) in 2001. Nothing but rave reviews based on our experience - absolutely a gem of a place with the exact same (incredible) views as the Le Sirenuse at a mere fraction of the cost. And they serve breakfast on your private terrace every day at no charge. The only qualifier would be that both our experiences are dated 2001 but would welcome a more recent opinion as we are planning on returning this Sept. Unless something VERY radical has happened I can only think that others are trying to keep this gem a secret and scaring others away………;=)

Here's one from Thonglori I read earlier today (although it is from lasyt year):

"POSITANO HOTEL - VILLA ROSA
OK. I might get flamed for this, but here goes. I know this is an online favorite and yes the room service for breakfast is great (the waiter is also quick and nice), and yes the view is outstanding, but I do not think I would stay here again. The terrace outside our 3rd floor room was not "private" -- it is a big terrace divided by bamboo "walls" and we could see and hear our neighbors quite clearly. This was also a security issue for us because anyone could just walk over the bamboo to get to our room. The bathroom was not in great condition (there was masking tape holding together the shower curtain rod). Every time we went downstairs, there was someone new at the front desk, some of which were not very helpful. Overall a good value for dollar, but we won't stay here again."
((H))

I was worried, too. I like staying in nice places, since I travel for business. But I needed two rooms in Italy, since I was with my family.I just returned from Villa Rosa. We loved it. We had room 39, family flat. The downside is 100 stairs to your room, but now you can justify gelato. The rooms are very clean and cheerful. If you are looking for complete privacy on your balcony, we saw other people. But the view is outstanding! The staff is very friendly.

We stayed at Villa Rosa in September 2003 while on our honeymoon. This was one of our favourites of our entire trip! The views are fantastic, staff is helpful, breakfast on the terrace can't be beat, location is central and we had a lovely, bright, simple room. This place, IMO, provides more than good value. The balcony is not completely private however, we never found it an issue while we ate breakfast there every morning and had drinks before dinner every night. No need for nervousness - I hope you enjoy Positano!

I never put too much stock in a single review. I like to have a sufficient number of sources, which are usually attainable on this site and even more so on tripadvisor.com.

I also concentrate on the specifics of the complaint/compliment. Personally, I focus on big things that separate a hotel from the rest in it's class.

Cost, room amenities and view are the biggest factors for me. For others it might be a helpful desk clerk and a private balcony. In most cases, there is no place that is "best for everyone". With ample planning and research, there are often many good choices.