If you have looked into visiting Positano, you probably noticed there are a BUNCH of options for everything. Hotels, restaurants and activities to do. It was pretty overwhelming for me so here’s my top three in each category and if relevant I’ll list pros and cons of each.
Hotels in Positano
We stayed at two different hotels the Marincanto Hotel and the Art Hotel Pasitea which were on completely different ends of town.
Pros:
- Has a pool and it’s own private beach access.
- A great restaurant on site.
- Convenient location right by the bus stop, if you arrive by ferry they also have the option for porter services.
- Not super high on the hill so not as much of a workout to get back to the hotel, just down the road from Le Sirenuse.
Cons:
- This isn’t a complete negative point, but just be aware it is on the edge of town so if you want a room with a better view of Positano be sure to book their Superior rooms and above.
Pros:
- HUGE balconies with amazing views, perfect to eat breakfast on.
- Every room has a different style/ drawing/ theme.
- Close to the in town Positano bus stop, but not the main SITA bus.
Cons:
- A solid uphill walk to get to the SITA bus stop
- Located higher up on the hill, so its a hike to get back up to the hotel.
While we didn’t stay here we did visit their famous bar for sunset – Franco’s Bar. Delicious drinks with the best view for sunset. But if this hotel is in your price range, then I would definitely recommend this hotel. They have a pool, multiple restaurants and the location is good (not too high up the hill but still great views).
Tip for Franco’s Bar: be sure to get there when they open/ no later than 6PM to snag a table near the ledge aka with the best views. It was still hot then and the umbrellas didn’t cover us, but we just sucked it up and once the sun went behind the hill it was perfect!
Restaurants in Positano
Usually Kevin handles booking the restaurants on our trips but shoutout to my girlfriend Emily who basically sent me a list of restaurants and I basically booked the first three on her list, and they were all delicious.
A must try, and our first meal in Positano was La Tagliata. No cons for this one, here’s why:
- Provide free shuttle to and from your hotel to the restaurant.
- Super high up the mountain so even better views.
- For dinner they serve a family style prix fixe menu that includes however many bottles of wine you can drink and WAY too much food lol. Since I didn’t do any research beforehand I didn’t realise this and we thought it would be about 60-75Euros per person, but the bill came out to 45 Euros per person!!! For SO much food. I cannot express to you how much food there was.
- TL:DR – book this restaurant you will leave full.
- Tip: book the 730PM seating so you can have the best chance at getting the seating along the edge for best pics of sunset 😉 And when people get off the shuttle they usually stop at the viewpoint first, but just go down directly to the seating area first snag a table. And you can always go back up to the viewpoint after.
We did the popular Chez Black for lunch and it did not disappoint.
- It’s super conveniently located right by the beach.
- They have uni (sea urchin) pasta, since I’ve moved to Amsterdam that’s one thing I miss a LOT.
- No reservations, but it wasn’t too busy when I went around noon sharp.
Okay so this isn’t really a restaurant, but if you’re like me and love lemons – then this is for you. Sure you can get lemon sorbetto anywhere in Positano. But if you want lemon sorbetto IN AN ACTUAL LEMON, then head to the hotel Covo dei Saraceni. Just under/ next to the hotel entrance theres a little restaurant/ gelato shop. That’s where you’ll find it.
What to do in Positano
Boat Tours
Take a sunset boat tour (or if you have the time a half day boat tour). We booked the sunset tour with Positano Boats and had a blast. They provided some champagne also! Be sure to check here for their special offers.
Relax and get your tan on at a Beach Club
We went with the main beach club Spiaggia Grande, its convenient although pricey. Its 24 Euros per person but you can leave and come back throughout the day. Also, the best time imo to take pictures here is after sunset and the beach club closes. Then there will be way less people there and the umbrellas will be put away to give a better view of the houses on the cliffs. Another alternative is Arienzo Beach Club! We really wanted to go here but with the limited space they didn’t have availability, so you should definitely reserve at least 24 hours in advance if you want to visit! It’s a private beach that’s only accessible by water so they have a free boat shuttle service to take you to and from there.
Do a day trip to Amalfi town and stop by the Fiordo di Furore on the way.
I would plan to spend at least half a day, if not the majority of the day on this if you want to have time to sit and relax. To visit the Fiordo di Furore you should definitely head out pretty early to beat the crowds and snag a chair. Be sure to bring a towel and water shoes if you have any. The beach isn’t sand, more like little rocks. It’s pretty confusing/ complicated to get here so peep in depth instructions on how to get to the Fiordo here. Then after you get hungry you can take the SITA bus again to Amalfi town and wander the streets, eat some dessert and try not to melt haha.
And there you have it! I hope that helps you plan your own trip to Positano, the Amalfi Coast! Hope you have an amazing time there like we did 🙂
