Santa Caterina or San Pietro???
 

Good morning!<BR>I am looking for advice on whether to stay at the Santa Caterina in Amalfi or the San Pietro in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. For anyone who has been, I would appreciate your comments. Thanks!

I have only stayed at the San Pietro and it is even more wonderful than I imagined--and I am tough to please. The food, the views, the service, the comfort, decor and ammenities. It ranks number 1 on my list. I don't know if there is a beach at the Santa Caterina. Maybe someone who has stayed there can tell you.

The Santa Catarina doesn't have a beach, just a small swimming area along the boulders with a ladder into the water. While the San Pietro is beautiful, I was not overly impressed with its food or service and much prefer the Sirenuse to any other hotel on the Amalfi Coast.

I would echo the sentiments regarding Le Sirenuse. Truely superb. The only other comparable hotel is Palazzo Sasso in Ravello. Why not split your time between the 2.

I have stayed at Santa Caterina. I stayed in a junior suite [$650/night]. It had a huge comfortable kingsized bed. a jacuzzi room and a shower/toilet room. In other words, one can shower in one room while the other goes in the jacuzzi. There were two TVs [oh yes that's good because we stayed around the time of World Cup Soccer and we were not about to miss it] one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The living room was about 75% as big as the bedroom and had nice furnishings [kinda like being in a little version of House Beautiful]. Then of course there is the fantastic balcony with a little table and two chairs for you to watch the sun as it sets or rises. The rooms are built into the cliffs and the walk from the hotel reception to your rooms is fantastic [they even have a lemon groove] and romantic. The pool area is wonderful too and yes they do not have a beach but you can jump into the sea water if you wish. There are boats too. The ride down to the pool is equally fascinating. <BR><BR>The junior suite rooms comes with a breakfast buffet and this is not your ordinary run of the mill italian breakfast but rather a breakfast such as what you think the elite deserve [and I am not part of that group mind you]. If you haven't fallen deeply in love with someone yet but are on the verge of, this hotel will push you into that state.<BR><BR>The best hotel I have stayed in so far!

Based on location, I'd pick Le Sireneuse, since it's based in the town of Positano. No shuttle bus/car necessary for simple strolls to shops, restaurants, etc., as it would be from the other two hotels. Guess it depends what you're looking for- resort as destination, or resort as part of a larger setting in a town. Good luck, and have a wonderful time!

Another vote for Santa Caterina. The &quot;small&quot; swimming area&quot; mentioned above is actually the entire Med...as you can dive right in. The water is deep and clear. There is a large sundeck area right in the cliffs and they also have a small pool. From my view of San Peitro from the water, there is a beach but it is rocky (there really are no sand beaches on this part of the Med) and I believe it would be mostly in the shade all day, as it is a semi-circle built inside the cliffs.<BR><BR>The views from Santa Caterina are spectacular. You can walk to Amalfi in 10 minutes (down hill) or take the hourly shuttle van. San Pietro is a bit outside all the main towns.