Review: Hotel Santa Caterina hotel review

First impression Look at that view.
Staff One step ahead.
Food and drinks Everything from silver service at breakfast to spaghetti vongole by the pool.
Bed and bath It’s all about the sea views.
The crowd Honeymooners and money makers.
In a nutshell Possibly the best-situated hotel on the Amalfi Coast.

Set the scene
A matter of feet from the tourists and limoncello stalls of Amalfi, this is one of the namesake coastline’s grande dames. A hotel that feels as if it should have been lost to the sea, it clings to the limestone rocks over six storeys. The staggering glass-fronted lift takes guests from the rooftop restaurant past tumbling terraced gardens to the seaside pool that looks like something out of a Slim Aarons scene.

What’s the story?
The hotel’s original structure was built in 1880 by Giuseppe Gambardella and is now a fourth-generation family business. As a result, the day-to-day management is charming and relatively laid-back given its status and setting. Famous guests have included Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and regulars are greeted with hugs and kisses on arrival.

What can we expect from our room?
Cool, white-tiled interiors with bougainvillaea that wraps its way around columns. The bedrooms aren’t enormous, but they are elegant, with white-linen drapes and whirlpool baths in some rooms that have floor-to-ceiling sea views. It’s the balconies that guests are here for – complete with sun loungers and lemon-yellow cushions – looking out all the way to Amalfi.

How about the food and drink?
Downstairs beside the pool, Al Mare – with its island-style bamboo interiors and bulbs protected by painted pottery shades – is surprisingly up to date, filled with geometric turquoise tiles (though there’s a more traditional picture of the Madonna taped to the wall next to the cooker). The open kitchen is lively and fun, throwing out hearty local dishes including sticky mozzarella that oozes milk, served with tomatoes that burst with flavour; Napoli’s famous, deep-fried macaroni with meatballs, and a simple Amalfi lemon-and-ricotta ravioli. There’s olive oil on the table to be sloshed over everything. Upstairs, Glicine, led by a Michelin-starred chef, with foliage crawling its white walls, is the romantic cliché that the Amalfi Coast evokes. Its Michelin-starred chef dishes up fiddlier plates of pasta (tagliarini with cuttlefish) and lightly smoked risotto with scampi and lemon. At breakfast, there’s everything from mozzarella to pancakes, with a whole table dedicated to pastries and homemade cakes.

Anything to say about the service?
It’s old school, but so charming – at once warm and seriously efficient. You’re greeted at the pool as if by an old friend, but also set up with loungers, towels and ice water or homemade lemonade within a minute. Nothing is too much trouble for the concierge.

What sort of person comes here?
Couples with something to celebrate, celebrities and the occasional multi-generational dynasty.

What’s the neighbourhood scene like?
The beauty is that you’re hidden from any scene you don’t want to be a part of. Some guests probably hang out happily at the seafront club all week. But it’s just a 10-minute walk (or two-minute hotel shuttle) to Amalfi’s lemon groves, beach and cathedral. Head up the hill beyond the town and you’ll eventually reach Ravello – a world away, with fewer tourists and a pretty square for an aperitif before or after a sunset walk through the gardens at Villa Rufolo.

Anything you'd change?
Staff insisting to carry breakfast plates three steps from the buffet to your table.

Anything we missed?
The yoga platform, which juts out and has one of the best views of the rest of the hotel (and classes three times a week). Find it beyond the pool and through the lemon groves.

A final note: is it worth it?
Yes, it’s the coolest seaside pool on the coast.