Marincanto Hotel Positano
 

Has anyone stayed at this hotel recently?

I've found some mentions, but they are old. Hotel has recently been redone.

The pictures on web site are nice, but hotels always show their best room(s) on the site. Can find no reviews in guidebooks, tripadvisor, fodors rant/rave, etc. Perhaps we are safer sticking with better known hotel??

I think it is on the same street as Sirenuse.

I was going to mention this hotel to you after reading your post re: villa franc's balconies. I thought this hotel looked lovely on the web site. Michelin guide gives it a "very comfortable" rating (check viamichelin.com.) They have been very friendly and prompt in their emails to me. The rates are pretty reasonable, too. But, like yoiu, I couldn't find any current reviews from Fodorites

I just emailed them this morning and they got right back to me.

The prices are cheaper than the Miramare or the Villa Franca, and they offer King Bed and Jacuzzi, plus private terrace.

I can't understand, though, why NO guidebook has them listed. I feel a little better that Michelin has them. How reliable are their ratings?

I feel the same way. Michelin guides are quite reliable with restaurants reviews (although a current publication disputes this), but I don't know about their hotel guide. Did you view the site through italyby.com or through the marincanto.it site? I will say that Monica has been very prompt and very friendly in her emails to me. I like the idea of a private descent (which Monica said takes less than 3/4 minutes) to the beach.

I saw the hotel first on Italyby and was not impressed, then saw the new "it" site, which is after the renovations.

I wish I could find a few people who have stayed here recently....

ttt

I have friends living in Positano. They recommended the Marincanto. It doesn't have a restaurant so that might explain why it doesn't show up in some publications.

Thanks for the information on Marincanto, Wandering Texan. I know you love Le Sirenuse. I wish we could afford to stay there, but we will have to settle for a meal there instead. Good luck with the wedding plans!

My husband and I stayed in an apartment last summer next door to the Marincanto. To get to the apartment, we had to walk through the patio of this hotel where they served breakfast. It is a lovely hotel, very nice appointments, great lobby. I didn't see any of the rooms, but they're on the right side of the road so views should be stunning. Small and not very crowded. Not too far up the hill. I think anyone would be happy.

awbaker -
Are you going to Positano? Did you decide to stay at Marincanto?

After hearing about the steps, and the fact that they are not so bad at the Marincanto (I still don't understand how that is), and the fact that it is on same street as Sirenuse and near a bus stop, we might also just go for it.

Still, if ANYONE has ever stayed here recently, would love to hear your experience.

The Marincanto is not supposed to have as many steps... I think that it probably means that you can enter from the street level and the hotel probably has elevators. I do love the Sirenuse, but it is getting too expensive for me too! We decided to stay there for our daughter's wedding because we wanted to be at an hotel that could help us handle any situations or problems we might have, such as getting the wedding gown pressed, etc. I think the Marincanto looks wonderful. I am going to try to remember to check it out while I am there next month. Why don't you post on SeaUrchin's thread and see if she can check it out for you since she is in Amalfi now. awbaker, thanks for the good wishes. We leave on June 12 and the wedding is still on June 16.

check out hotel Buca Di Bacco...I stayed there last August and loved it. The staff was great, the rooms were nice and the food was amazing....plus you are right on the beach.

http://www.bucadibacco.it/

Wanderer -- I did reserve a superior double at the Marincanto. I considered Buca di Bacco, but the rate was 288 for a superior room. I also like the looks of Covo dei Saraceni.

Wandering Texan, great idea about asking SeaUrchin to check it out! I'm going to do that right now. I know you will be quite busy in June, but if you do happen to check out the Marincanto, it would be greatly appreciated.

Same here. awbaker, please email me at [email protected] when you return re: the Marincanto.

I finally found a listing for it today - in Charming Hotels of Italy guide. It sounds like the review was written before the remodeled, as it mentioned "decor from the 50s".

How do I post to SeaUrchin's thread?

Here's the thread: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34498986

When are you going to Italy? We are going in late August/early September.

