Le Sirenuse

Rooms

After the dim corridor, bedrooms come as a wonderful surprise: bright white walls with a scattering of rustic portraits, gleaming Vietri-patterned floor tiles, a few antique pieces of furniture (a wave-fronted dresser and small desk, both in polished walnut), and shuttered French windows to a private balcony which looks out over the pool to a sparkling sea. It's a great spot for a sundowner - you'll find the minibar disguised in a marbled cabinet. The only sound, by day, is from the harbour dredger which seems to have become a permanent fixture in Positano; at night, it's astonishingly quiet (with windows shut and air-conditioning on). The bed, thankfully, is not antique, but a broad kingsize with firm mattress and buoyant pillows.

In the bathroom, clad in streaky grey marble and old-fashioned chrome taps, they have installed Jacuzzi tubs across the board. There are excellent bespoke toiletries and perfumes from Eau d'Italie (and, as a man, I'm not normally moved to such observations), which combine scents of bergamot, blackcurrant, incense and the ubiquitous lemon.

The majority of rooms are classified as Sea View, which deliver their promise to a T, and are the ones we'd recommend. The only ones that aren't are the Inner Courtyard rooms - which lack both balcony and view - and the Standard Double (Pool Terrace View) rooms - good for checking on kids, but less private and lacking those elevated views (generally the higher the room number, the better the view). Junior Suites are larger, with their sofa and armchairs in a separate space. Superior Junior Suites get larger balconies (some big enough for a family to sit out); one has a picture window by the Jacuzzi tub, so you can gaze out to sea while you soak. There are some communicating suites, which can be arranged to offer spacious 1 or 2-Bedroom Suites.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

On the pool level is the gorgeous La Sponda restaurant, no doubt the family's winter limonaia judging from the arcade of sea-facing windows and the potted lemon trees, still heavy with fruit in April. With the addition of elegant leafed chandeliers and vivid bougainvillea fanning up the vaulted ceilings, it feels like a cross between a botanic garden and a Baroque church.

Either way, it's a splendid setting for a refined, candlelit dinner, with occasional live guitarists to complete (one hopes) the romantic ambiance. Cuisine is delicate but not snobbish: roasted sea-bass sits alongside a classic Neapolitan scorfano all'acqua pazza (literally 'scorpion in mad water'), which is a local rock fish in light tomato sauce. Rack of lamb comes with fennel and Amalfi-style ratatouille, while desserts include a sinful almond and chocolate cake. It's not cheap but it is unfailingly good, if the comments of our co-diners were anything to go by.

One of the best breakfast buffets we've seen is laid out here on blue-white ceramic bowls and silver-domed stands, with everything a hungry Odysseus could have dreamed of and more: piping hot eggs, bacon and sausage, succulent melons, kiwi, strawberries and pineapple, patterned roundels of cottage cheese, long strips of prosciutto crudo, tender slivers of salmon and all manner of pasticcerie, from mini pains au chocolat to maxi jam tarts. You'll find jugs of freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, pineapple and carrot squashes, even a bottle of cava on ice. And it all tastes as good as it looks.

In high summer both breakfast and dinner move outside to the lemon-scented terrace, where there's also the fabulous Aldo's Bar. And of course there are plenty of other eateries in town, most of them offering Neapolitan-style seafood, pasta and pizzas at Positano-style prices. Reception staff will be glad to offer recommendations to suit your appetite and budget; a favourite is a meat-fest at one of the mountain taverns in the cliff-hanging village of Montepertuso (most offer transport to and from Positano).

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service

Activities

• Don't miss a boat trip along the peninsula's rugged coast: there are complimentary half-day excursions on the hotel's traditional wooden boat, taking in small coves, rockstacks and perhaps a sea-cave; or you can sign up for a full day of swimming, fishing and a barbecued seafood lunch
  
• The hotel also offers (at extra cost) sunset cruises by Riva speedboat to the sirens' island, with chilled champagne
  
• Or hire a canoe and paddle out to the moored yachts for some marine celeb-spotting (Denzel Washington, Rod Stewart and Lenny Kravitz are all regular visitors)
  
• From the pier, boats shuttle to the glitzy island of Capri, where you can explore the phosphorescent Grotta Azzurra before lunching at celebrated Da Luigi in the lee of the needle-like sea rocks of I Faraglioni
  
• By day, check out the surprisingly chic boutiques for fashion, footwear, accessories and ceramics including Carla Sersale's emporiums just opposite for fashion-forward beach gear and fresh romantic Italian homeware as seen in the hotel.
  
• If you have a car and good nerves, follow the breath-taking corniche road along the coast to Amalfi and back; detour to Ravello to see the astonishing gardens of the Villa Cimbrone, stop for lunch in the neglected piazza of Atrani, walk down to the coves of Conca dei Marini for a swim, and pass on the overrated Grotta dello Smeraldo
  
• If you have boots and lots of energy, the stomach-churning Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) is a must
  
• After such exertions, there's nothing better than a four-handed 'hydrotherm' massage on warm, water-filled cushions in the hotel's Aveda-branded spa; or, if you overdo the sunbathing, a full body masque with herbal steam and rehydrating cream
  
• In bad weather, the swimming pool is heated right through the season (March-Nov)

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Nightlife
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Well being

Kids

Children over 6 are welcome. Extra beds and baby-sitters can be arranged (subject to a supplement).

Family friendly accommodation:

Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Le Sirenuse is in picture postcard Positano, 60km south of Naples.

From the Airport
Fly to Naples Capodichino (65km), then take a taxi to Positano (about 2 hours).

By Car:
We don't recommend hiring a car, as the roads are treacherous and clogged in summer, parking is expensive in Positano, and the boat service along the coast is pretty efficient. However, if you are touring around Italy by car we can recommend that you book your hire car well in advance in the summer months. See our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent once your booking is confirmed.

Read our guide to Getting to Italy and Getting around