At Hotel Santa Caterina, lemons — hanging from trees, sitting in a bowl at reception for guests to take home, at the forefront in almost every vista — aren’t just a decorative feature, but an ingredient for almost every part of your stay.
“We use lemon for everything. The pasta. The limoncello. The massages,” a hotel manager tells me on a tour of the property’s extensive terraced gardens and olive and lemon groves. It’s a chic and peaceful sanctuary perched on the cliffs of one of Europe’s busiest coasts.
Next the manager stops to point out the private suites where Bill Gates and Kim Kardashian stayed on their most recent visits (not together, even though that would be a fun rumour to spread) and walks on to show us the glass-fronted elevator leading down to the beach club.
A-listers feature regularly here at the five-star 19th-century hotel, run by the Gambardella family since 1904 — which explains our tour guide’s nonchalant attitude. Legend has it that Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton began their relationship here, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie checked in during the early days of their romance, and Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea are among the other notable guests.
Some 24 hours in and it’s not hard to see why the place draws such a starry set and consistently ranks among the best hotels in Italy. Views of the Amalfi Coast don’t get much better than at Santa Caterina, one of just a few Amalfi hotels with direct access to the sea — and neither does the food. Michelin-star dining, mouthwatering breakfast pastries and Mediterranean-inspired cocktails set to live piano music are among the highlights here.
From signature lemon massages at the spa to the hotel’s exclusive seaside beach club, here’s what to expect.
Where is it?
Perched on the cliffs in the heart of the Amalfi Coast, just a 10-minute stroll from the centre of Amalfi (there’s a free daily shuttle into town if you don’t fancy walking along the main road). You can watch the tourist-filled ferries set off right from your balcony. Positano, Ravello, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii and Herculaneum are all easily reached for a day trip.
Style
Smartly-dressed staff in chic blue uniforms. Sun-drenched, wisteria-filled terraces for long, languorous lunches. Rooms with hand-painted majolica floors and Liberty style four-poster beds. Santa Caterina has to be one of the most stylish spots for sampling la dolce vita in the whole of Italy.
The place dazzles with vintage glamour, with a timeless seaside feel and old-fashioned formality, from old vintage sewing machines dotted around the corridors, to elegant candlelit terraces looking out over Amalfi and beyond. Come for golden hour and stay for the live pianist after dinner.
That said, it still has all the warmth and familiarity you’d expect from a five-star hotel. The service is impeccable, but staff seem cheerful and relaxed and happy to leave you alone to listen to the live music with a nightcap. Despite the 66 rooms (it started with six), there’s still a family-run feel.
The main building is an Art Deco villa built in Liberty style and surrounded by all the regional horticulture you could wish for, from lemon trees to olive groves. And the interiors are a nod to the country’s traditional Catholic churches — white walls, white linens, vaulted ceilings, little wooden chairs, and tiled floors. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a Bond film. No wonder so many guests keep coming back.
Which room?
The majority of Santa Caterina’s rooms sit in the main building, a converted 19th-century villa, most with bougainvillaea-wrapped balconies, walk-in wardrobes and bathrooms with fun turquoise tiles, Bvlgari toiletries and corner jet baths. Interconnecting rooms are available for families.
The hotel also boasts an assortment of larger, more private dwellings or ‘special suites’ for those looking for an extended family break or a little more privacy away from the main hotel. Follia Amalfitana is an A-list go-to featuring a shell-shaped king-size bed, a mini hydro pool and outdoor solarium; and Romeo e Giulietta, a honeymooner favourite featuring a jacuzzi bath and private patio. Expect chic extra luxuries like Smeg kettles and Dyson hairdryers.
The hotel recently acquired a neighbouring set of properties, Villas della Marchesa, opened earlier this summer and now available to book as individual suites or an entire wing — if you’re a large group of up to 14 family or friends. Expect a 36 metre outdoor pool, private wine cellar and a vast landscaped garden terrace. It’s just a short walk back to the hotel along Amalfi Drive.
Hotel Santa Caterina recently acquired a neighbouring set of properties, the Villas della Marchesa, opened earlier this summer and now available to book as individual suites or an entire wing — if you’re a large group of up to 14. Expect a 36-metre outdoor pool, private wine cellar and a vast landscaped garden terrace.
Food & drink
Cuttlefish tagliatelle with cucumber, avocado and salted lemon. Duck breast with radicchio, cooked wine and cherries. Lemon soufflé with citrus fruit ice cream and cardamom sauce. The food at Hotel Santa Caterina is one of the highlights thanks to its foliage-filled fine dining restaurant, Glicine, which earned a Michelin star five years ago and has done every year since, thanks to head chef Giuseppe Stanzione.
Expect caviar-drenched welcome dishes, Normandy butter stamped with the hotel’s logo and olive oil from Solerno. Most of the vegetables are sourced from the hotel’s extensive on-site gardens and reflect the seasonal flavours of the region.
The hotel’s second restaurant, Al Mare, serves seafood and handmade pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven. There’s also La Terrazza bar looking out over Amalfi and Il Grottino Bar carved into the rock next to the beach club.
Breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and is a buffet affair, with extensive platters of meats, cheeses and fruits and towers of Italian pastries so Instagrammable you could be in a high-end Milan bakery. There are a la carte options available to order to your table too, so leave room for eggs.
Facilities
There’s a small spa featuring a sauna, sensory shower and the hotel’s signature treatment, “Oro di Amalfi”, which uses a lemon-based oil to relax and stimulate the chakras. There are complimentary yoga sessions for guests and there’s a gym at the pool house overlooking the sea.
But the most glittering feature is Santa Caterina’s beach club accessed by two glass-fronted elevators and featuring a sundeck with loungers, a seawater pool and ladders into the sea. Head down early to grab your spot.
What to Instagram
The view from the two glass-fronted lifts as you descend through the gardens to the beach club.
Best for?
Couples with cash to burn, and celebs looking for some privacy in the heart of Italy’s busiest coastline.
How to get there
It’s just under three hours from London to Naples, then a 90-minute drive at the other end.
easyJet has just launched the UK’s only direct flights to the Amalfi Coast, with twice-weekly flights from Gatwick to the nearby Salerno-Amalfi Coast airport launched in July. easyjet.com
When should I go?
July is the busiest month here, as scores of holidaymakers head to the Amalfi coast for a taste of la dolce vita. You’d do best to avoid it, if you can. Even in May, technically the off-season when temperatures are already in their mid-twenties, the roads were heaving and the ferries were swarming. September is still a pleasant 26 degrees and a little more peaceful.