Not going until May of 05, but we have to make flight arrangements next month since we are using frequent flyer tickets, so thought I'd check out the hotels also.

Thanks for the link.

I am so happy to top this message with a GREAT review for Marincanto Hotel!

We just returned from our honeymoon, & havent had time to do a trip report yet, but the one thing i definitly wanted to do when we got back was give this hotel a good review. We too couldnt find many fodors recommendations on it but loved the website & the rates were way more reasonable than the Sirenuse & many others, so we decided to go for it.

We booked a Junior Suite Special - 320 Euro/ night, & it was fabulous! It honestly looked exactly like the pictures on the website, we were not disappointed at all. The room was huge with a living area & a big white bed separated from the room with tall white sheer curtains - so romantic! the bathroom was pretty big, nice new tile, with a good sized shower. & the BEST part of the room was the double jacuzzi! it was connected to the bathroom, but could also be accessed from the terrace. it faced the ocean on one side & the other side was glass doors looking out onto our terrace with the same view as our terrace - the ocean & the town. The terrace was very big, i think the standard rooms had smaller terraces, but even they were a nice size, but ours was larger & the view was unbelievable.

The hotel staff was really nice, and as mentioned, there are no steps to worry about here. you enter from the street level & take an elevator down to the lobby. The breakfast was good, & the hotel has beautiful views from the breakfast patio, as well as a large sun deck they have with lounge chairs - no pool though.

Honestly, i know everyone raves about the view from the Sirenuse, but I cant imagine much better views than those from our room & from the hotel itself. We even went on the Sirenuse balcony to see what we were missing, & felt like we werent missing anything. The view from there was spectaular, but so was ours.

This was our first trip to Positano, and only my second trip to Italy, so we dont have a ton of experience or many hotels to compare it to - & this room/rate was really a "splurge" for us, but honestly i would recommend this hotel to anyone, it was the highlight of our trip!

i hope to do a trip report soon, this board was so helpful to us, but i hope for now this post can help someone else!

Thanks for the review, pjmay! I booked a superior double for August. I couldn't decide between the junior suite and the superior double because the descriptions were the same. Maybe the J.S. is bigger? I asked Monica at the hotel, but kept getting the same description. So I'll check out the superior double and report back to everyone. What is the private descent to the beach? Is this a private stairway or elevator? Did the hotel have a restaurant or bar? Were the towels and linens good? Did they have a blowdryer?

I'm so glad someone finally stayed here to report back to us! Congratulations on your marraige! I hope you can do a trip report, too.

happy to give the report awbaker!

the private descent to the beach is a huge set of steps. we ran fast down them on the day we were catching a ferry to Amalfi, & we woke up late... theres aLOT of steps! but, going down them isnt bad, & the views are great! i dont think id have attempted walking back up them, the walk up the hill on the street past all the shops & restaurants was much nicer & easier.

also they drop you off at a part of the beach that isnt really usable. you have to walk a little bit to the rocky part where everyone is. there are a bunch of lounge chairs set up on the beach pretty close by. i THINK they are for guests of a specific hotel, but Im not sure. We sat on them anyway, b/c more than half of them were empty & no one said anything, but in high season when you're there, they may all be full, & you may have to use the more public part of the beach. as far as i could tell the marincanto didnt really have a private beach or anything.

the hotel didnt have a restaurant or bar i dont think, but they did serve a nice breakfast every morning.

the towels were great, fluffy & white. we really missed them when we got to Rome & basically were toweling off with a pillowcase!

they had a blowdryer, but dont count on it. it was like a vacuum hose & not powerful at all. i have long hair & after a day or 2 i just stoppped trying to blowdry it & went frizzy the whole time! if your hair is short you should be ok though.

as for the difference between the rooms, im not sure what a Superior Double is. I had asked Monica before about the difference between a "Jr Suite" & a "Junior Suite Special" & she said the "Jr Suite Special" was larger & had the double jacuzzi so thats what we booked.

