Hotel L'Ancora - Positano — Hotel in Positano

When choosing Hotel L’Ancora in Positano, I truly wish I had looked more closely at the reviews beforehand.

While the hotel is in a great location — close to the main street, restaurants, and the beach — the overall experience was deeply disappointing. Honestly, the only standout part of our stay was the gentleman who picked us up upon arrival. He was kind, professional, and welcoming — if the entire staff had shown even a fraction of his hospitality, I think this hotel would have a much better reputation.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. From the moment we arrived, the woman at the front desk made us feel more like an inconvenience than a guest. She was cold, unwelcoming, and her entire demeanor felt unnecessarily accusatory. For context, my sister and brother-in-law were staying at Hotel La Tartana (since L’Ancora was fully booked) — and they had a completely different experience. La Tartana was incredible — warm, friendly staff and a lovely property. I know this firsthand because I visited their hotel multiple times to coordinate with them.

At L’Ancora, however, we were immediately told that our family members were not allowed to visit our room and that the staff would be watching us via security cameras. We were shocked — we hadn’t done anything wrong, and certainly weren’t trying to break any rules. We understand hotel policies, but the way it was communicated felt more like we were being accused of something, rather than being treated with basic courtesy and respect — especially considering we were paying nearly $800 a night.

On our first night, my 14-year-old sister woke up screaming from a bite on her arm. In the morning, it had developed into a large, visible mark. When we notified the staff, we were told, “We can’t help nature.” While we understand bugs exist, this is not a campsite — this is a high-end hotel, and a response of concern or even simple empathy would have gone a long way. My sister ended up sick — lethargic — and we had to seek medical attention incurring around $500 in medical expenses over this spider bite. We know it was a spider because coincidentally the next night as she was sitting in the sofa there was a spider crawling on her chest. I believe it’s the hotels job to provide and maintain their property which they are obviously not doing.

To make things worse, we later discovered — on the last day — that the hotel included breakfast every morning, but no one ever informed us. That’s something we could have easily taken advantage of had we known. Also worth noting: the hotel’s restaurant, which is directly attached to the property, was shut down by police during our stay — not exactly something that instills confidence.

While the hotel did eventually comp us one night, it honestly wasn’t enough to make up for the experience. Between the rudeness, the lack of communication, and the general unwelcoming vibe, I cannot in good conscience recommend this hotel — especially at such a steep price point.

If you’re visiting Positano and want to feel welcomed and cared for, I strongly suggest booking at Hotel La Tartana instead. Their staff was wonderful, and their hospitality was everything L’Ancora...

Hotel L’Ancora - Positano, Italy||REVIEW TITLE: Panoramic sea view boutique hotel in Positano||OVERALL RATING: Exceeded expectations. ||REVIEWER BACKGROUND: Fortunate to travel extensively. I have done travel advising for years. We are always looking for that “magic stay” and we found it certainly here. ||DATES OF STAY: 6 nights in May 2025||ROOM/S: Superior Sea View Room with balcony. Any sea facing room would be a great choice. The hotel has 18 rooms - junior suite with jacuzzi, superior, classic, 2 family suite, 2 with no sea view. ||LOCATION: “Perfect”. We have been to Positano now 8 times, so I think I can say this with experience. Hotel L’Ancora is exceptional for its location for several reasons. 1) It is directly on Via Cristoforo Colombo so you can drive right up to the hotel’s front door. Walking to and from the start of town is easy - vs many other lodgings with tens of stairs. This makes a huge difference in your arrival, stay, and departure ease. 2) It is only a few minutes walk from the very start of town and there are already many shops and some eateries right outside the door. 3) The view is stunning as it is both sea facing - and on the sea side of Via Cristoforo Colombo. ||VIEW: 180 degree view of the sea and the town of Positano. Sunrise, day, sunset, night - it was a view we know well from our many stays in Positano and was indeed again breathtaking. ||BREAKFAST: Included in the room rate. On the hotel’s sea facing large top floor & street level terrace. All the normal components of a European breakfast both hot and cold. Eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, pastries, dairy goods, juices, etc. They could also make eggs to order. Adorable and joyful Angela served us each morning and was notable for being so wonderful ||STAFF: So very professional and lovely. Entering the lobby area was always a joy. Kudos for that. ||NOISE: I was a little concerned as the stunning Franco’s Bar (of the famous Le Sirenuse Hotel) is immediately to the right of Hotel L’Ancora. We never heard any noise from that, and being on the “sea side” of Via Cristoforo Colombo, we never heard any traffic noise. ||PARKING: Parking is a precious and rare commodity in Positano. The hotel can arrange off site parking with one of the few Positano garages. ||OUR BEST EXPERIENCES: |-Taking in the view from the room balcony night or day and the peacefulness of the locale - but only minutes from the center of town.|-Favorite dinners at Bruno & Da Vincenzo.|-Favorite lunches at Tre Sorelle & Lo Guarracino (tip: eat on “the pizzeria side”).||Thank you exceptional...

This review is r/t the restaurant. My friend and I had a long day trip from Amalfi and we were so tired and hungry and couldn’t find a place to eat. I was not feeling well due to the medication I took and my friend had a knee injury. Kind of desperate to eat asap and their restaurant was the nearest to the bus stop where we needed to hop in later that evening. I personally felt bad at first that the man in front of the restaurant, supposedly welcoming any guests, didn’t bother asking us if we want to dine in or not. Maybe because we were Asians? Or not the typical expensive-looking women? I understood that most places were pretty booked or reserved but we were just cool wherever we could sit and be able to order food. My friend had to really ask him awkwardly if there’s still an available table for the two of us. Apparently, there were still empty tables that weren’t reserved yet. Good thing that that the young server welcomed us and still offered a table after my friend had to ask him first. Anyhow, the food was great. The table was nice. The view (even if not directly by the beach/sea) was perfect! The sunset skies was so dreamy and the location was pretty breezy. We were amazed by Antonio, one of the staff. He was very accommodating, respectful (not rude at all) and professional and always on the lookout if someone needed them.

One thing, too, the guy receptionist offered me a little box of sewing kit even if I didn’t ask. He knew that I needed to go downstairs to the ladies’ room to fix my dress which I had no idea anymore on what to do. That was also a very nice gesture even if at first I felt belittled by the front man in the restaurant.

It’s a nice spot to dine in. By the road. Near the bus or taxi stop. Near the hotels. Just above the Positano beach. Easy reach. I just hope that everyone is like Mr. Antonio. I’d still give a 5 because of him...