Il San Pietro Di Positano by Joanna Monkhouse

Il San Pietro di Positano is without doubt the number one hotel on the Amalfi Coast. An architectural triumph, the hotel cascades down the cliff, submerged beneath the bouganvillea, vines, Virginia creeper and numerous other exotic plants that cover the terraces and even some internal ceilings. It was built in stages throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s by Carlo Cinque, a man who grew up in the Albergo Miramare and who had the vision and foresight to create such a place, designed and landscaped nearly everything himself, first as a private villa and later as a hotel. San Pietro is still run by his family to the same high standards that he instilled.

The entrance of the hotel is discreet - half way between the villages of Positano and Praiano, on a corner of the narrow, winding coastal road, it is only the small C17th chapel of San Pietro and a small parking area that distinguish it. Several steps lead down to a lift that descends to the lobby and lounge - a light and spacious room of vast proportions with long, white sofas, coffee tables, chairs, antique objets d’art and paintings including a portrait of the founder - with huge expanses of glass through which can be seen the panoramic views of the two villages and the vast expanse of sea in between.

The large terrace capitalises on this magnificent view of the Mediterranean, as does every room at San Pietro, and hence the reason for it being only one room deep, each carefully hewn out of the cliff face. There are further terraces on various levels, one containing the unheated pool, for a refreshing dip. All of the 60 bedrooms have private terraces spilling over with greenery. The rooms are large and are luxuriously appointed, each individually decorated, with cool, hand painted tile floors, rugs and a stylish mixture of art, antiques and fresh simplicity. The bathrooms have Jacuzzis. ‘Special’ rooms have particularly impressive terraces or bathrooms - some with glass walls overlooking the sea. These rooms cannot be reserved in advance and are allocated on arrival.

The restaurant has a large covered terrace and serves excellent Italian food that is beautifully presented, incorporating vegetables from the hotel’s gardens. These can be seen if you eschew the 88m lift that descends through the rock and take the path down the cliff, past the gym and spa, through the lemon and orange groves and past the fragrant flowers to the tennis court whose position must rank amongst the world’s most spectacular. The private beach has the dark gray sand of this coast and the large sundeck has distinctive orange umbrellas and beds and a bar.

Always immensely popular, and with reason, San Pietro is booked out months in advance during the season (May to end September) with long waiting lists. If you can manage to find a room there is always the possibility that you may encounter one of the many celebrities that frequent the hotel.