If I were you Id find out if your room definitly has the jacuzzi. Unless you dont care about that. But i saw that you are spending 288E & we spent 320E. for an extra 32Euros I think its definitly worth it.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks so much for the additional info! We actually were quoted 220 euros for the superior room, 275 for the j.s. or 320 for the j.s. special. I think I will still stick with the superior room reservation. I'm so glad to hear that the rooms are as beautiful as on the web site.

Here is how Monica decribed the differences in the rooms (superior vs. the regular j.s.):

the superior rooms have either Jacuzzi bath (front view) or Jacuzzi shower;
the junior suites all with Jacuzzi bath (front view).
Both rooms terraces are enought ample to sit outside and enjoy the sun, the beautiful view of Positano.

Did you stay in Capri also? If so, where did you stay there? We are booked in a j.s. at Caesar Augustus.

ooops, i read your post wrong, the 288 was your quote from Bucca di Bacco.

your room sounds great, esp for 220 night. Im sure your going to love it there, & ill be interested in hearing how the double superior room was!

we did not stay in Capri. We took a day trip there from Sorrento, but it was cloudy & rainy that day, so we got back on the ferry right after lunch. Didnt get to see much of Capri - took a boat ride around the island which was nice before we left. Theres always next time!

Glad to finally have a trip report for the Marincanto!!

Now I have a dilemna, as we were set on the Villa Rosa, but Marincanto sounds a little more upscale. Of course it is also a little more $$!!

awbaker, I too am trying to find out more about the Superior Double, especially size of the terrace and getting the same standard answers. I'm hoping someone stays there in the meantime and can let us know!

How long are you staying on Capri?

I still think the superior double will be very nice.

We are staying 2 nights in Capri. Where did you decide to stay there?

We are staying at La Minerva. it looks really pretty, has great views, has gotten great reviews on tripadvisor, and it is inexpensive compared to Brunella, etc.

pjmay -- do you have any photos of the Marincanto that you could email to me? [email protected]

hi aw...
i do have some! i will try to scan them in the next day or 2 & i'll email them to you...i only have access to a scanner at my parents house, where i dont live anymore!!

awbaker -
Could you pass along the Marincano pics? We are still considering this hotel... [email protected]

thanks pjmay! It will be much appreciated, but please, at your own convenience.

I just fell upon this thread today and can I just say how happy I am to FINALLY read a review on Marincanto?!!!!
I think I found this hotel on Italyby.com and when I checked the site I thought the place was GORGEOUS, but like you guys could not find ONE review anywhere! So I was actually starting to get really nervous and have been researching other Fodor/Tripadvisor/Frommer recommended hotels! I was just doing a Yahoo search on Marincanto when this link popped up! I am going there in October for our honeymoon and have a junior suite booked. But after reading pjmay's junior suite special that sounds very tempting!!! We will have to think abt it tho since it may not be within our budget...

I was actually seriously cosidering booking Buca di Bacco since it got great reviews but for 288euros you get a superior double whereas at the Marincanto you get a junior suite for the same price!

After reading these reveiws, I think I will keep my reservation at Marincanto! Thanks for the postings!!!

Dukes,
We will possibly see you there in October, as I am getting married in Positano on October 8 and will be at the Marincanto from October 4 through 9. I assume that you checked out www.marincanto.it (not in English yet but still gives you a great idea). Why this hotel is not reviewed on the Fodors web site or in their book on the Amalfi Coast is a total mystery.

Raleighite,

We'll be there from 10/7/2004-10/12/2004! Congratulations on your wedding! What made you guys decide to get married in Positano? And choose Marincanto?? I'm hoping the English version is up soon! The place looks gorgeous on the website! I'm hoping and praying that this place is one of those secret gems that not too many ppl know abt yet (thus the better rates compared to the other 4 star hotels!) I'll have to look out for your wedding on the 8th!

Dukes -- I ended up booking a room at the Miramare. It was a tough decision because I really liked the looks of the Marincanto & the rooms, and the staff was very helpful in my many emails exchanged with them. I still might check out the Marincanto while we are there for future reference. If I do, I'll give you a report & possibly some pics -- we return early September.

