Has anyone stayed in one of the following hotels in Positano: Poseidon, Palazzo Murat, L'Ancora, Miramare or Royal? What was your experience? For the Poseidon, is it within walking distance to beach? Thanks!

anyone????

Mike, I am familiar with the Poseidon and the Palazzo Murat. The former is much higher on the hill and takes some walking to the beach. The Murat is much closer to the beach and shopping but does not have the views. Both are great hotels--the town is vertical and your choice is a trade-off of vistas or less walking.

Hi Mike; I stayed at the Plazzio Murat about 4 years ago; and loved it.I know that's not exacly recent;but in Italy things do not change too quickly.The Murat is very close to the beach; when you compare it to the other hotels.It's true there is no view; but there is a lovely garden patio to have breaskfast or a drink in the afternoon.<BR>La Dolce Italy

Hi Mike,<BR><BR>Being near the beach is convenient for hopping the ferries to Capri or the town of Amalfi, but the beach itself is small with very dark sand and rocky.<BR><BR>I would strongly suggest staying at a hotel with a view of the hills of Positano, so that you enjoy the beauty of the twinkling evening lights that emanate from the pensiones and restaurants. <BR><BR>I was not that impressed with the Poseidon, although it is one of the only hotels in Positano where you can get a massage. L'Ancora was very nice, and it is right next to Le Sirenuse, one of the most expensive hotels in Positano. The views from L'Ancora would be fantastic. On the other side of the street is the hotel Villa Rosa, and it looks over L'Ancora and Le Sirenuse, but the rates are only around 140 euro! I checked out several of the rooms there, and they were just lovely. Lastly, if money is no object, then the San Pietro is the only way to go. <BR><BR>Hope this helps! I wrote up great shopping, and dining tips on my travelogue on fodors.com. If you type in "kiki" into the searchbox and scroll down, you will find them.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR><BR>Kiki

Stayed at the Murat last year. There are 2 sections of the hotel, new and antiq. We had a fabulous view from our room.We were in the older section. Really only meaning the furniture.I would def. stay there.

I stayed at the Poseidon about two weeks ago. It is a very nice hotel, I believe 4 stars, with an incredible view of the town and the water below. All rooms have a large terrace with some lounge chairs so you can enjoy the view from your room. The breakfast was outstanding, probably the best I had during my entire stay in Italy. I had lunch at the hotel as well, and while the food was good, it was overpriced. I did use the services of the spa and had a massage, and by American standards the services are very inexpensive. I had a full hour massage for 45 Euro. There is a small staircase about 30 feet from the hotel that leads down to the beach. The walk down only took about 5 minutes, however, the walk back up the stairs took a little longer.

Mike - We stayed at L'Ancora last Fall and just loved it. Views were magnificent, rooms were pretty and spacious, the staff was extremely friendly and they have free parking - apparently somewhat of a rarity. We felt it was quite reasonable too. Good location - high enouh for a nice view, but close enough for a fairly short walk to the beach. It is right next Le Sirenuse which was lovely for drinks. L'Ancora is small and no frills, but perfect for us. Enjoy!

Hi Mike,<BR><BR>If you are a smoker, then go to the Poseidon. I had no problems of smoky lobbies, etc in any of the hotels in Italy that I visited on my recent trip, except for the Poseidon. Every room I went to it was smoky. <BR><BR>Also, the hotel is situated somewhat too high up on the hill, not near the shopping, restaurants, etc. that L'Ancora or Le Sirenuse. <BR><BR>Lastly, Poseidon is just too big a hotel for Positano. There are so many adorable smaller hotels that give you the real feel of Positano. I felt that the Poseidon was just like a Westin - too gaudy and conference-oriented. <BR><BR>Hope this helps - Jon.

Well, we are leaving for Italy in about a week and wouldn't you know it, an inordinate amount of negative posts start popping up about some of our hotels! We are staying at the Caesar Augustus hotel in Capri (which received some terrible reviews recently) and then ending our trip at the Poseidon in Positano! I'll be sure to report back when I return (at the end of July) as I have received a lot of great info. from this site.

I have to admit I have a very biased opinion. I throroughly enjoyed my stay at the Poseidon, but I got married on their terrace and broke the piggy bank on one of their awesome suites. My husband and I receive impeccable service from everyone we encountered and I also enjoyed the hour long massage and a complimentary turkish bath. We only had breakfast at the hotel but wow it was yummy and very nicely presented.<BR><BR>So, for what it is worth, I enjoyed my 4 nights at Poseidon. I just remembered that when we checked in we were to have a regular room for the first night, but since they had avail. they went ahead and gave us the suite for the "regular" room rate. My kind of upgrade. <BR><BR>PS. Don't fret Nicole, I am sure you will have a nice stay in both your hotels. Happy Trails.<BR><BR>Jessica