Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel — Hotel in Amalfi

After a couple of days in Pompeii we journeyed south to the Amalfi coast for our stay at the wonderful Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel - a converted 13th-century monastery, once home to Capuchin Monks.

This hotel stands in a commanding position on a cliff edge, with spectacular views, multiple levels of labyrinthine tiled corridors, vaulted ceilings and arches finished in elegant creams and contemporary decor. There is a distinctly humble, minimalist feel to the interior, some may argue does not merit 5 stars, but you have to indulge in the history of the place to understand it's charm.

We booked a superior room, it was pleasant enough, a good size and clean bathroom. Probably not worth the very expensive room rate, but many other aspects of the hotel made up for it. The room was comfortable and well looked after and turned down by housekeeping. There was a small balcony, but the furniture was very basic, certainly nothing tastefully Italian or stylist, which was disappointing.

Breakfast was a treat at the start of each day. A well stocked buffet of pastries, continental selections, and more; a la carte hot dishes to order from the breakfast menu; and great Italian espressos and other coffees - all while sitting outside on the terrace overlooking the Amalfi harbour and deep blue Mediterranean sea below.

To get a sense of this history my wife and I, and our adult children were eager to sign up for the complementary garden and cloisters tour. Fra Marcus was our guide and he was wonderful - and the tour simply fascinating. The hotel offers many other services (wine tasting, etc.), and although it was simply too hot to consider the Spa, we did also reserve time for the complementary pizza making class. A glass of Prosecco and pizza you baked yourself is quite something. Gabriel, the pizza maestro, was a delight and highly experienced with his techniques (and secrets) of great pizza making - and the La Locanda della Canonica Pizzeria near the pool is great alternative to the main restaurant.

The pool area near the Pizzeria is a little small and limited on beds - but this is expected when located on the side of a cliff. The infinity pool is warm and offers a captivating view of the coastline. The service here was also good, once you got beds.

We booked a couple of boat trips. These were arranged by the hotel, and expensive as they were private hires for our party of 6, but the experiences - a sunset tour and day trip to Capri - were both exceptional. And sometimes it's these experiences that are priceless. The pilots of the boats were warm, friendly and accomodating. Nothing was too much trouble.

Finally, we must mention the Dei Cappuccini restaurant. This, again, is a minimalist space of vaulted ceilings and arches and tastefully decorated - but we never dined inside. In the warm evening of Amalfi in late August dining on the terrace is the obvious choice. And the food. Wow. Chef Claudio Lanuto is a genius, creating dishes with the very best local ingredients and produce from the monks’ gardens, crafting contemporary interpretations of traditional dishes that highlight fresh seafood and pastas to die for. One dish - the 100 year Cannelloni - was one to savour. This year (in 2024), the restaurant is celebrating the centenary of one of Italy’s most iconic recipes: the cannelloni - the cylinder-shaped pasta filled with the freshest local ingredients was invented in the very location we were dining and what a marvel it is. All the dishes were exquisite, the service was incredible - with Angelo and his two senior members (see pic) accommodating our every desire, while showing their passion for the ingredients, the dishes, the wines, the whole experience. Simply outstanding to have met these guys and to have been so attentively looked after by all of them. Dei Cappuccini was a real highlight.

So we say thank you to all the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel staff for making our Thomas' family holiday so very special. We will never forget your smiles, passion and...

The Convento di Amalfi is an amazing hotel run by amazing people and we can’t wait to return year after year.

Last year in 2022, after a few years of delays, waiting, maybes and stress, my wife and I got married at the Convento di Amalfi.

And now we’ve just come back for our one year anniversary, following the hotel being sold to a new operator, Anantara, and going through an update and a refurbishment, so it seems like a good time to finally write that review. More about that refurb later.

The team at the Convento were instrumental in making this happen. Despite the delays and the lack of clarity about when and how things would happen, they remained happy and friendly throughout the entire process and did everything they could to help us out - including but not limited to last minute postponements based on government advice for travel and the country’s entry requirements.

But then it all sorted itself out as these things eventually do, and we could finally go ahead and tie the knot.