We had 3 rooms at Villa Franca in July, 2000. The rooms were in the annex and were lovely. We had terraces looking out over Positano. The hotel has a wonderful pool on the roof with cooling breezes and enchanting views of Positano and the Med. The included breakfast was great and the service impeccable.

Awbaker,
That would be great if you could post abt Positano/Marincanto after you return in September! Not that I'll be able to change hotels by then since they will probably all be booked but at least I'll know what to expect!! I have 4 other hotels on the list I am consdiering (Buca di Bacco, L'ancora, Punta Regina, Villa Franca) but I think I may just stick w/Marincanto. I dont think I checked out the Miramare...I'll do that now!

Dukes,
We just thought that Positano looked like the most romantic place to tie the knot, and so we went for it. It should be a blast. Our wedding will be at the Town Hall on 10/8 at 3 in the afternoon. Then dinner somewhere yet to be determined. We picked the Marincanto after someone who stayed in a villa next door told us about it. Before that, I had planned at staying at either the Poseidon or possibly Le Agavi. If you get in early-ish on the 7th, maybe we can catch you for a drink or something in the hotel lobby. On the 8th, we're going to be REALLY busy, and then we leave for Rome on the morning of the 9th. Hope to see you there. Email me at [email protected] if you want to catch up with us on the evening of the 7th. We'll be "old timers" in Positano by then! :)

Well I have just stumbled across this site as well while I was desperately searching for a review of Marincanto. I have now booked a double superior room for a weekend at the beginning of September so I will let you know what I think when I get back. I hope its as lovely as it sounds.

I am planning staying at this hotel also. Can any provide comment on the resturants or caffes in the area - since there is no bar or resturant there? Thanks!!

top -

vin -- try typing positano AND restaurants in the search box. That should give you some suggestions. You should probably post a separate thread asking people for suggestions, since this one is about the Marincanto.

I am going to Positano in -- YEA!! -- 3 weeks!!!! Here's a list of restaurants I've put together for my itinerary, but I have not been to any of them:

Positano
Ristorante Bruno on via c. columbo 157
La Cambusa
Chez Black
Murat restaurant
Poseidon restaurant
Da Vincenzo
Saraceno d?oro
Lo Guarracino
Da Adolfo -- take free boat here
drinks at Sirenuse

Montepertuso (village above Positano)
Il Ritrova
La Tragliata
Donna Rosa

Priano (village next to Positano)
La Strada

Ravello (village above Amalfi)
Cumpo Cosimo
drinks at Palazzo Sasso

Positano is not that big, so you can really go eat at any of the restaurants there, i didnt find it a problem that there was no restaurant at the hotel.

We had a very good lunch at Bucca DiBacco right on the beach, its a bit of a walk from the hotel, but I imagine you'd be checking out the beach anyway. Depends on what youre looking for but theres 2 restaurants at Bucca di Bacco. the one directly on the beach is less expensive & had pizza, salads etc. thats where we ate. The food was great & the atmosphere was fantastic, being right on the beach.
theres another one above it which looked more upscale.

Theres a restaurant just a tiny bit down the hill from Marincanto which we never ate at, but I wish we had. Im sorry I dont know the name. They have several tables set up outside on the sidewalk looking right out over the ocean & the town. You cant miss it. Dont know how the food is, but I almost think it wouldnt matter much - Id go there just to eat with that view!

One of our best meals was at Donna Rosa, in a small town way up in the hills above Positano. The staff at the desk arranged a reservation for us & a cab. Order the spinach ravioli, they were unbelievable. This is a more upscale restaurant, definitly worth the money. Though our service wasnt the best actually.

Theres a restaurant across from the hotel Posiedon that had amazing views & probably some of the best pizza we ever had. I think its called Il Capitano or something like that. It has a huge sign that says PIZZA! It was very cheap (except for the $4 can of diet coke) & the view was unbelievable. This is a bit of a hike from Marincanto too, but again if youre exploring the town, it wont be far.