When we decided to visit Positano we quickly realized our hotel points with the big chains didn’t help with any of the lovely local properties. In addition, many properties in Positano are relatively expensive starting at €250 per night or more. We looked at some of the reviews online and chose the Covo Dei Saraceni situated on Positano beach.
The Covo Dei Saraceni is in the bottom left corner of this photo, right near the pier.
While the Covo rate was €330 per night, I booked the four nights through my Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit, so the average price for each night dropped to around €245.
We decided to rent a car from Hertz in Rome and drive to Guardiareggia to visit family friends and then continue driving down past Naples, through Sorrento, and over the mountain to Positano. The drive along the Amalfi highway is simultaneously exhilarating and daunting. The highway, carved out of rocky terrain looks out to the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea over very, very steep cliffs. It’s essential to keep an eye on the road as the serpentine drive is laced with hairpin turns. More than a few times we were met face to face with a car, truck or bus while diligently remaining in our lane, but not too close to the road’s precipice that looked straight down into the sea. Buses have right of way and have no trouble taking their half out of the middle of the road. Regardless, this drive is worth it. It’s deemed one of the best coastal drives in the world and it will leave you with a sense of awe. It also presents a dramatic entry into one of the most esquisite places in Italy.
The Covo suggested we park at the closest lot that is a five to ten minute walk down several flights of stairs and sidewalks to the hotel. There is a porter service that delivers your bags down to the hotel for €5 per bag. We made our way through the Positano streets, past the church and down the steps to the beach where the Covo dei Saraceni is nestled in between the beach and a rocky outcropping covered in bright bougainvillea and hibiscus flowers.
The lobby’s bar area with plush white couches and a library with panorama windows overlooked the beach and ocean. It’s a cozy spot for a relaxing evening drink. The bartender presented us with delicious canapes, olives and other locally inspired snacks every time we ordered drinks.
One level up is a lounge with a view of the beach next to the breakfast area with another view of the beach and the ferry dock that looks straight out to the sea.
Since the Covo Dei Saraceni is built into the side of a mountain, the first five floors are accessed by one elevator, then you walk down a hall and another elevator services floors six through eight. We had a junior suite on the 7th floor with a balcony with a table and two chairs. To say the view was fantastic would be an understatement. We took in the sun’s dappled reflection off the sapphire blue sea after waking. We’d never seen anything so stunningly beautiful, and haven’t since.
Our rate included the Covo’s elegant full buffet breakfast which was beyond expectations and featured varied local options far different than usual buffet fare. From locally made ricotta cheese, a variety of homemade marmalade, prosciutto, freshly made sugar donuts and frittatas along with eggs, bacon and mushrooms – the buffet was something to look forward to each and every morning. Oh, and the coffee!
The buffet room overlooked the pier and you could watch people boarding the ferries to Amalfi, Salerno, Sorrento and other places right in front of the hotel.
The fifth floor included a roof top pool and bar area which we enjoyed in the afternoons after hiking and exploring Positano and neighboring towns.
Overall it is a wonderful property that can be hard to book. Many dates throughout the rest of the popular summer season were booked very early. At €300+ per night it’s not the cheapest place to stay, but with the Citi Prestige benefit bringing the total price down it was a great value.