And much like during the organisation and build up, the team at Convento were vital in making our weekend and that of our guests extra special and flawlessly smooth. Their knowledge of these types of events, the requirements, the potential pitfalls, the wines, the food (my god, the food!) and the special little extra touches made our weekend and our wedding absolutely unforgettable.

Special mentions go out to Antonella & Antonella, without whom none of our wedding weekend would have been possible or anywhere near as good. Their expertise and their calm, warming manner made us feel reassured and in exceptionally safe hands. From their detailed planning and keeping track of a million requests and various guests coming from several different countries on several continents, each with different entry requirements, to suggestions of where to cut our cake and even organising said cake at the last minute because someone (me) forgot to.

Also to Diego (who still remembers a rose Ruinart is our favourite) and Angelo (who my mum still asks after) for being amazing hosts, for who no question was too small or request too ridiculous, for dealing with a large and sometimes annoying wedding crowd with nothing but smiles and panache.

And coming back a year later was an amazing feeling - to see the same beautiful faces and catch up as if with old friends. The refurbishments carried out by the Anantara group are tasteful and have added to the atmosphere that was already there, rather than take away from it.

The food is just as good as it was before, if not better. The new pizza restaurant by the pool is incredible, but don’t make the same mistake we did and order a starter and then a pizza each. It’s impossible and you’ll replace your blood with cheese. There’s also a more fine dining approach than previously, but rest assured you won’t leave hungry from tiny portions. The pork with pizzaiola sauce was a personal highlight for me.

So all we can say is thank you to Convento di Amalfi and the wonderful people who keep it running. Our wedding wouldn’t have been possible without you, and returning a year later for our anniversary has been very special.

Oh and the pool and all of that is beautiful too.

And if you’ve made it this far in this review, you should have booked this hotel by now. You won’t be...

The worst hotel we’ve ever stayed in…

The trip started off well with a lovely driver picking us up and stopping of on the coast so we could take a picture with the view…probably the only positive of the stay at Anantara.

I really don’t know how they can call this a 5 star hotel. Every part of our stay was shocking, from the room to the service to the amenities. The arrival to reception is inconvenient. You have to take 2 lifts and walk along a long corridor. Not quite the wow factor you would expect with a luxury hotel. After checking in we were seated outside to be served a drink (whilst waiting for our room to be ready) which we waited 10 minutes for. No one came out that beforehand to say hello or check if we would like to order anything. We checked in to the Suite del Priore. The walls are unfinished with half of the paint peeling off and half of the room finished. (Not what we expected when paying almost €3000 a night). There is only one sink in the bathroom and they prioritised space for the bath over space for a shower and so there is little space when showering. Very little lighting in the room aswell. Only lamps are provided. There was a wire hanging from the ceiling which made me think they are intending on installing a light. Just not in time for peak season?

We made our way down to the pool. Where there were a group of 3 couples playing their own music from a speaker and doing shots. Subjecting everyone to listen to their music and their conversation. Surprisingly none of the staff said anything. We were given water and never checked on again in the 4 hours we were sat sunbathing.

The room doesn’t have an iron or ironing board only a steamer. Which doesn’t work well at all. I complained to reception on our way to dinner and they said it was hotel policy because irons are dangerous. Never have I ever stayed in a 5 start hotel without an iron. I explained how we were unhappy and also complained about the music at the pool earlier that day that if the hotel doesn’t provide music guests shouldn’t be subjected to listen to other guests music choice.

The beach club collaboration is another positive. The restaurant and staff are lovely and very helpful checking on us throughout the day. When we got back to the hotel a lady from concierge said they understood we were unhappy and have taken care of the beach club bill for us. I thought they may have redeemed themselves…they did not. We sat outside for a drink where a waiter proceeded to spill 2 bottles of coke over me (in white) and my partners shirt aswell as the sofa. He only said ‘oh sorry I’ll get you another’ not offer for napkins or to help clean up. We had to move ourselves to another table. A colleague came over and kindly took away my partners shirt to be dry cleaned.

The last day we were given a late checkout. We stopped at reception to settle costs and asked for our bags to be collected where the staff said (No problem they will be in the car for your departure). We arrived at the airport and no bags were in the car. We had to rebook on another flight later that day so we could wait for our bags to arrive at the airport.

Never have I experienced such incompetence, lack of care or inexperience. Definitely not a luxury...