Help! I have narrowed down my choices for Positano hotel...
 

Hello! I have narrowed down my choices for my Positano hotel, however I am really debating on this one and I was hoping to get some insight from you all. Here are the choices:

1) Hotel Marincanto - great location with pool and private beach. 210 Euro per night, however if we stay 7 nights, we can get it for 193 Euro per night.

2) Casa Albertina - seems like a lovely choice, but I am not sure if I will get tired of all the steps? I am in good shape, but after a long day of sightseeing, I am sure anyone would be tired. 187 Euro per night. No pool.

3) Hotel Villa Mary - this is the most budget choices with rooms ranging from 130 Euro and up for a sea view room. I am worried that this hotel is too "pushed back" and we won't get that Positano postcard view off our balcony. No pool.

4) Hotel Villa Franca - Right now their prices are 220 Euro and up, but I just emailed them to see if they offer discount for cash or longer stays. They have a pool. Also, their sea view room for 220 Euro says "partial view." So, I am worried about that....

Does anyone have any experience with these hotels? I am really stumped on this and I am really debating if I will need a pool in Sept. (8th-13th) We wished our hotel had a pool in Bellagio, but then again we didn't take day trips anywhere. With Positano, we will be day tripping to Capri, Ravello, etc...

ttt

Jill, wish I could help, but I've never been to Positano. Are you going in June? My Italy trip is in April and June is Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

I noted the Marincanto location and ambiance during our visit in May and liked both. I have stayed at the Casa Albertina and loved the view but those steps are killers. I would opt for the former.

Scatcat - I am going next Sept. 2011. It sounds like you have a fantastic 2011 planned. I definitely want to see Austria some day. Where are you going in Italy?

Bob - Yes, the Albertina rooms and view look lovely, but those steps do seem like a lot at the end of the day. Does the hotel have a courtesy shuttle? I guess it is a good way to work off all that pasta. haha.

Bob - one more question - did you have a porter take your luggage up? Is that included in the cost of the hotel?

Jill, I am going to Bologna, Santa Margherita Ligure, Bellagio, then on to Nice. My son travels with me for the September trip and he hasn't decided where except Prague and 1 night in Frankfurt for the International Auto Show. It is held every other year in Frankfurt and he thinks he can't miss it. I want to go to the Amalfi coast, but I will wait until he can go with me. Maybe I can talk him into it for September!

Jill, I will also be in Positano in mid September. After much debate, questions and re-reading all the posts on Fodors etc., we booked the Villa Mary. It looks so beautiful. However, I am a little concerned about the steps. My sister and my friend keep assuring me that we will have "toned" legs after climbing all of those stairs, and we exercise regularly, but I think it's going to be tiring...I can tell you that there is a bus stop right near the Villa Mary, the owners told us that. We are planning on hiring a driver to take us from Sorrento to the Villa Mary initally, not so much because of the laziness...but because we are so limited on time. Look forward to hearing what you choose. Susan

Scatcat - We went to Bellagio and Cannes this past summer. Let me know if you need any advice for those places. It is the least I can do after all the help you have given me.

Susan - Good to know about the bus stop! Thanks for the info. After looking through Tripadvisor photos, it looks like many of the Villa Mary sea view rooms have a bit of an obstruction from a more "inner" building and it seems like it is more of a partial sea view room. However, this hotel is the cheapest and the rooms look lovely.

I would want a pool in mid/early September. And I would want a view.

The steps are killers all over Positano, but you are much younger than I, and if I can do them, you can do them. Still, to me, Positano is one of those places where spending just a little more can enhance your trip. The view is key, and if you hate to be hot and sticky, or love to swim, a pool can make your stay so much nicer.

We stayed in Positano at the Villa Franca for our 10th anniversary in .....1992! How time flies....

We loved Positano and enjoyed our stay at Villa Franca and have recommended both to family and friends over the years. It has been several years howver, since anyone we know has stayed there so I cannot provide up-to-date info as to condition/staffing of the hotel, but I remember the hotel providing Positano postcard views (we had a room, not suite, with a small balcony), using the small pool (lots of steps to the beach), and being able to get in and out of town for day trips fairly easily (we had a rental car!).

