Inside Hotel Santa Caterina, an Amalfi Coast Institution That (Thankfully) Hasn't Changed in a Century

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The ne plus ultra Amalfi Coast experience, with the kind of graceful, old-school service you thought had gone the way of the pay phone.

If the Amalfi Coast is known for five-star luxury hotels that attract rich and famous guests, that’s thanks in part to Hotel Santa Caterina, which opened along its craggy cliffsides in 1904. In the time since, the seaside institution—a member of The Leading Hotels of the World—has amassed a loyal following, with repeat guests who’ve been visiting every year for  decades and always request the same room. 

Originally a holiday home for the Gambardella family, Santa Caterina has grown over the course of more than a century from a tidy little guesthouse to a 66-room affair (plus a five-bedroom villa)—and it continues to expand and change. This spring, for example, it’s opening seven new suites and a rooftop restaurant. One constant, though, is the presence of the Gambardella family, who welcome guests into their world in this little corner of paradise.

Located in a strategic position on the famed coastal road, it’s just a 15-minute walk from the center of Amalfi but is blissfully removed from the crowds. (A complimentary shuttle ferries guests between the hotel and the town center, a service much-appreciated by those spared the uphill walk in the summer heat.) Though the elegant façade with its glass awning oozes Belle Époque charm, the hotel has undergone many updates over the decades, and it shows in the interiors.

The bright white lobby, with its antiques and floor tiles painted with flowers, glides right into the tiny Bar La Terrazza, whose cozy interior room has cushy white sofas and vines draped along the arches. The vibe is very coastal grandma—but the chic Italian version. In the evenings, candles illuminate the bar, where blue-jacketed waiters well practiced in the art of hospitality set a linen coaster down gently before placing your drink on it. 

But ultimately, Santa Caterina’s real showstopper is the view, and you’re never far from it. Whether enjoying  a cappuccino and a piece of torta caprese at breakfast, sipping a Bellini on the bar terrace or savoring the gourmet cuisine at Glicine, the white-tablecloth restaurant where pale purple wisteria sways in the spring breeze, you can see the center of Amalfi jutting out into the glistening Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by mountains. Follow the stairs leading down from the hallway just off the lobby and you’ll find yourself face-to-face with another gobsmacking view: the endless blue sea, gently undulating and glinting a hundred shades of aquamarine in the sun. 

Look down and you’ll see the saltwater pool and Beach Club on a platform hewn right into the cliff. Just as you wonder how on earth you’ll ever get down there, a staff member points you to the retro glass elevator that brings you down to the casual Restaurant al Mare and the Beach Club, where one of the pool attendants awaits you with fluffy white towels and mineral water. Although the Amalfi Coast is considered Italy’s summer playground, it’s actually not the norm for hotels to have direct access to the sea, so Santa Caterina’s Beach Club is a major selling point.

Beyond the Beach Club, the property extends over the cliffside, with beautiful gardens and secluded suites that are ideal for guests who want privacy. But there’s no doubt that the thing that keeps people coming back is the warm, southern Italian hospitality—and studied professionalism—of the Gambardella family and their staff.

The Room

There are 66 rooms and suites, plus the five-bedroom Villa della Marchesa. Each room is unique—some have green tile, while others have blue, and still others have scenes of the coastline hand-painted onto the bathroom walls—but the main difference between them is the size, configuration and view. 

Connecting rooms are available for families, and there are also a couple of special suites with more privacy and enviable amenities. The Follia Amalfitana Suite has a private pool, a soaking tub and an always-delightful round bed. The two-story Chalet Giulietta e Romeo is the most popular choice for honeymooners, with a terrace set right into the cliff, a sitting room, a private patio and an infinity pool. Every winter, the hotel renovates a few rooms at a time, installing new tiles and flourishes like fanciful Murano glass chandeliers.

The Features

At Bar Il Grottino, aperitivo hour is all day long.

Don’t miss: The small boutique near the pool elevator, which sells the colorfully painted plates used at Restaurant al Mare along with more modern pieces by contemporary artists like Patrizia Italiano, a renowned Sicilian ceramist. 

Favorite features: The Beach Club is pretty much the essence of il dolce far niente—”the sweetness of doing nothing”—where the only task at hand is whiling away the afternoon reading a book or napping and going for a cooling dip when the sun starts to feel too hot on your skin. Every Italian beach club worth its sea salt has a great restaurant. In this case, the Restaurant al Mare is a rustic haven where you can savor fresh pasta, pizza and seafood to the sound of the waves crashing below. In the summer, Bar Il Grottino above the Beach Club is the ideal spot for an aperitivo.

Can’t stop thinking about: The “Amalfi Gold” massage. Combining aromatherapy with Ayurveda, the massage therapist places slices of a fragrant Amalfi lemon on your chakra points. You leave feeling somehow relaxed and energized at the same time.

The Vibe

The jaunty white umbrellas at the Beach Club pop against the deep blue sea.

The highly specific reason you’d come here: You’re celebrating a milestone birthday or organizing a small wedding and want a quintessentially Italian coastal setting. The staff is also prepared to help make everything perfect for proposals and honeymoons.

What are people drinking? The Bellinis at Bar La Terrazza are legendary, rivaling the ones at Harry’s Bar in Venice, where the drink was supposedly invented.

The dish you’re re-creating at home: Restaurant al Mare’s pasta al limone, served in a hand-painted bowl festooned with lemons, is so simple yet so delicious that we actually asked for the recipe. (Spoiler: It gets its rich, creamy texture from a bit of mascarpone.)

The perfect spot for your social media post: The Beach Club, obviously. It’s so delightful here that you just might start scheming to get Italy’s new digital nomad visa—or at the very least post a photo of yourself with a caption reading “Forward my mail to Hotel Santa Caterina.”

If you could add just one thing: A rooftop restaurant to really take advantage of those views of the center of Amalfi and the endless blue sea. Luckily, the owners are getting ready to open one. It will have a Mediterranean grill and sushi counter.

What might surprise you? The owners, Signora Giusi and Signora Ninni, grew up here and are still very present. Their childhood bedroom is now the office. So when you stay here as a guest, you really feel like you’re being welcomed into their family home.

This is the kind of place that makes you want to rip up your return ticket and never go home.

Fast Facts

• Number of rooms: 66
• Number of pools: 1
• Fitness center? Yes
• Spa? Yes
• Salon? Yes
• Number of bars/restaurants: 4
• 24-hour room service? Room service is available until midnight
• Childcare and kids club? No kids club, but babysitting can be arranged