Best for: a boujie beach club and excellent people watching
Perched along Positano’s layered cliffs, Le Sirenuse is a colourful villa-turned-hotel the soothes the soul and stirs the senses. There are 58 rooms in total, each one a love letter to elegance, legacy, and a Positano that existed long before influencers and itinerary vlogs. Every curated detail – the scent of bergamot that lingers in the halls, the copy of Steinbeck’s Positano to read with your morning Nespresso – feels thoughtful and just-right. Outside, bougainvillea spill over the railings, framing the cobalt sea with fuchsia. There are two fabulous restaurants on the original property: Aldo’s and La Sponda. Guests also love the breakfast, and it’s not hard to see why. Mornings unfold by the pool or on a breezy balcony with front-row views of the Mediterranean.
New this summer is Le Sirenuse Mare, a much-awaited second outpost to the hotel’s belt: a spot with a little more privacy, a little more space, but equally picture-perfect views. Located a 25-minute private boat ride from the hotel, the beach club embodies Mediterranean summer: guests enter via a pine-scented staircase surrounded by trees, and into a vast dining space and bar, a visual treat for the senses with colour, design and sculpture taking centre stage. A further 99 steps, carved into the rock, take guests down to the 36 sun loungers, topped with striped umbrellas for a picture-perfect view that will make you gasp. It’s beautiful here, no doubt, but it’s also – in stark contrast to the busy streets of Positano – peaceful, offering guests priceless space to relax on one of Italy’s busiest coastlines. Abigail Malbon
Price: Rooms from around £831 per night