I planned a trip to Italy for friends, who went in October. They opted to stay in Sorrento because they were concerned about the many steps in Positano. But then they are my age--not yours!

Anyway, if you need car/driver/guide, they used Francesco Marrapese's service to pick them up at the Naples airport and take them to/from their hotel, for a day trip along the coast, and for a visit to Pompeii. They rave about him.

I am so torn! I have narrowed it down to Hotel Marincanto and Villa Franca. Both have pools and are around the same price. 193 Euro and 198 Euro per night.

With Hotel Marincanto - they really don't seem to have any pictures of their standard double rooms on their website. (just superior and highter) I hate when hotels do that.

With Villa France - our budget only opts for a partial sea view room and I don't want to have to twist my neck to see the sea. However, it totally might be fine. Can't tell without being there.

It is so hard to decide without knowing these little details...

If you get on trip advisor and scroll through the photos for Villa Franca there is one photo which shows what the person says must be the cheapest room in the hotel: the room appears to view a/c equipment or some such and you have to step on the balcony and look for a sliver of sea. That would be disappointing.

Perhaps you should just call the hotels and ask about the view for standard room or partial sea view.

Yes--I would be very leery of that "partial sea view!" If a sea view was important to me, I would not take a room with that description. If you are planning to actually swim, you should make sure about the size of any pool, as most of them in that area are quite small.

If your budget is tight and you plan to spend a lot of time daytripping, why don't you look out of Positano? You can always visit on a daytrip.

I'm no expert specific to Positano, but "partial sea view" usually means yes you have to "twist your neck" or peak thru between buildings or some equivalent. If it was the true open view you are seeking, they'd wouldn't need to use the word "partial" (just a guess and imo).

JillDavis,

Perhaps you have already been through this, but were I staying for 7 nights, I would rent an apartment. This likely means you would be doing all your swimming in the Mediterranean (which would be my preference to begin with), but you may find some with pools.

You can get some idea of what's on offer, plus read user reviews by looking on Tripadvisor or FlipKey. I've also seen people recommending the agency SummerInItaly, which has copious listings on its website.

But if you'd rather be in a hotel, I wouldn't let stairs deter you. If stairs are alarming to you, then you should probably be thinking about someplace other than Positano for a 7 day base. (Amalfi is flatter, Ravello and Sorrento flatter still). Since you've put your picture on your profile, I hope you don't mind my saying you look young and gloriously healthy, and unless you are carrying more than 40 pounds of luggage, you should be able to get to any hotel or apartment in Positano, and walk to and from the sea every day. If you are an American, the first time you do it you will think you deserve a medal, but after that, you realize it is plenty doable.

I wouldn't say the same to someone over 65 or with mobility problems, and if you have them, by all means look for a lower elevation with direct flat access from the road. But many of the nicest places throughout the region are tucked away up staircases, away from the tourist zoo.

PS: I just looked up the number of stairs to Casa Albertina. It is 72. I've climbed that many every day living in a 7th floor atelier in Paris, and regularly climb 3 times as many where I live in Italy just to put out my recycling. I don't know if the place is any good, but if you see someplace you adore with 80 steps, you might not want to let the steps deter you. It might be much quieter there.

PPS: Can I be so obnoxious as to add that I also keep in an office in Italy, and it is 106 steps from the street to the office door. I routinely carry no end of things up those stairs, including chairs, books and desk computers. I'm not superwoman.

Thank you everyone for your responses. Happy New Year by the way!

After much debate and pondering over your comments, we decided to go with Hotel Marincanto. You can't go wrong with the price for 193 Euro with a pool in a fabulous location (not too high and not too low and close to everything.) Perfect sea view.

It is so great though to hear everyone's experiences and comments.

Good choice Jill !
Yes, I think a photo in your profile is always a good idea.
Why not everyone?