As I’m sitting down to write this post, it occurs to me that this is less a post about Positano than a love letter to Le Sirenuse. Oh, how I love this hotel!
We arrived via boat to the view you see below. You can recognize Le Sirenuse as the red hotel, trimmed in white, just to the right of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, above Marina Grande Beach. It is quite a sight! Bustling, busy and full of life, this is the heart of Positano. A porter came to get our bags and we were off on the winding paths and staircases that led to our hotel. It was a wondeerful way to arrive, as we immediately got a feel for this quaint, seaside town.
Le Sirenuse just “gets” details. Everything from the ashtrays to the towels has their signature mermaids. Upon arrival, we enjoyed a delightful lunch on the poolside terrace, overlooking this view. Then, we were by the lemon tree lined pool. Mind you, it’s not a large pool, but it was a delightful temperature and the staff takes care of every need.
Shopping was not huge on my list, as we had done a little of that in Ravello and Capri, but I had to make a stop at the highly regarded Emporio Le Sirenuse. The designer and creative mind behind this trio of shops (one for men, one for women, one for home) is Carla Sersale, part of the owning family of Le Sirenuse. She has curated and designed a beautiful line of clothing and brought in accessories that you won’t see everywhere. Of course, I wanted everything!
Our welcome was incredible. From the warm greeting at the front desk and the refreshing welcome drink (lemon, of course)… to the champagne and gourmet goodies waiting in our room. We ate at their restaurants both nights – originally out of convenience and because we wanted to try both the formal dining and the Champagne & Lobster bar (no surprise there, right?). Every meal was amazing.
We ventured off on Day 2 on one of the hotel’s boats to the island of Nerano for lunch at the famed Conca del Sogno. Mentioned in an earlier post, this is the spot that 2 friends said we could not miss and I’m so glad we didn’t. Arriving by boat is half the fun and the zucchini spaghetti was out of this world! You can sunbathe if you like, but we just enjoyed lunch, so you could easily go just for that.
We didn’t get to everything that we had hoped to. Which is a wonderful reason to return some day (which my husband says he might consider!). Here are the places that were highly recommended, but will have to wait on another visit.
Chez Black (for dinner), Restaurant Max (for dinner), Il San Pietro (for drinks or to stay) and Da Adolfo (for lunch).
Huge thanks go to my wonderful friend and travel advisor, Sandy Grodsky. I have no doubt that certain elements of our trip were made better because of her personal attention to detail! You can follow her love of travel at @youmaybewandering!
Positano, two days weren’t enough….we were just getting to know one another. I hope that we will meet again and get better acquainted!
