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| View from our room at La Sirenuse. |
(Positano, Italy). Of all the hotels that I booked for our Italian honeymoon, Le Sirenuse in Positano was the one I was most looking forward to because of its stellar reputation and the gorgeous pictures on its website. It is often described as the best hotel in Positano and it literally sits in the middle of the village with breathtaking views of the bay. (It was also in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane and the hot Italian guy.)
Le Sirenuse is at once luxurious and intimate. In fact, it was a family summer home until it was converted into a boutique hotel in 1951. It is still a family-run establishment, and it is evident in the careful details permeating throughout the hotel that Le Sirenuse is a source of great family pride.
The hotel is not cheap. In fact, it's probably the most I've ever spent on accommodations. I was concerned that my super high expectations would cause me to be disappointed, but that fear immediately fled my mind the moment we arrived.
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| Street view. |
Check in/Arrival: From the narrow street, the hotel looks rather unassuming and small. But once you enter through the doorway, it is as if you are entering into a well-situated private home. We gave our names and our luggage was immediately tagged and whisked away. We were warmly welcomed and provided refreshing lemonades. It was actually raining when we checked in and the entire staff were super apologetic as if they were somehow responsible for the bad weather. Fortunately for us the rain only lasted about 15 minutes.
After the prompt check-in, a staff member showed us to our room and provided information on the amenities and activities at the hotel.
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| The cozy lobby. |
Random Note - they still use actual hotel keys with a large mermaid keychain. (Mermaids (i.e., sirens) are a running theme throughout the hotel.) When you leave the hotel, you can leave the keys with the front desk.
Room: We booked a partial ocean view room and our patio overlooked the pool area and bay. While the room was not large, it was extremely comfortable and tastefully decorated. It was also probably the best smelling and cleanest hotel room I'd ever encountered in my entire life. The smell was a mix of the fresh ocean air and lemon trees surrounding the pool, with a hint of the signature fragrances that the hotel exclusively orders from Eau D'Italie.
The bed was super comfortable (as comfortable as my own bed at home which is extraordinarily comfortable) and fresh. On the first night they had Frette linen bedsheets but they provided an option to switch to Frette cotton bedsheets - you just had to leave a note for housekeeping. And yes, the very next day we got 800-plus thread count cotton sheets. So nice! Normally in hotels, I get a little weird touching the outer comforter since I've heard most hotels don't change them regularly. At Le Sirenuse, I am pretty sure that everything is freshly laundered for each guest because I've never felt more at ease - EVER.
The bathroom was pristine and had an amazing whirlpool bath and spa showerjets. For toiletries they offered a generous sampling of Eau D'Italie shampoos, conditioners, body washes and perfumes. These are exclusive to the hotel and you can buy them in the hotel store. I brought back some of the body washes and I deeply regret not buying full-sized bottles. Just smelling the body washes now reminds me of the wonderful stay at the hotel. Tip - if you go there, buy some of the body washes! Don't regret it like me!
While the patio was small, it was a lovely place to relax. For our honeymoon, the hotel provided us free prosecco and a platter of delicious fruits and nuts. Yum!
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| Our patio overlooked the pool area. |
Service: Sheer perfection. They really strive to make your stay as pleasant as possible without being overbearing. I really can't complain about any part of the service in the hotel - housekeeping was amazing; the restaurant staff were friendly and helpful; the pool staff were incredibly attentive .... as I said, sheer perfection.
Funny aside - I think I confused the hotel staff by not taking my husband's last name. Because I booked the room, some of the staff would refer to my husband with my last name. But since they saw our passports when we checked in, some of them were clearly puzzled as to our different names. At some point I feared they thought we were cheating spouses on a scandalous rendezvous. I actually felt compelled to explain this when we were checking out. The front desk clerk was tickled (but also relieved).
Food: The room rate includes the breakfast buffet and it was a splendid offering of delicious homemade pastries, salads, cold cuts and fruits and juices and prosecco, etc. etc. You can also order hot dishes freshly made, such as omelets, eggs and bacon, etc. All of it is included. While the offerings were similar to other hotel buffets in Italy, the quality of the food and drinks were clearly better. (I'm salivating just thinking about it now....)
For dinner, we dined at La Sponda - which is the Michelin-starred restaurant at Le Sirenuse. Again, the food and service were fabulous. And on top of all that, you get the most gorgeous view of Positano while you eat. (But truth be told, I do think the restaurant I Portici in Bologna had better food.)
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| View from dining area. |
Unfortunately we never made it to the Champagne and Caviar Bar, but it looked cool.
Activities: Depending on the season, the hotel offers several complimentary activities, such as:
- Yoga with ocean view
- Fish market trip
- Boat tours of the Amalfi Coast (during the day or at sunset with champagne)
- Wine Tasting
- Olive Oil Tasting
- Cocktail Creation
- Flower Tour
Pool: We spent one leisurely afternoon poolside at the hotel and it was divine. The pool is small but wonderfully refreshing and decorated with gorgeous mosaics, tiles, flowers and lemon trees. When you arrive, the pool staff gets you situated on a lounge chair with towels and arranges your shade (if you so desire). Then you can order drinks and snacks and just relax. We had a few cocktails and delicious olives and roasted nuts. (The prices are a bit steep but it was worth it. I think we paid almost $100 for 3 cocktails and some snacks.)
The poolside service deserves another shoutout - they basically have a staff of 10+ people providing service to 25 guests. They literally stand around in full attention and if a guest even looks concerned or thirsty or squints, the pool staff will check to see if they can assist. Amazing.
Gym: OK, we didn't actually work out. I only saw the gym when I went to borrow a dvd to watch in the room. It's a decently sized hotel gym with a nice array of equipment and weights, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Spa: I didn't use the spa either but considering everything else in the hotel (down to the quality of their cotton balls and cotton swabs) is spectacular, I imagine the spa is pretty awesome too. If I am ever fortunate enough to stay at Le Sirenuse again, I'm definitely checking out the spa. I hear they use Aveda products and I love Aveda.
Misc.: The WiFi was also included in the room rate and was super strong.
Check out: Again check out was very efficient and quick. The bill was accurate. We actually had to wait for our driver and the hotel staff repeatedly checked on us and offered us water while we waited. When our driver arrived, they packed more water for us for the ride to Rome. Very thoughtful.
Our stay at Le Sirenuse was absolutely lovely and it fulfilled all my expectations. For me, it was worth every penny because the memories I have of the hotel is forever entwined with memories of my honeymoon. However, it is an expensive hotel and may not be everyone's cup of tea. But if you want to enjoy impeccable (but not ostentatious) luxury and you don't begrudge the high price associated with that privilege, then you will not be disappointed with Le Sirenuse.
(Average price per night with taxes: $1200)
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