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Every hotel we shortlist170 hotels, one listFilter by place, by what each hotel is best for, and by the judges behind it.Browse all hotelsJourneys
Rail · 5 trains
Luxury train journeys
Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
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Cities · 1 perfect day
One day in Rome
Sunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.
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Islands · 12 months
The Maldives, month by month
When the sea is glass, when the mantas come, and when the price halves.
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Wild · Jul to Oct
The Great Migration
Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
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Rail · London to Venice
The Orient Express
When it runs, what each cabin costs, and the best month to board.
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Flights · Door to door
Emirates business class
From the car at your door in London to the lights of Dubai, in ten moments.
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The Shortlist
Cliff terraces, private sea platforms and lemon groves: the Amalfi Coast hotels independent judges rate highest, and who should book somewhere else.
Photo: Unsplash
The short answer
The best hotels on the Amalfi Coast are built into the cliffs between Positano and Amalfi, with quieter hilltop grandeur in Ravello and a calmer, better-connected base in Sorrento. Our 2026 shortlist has 14 hotels, each holding a MICHELIN Key in the 2026 selection. The most decorated are Il San Pietro di Positano, Le Sirenuse and Casa Angelina. Almost all of them close from November to March, so book for May, June or September.
Shortlisted means chosen on research: a Michelin Key or Forbes Travel Guide rating, or praise from two independent publications, each linked below. We have not stayed at these hotels yet. Read how we choose.
The classic view
Positano is the postcard: pastel houses stacked down to a grey-sand beach, boutiques in the lanes and the coast's liveliest evenings. Praiano, a few minutes east, has the same views with far fewer people and some of the best sunsets on the coast.
Shortlisted 2026
A family-run hotel built down the cliff one room deep, so every room opens onto its own sea-facing terrace, with Three MICHELIN Keys.
57 rooms, each with a private terrace. Pools and the sea: pool cut into the cliff terraces, plus a private beach club reached by lift from the lobby.
Shortlisted 2026
A private estate of 16 suites set in gardens above the sea, new to the MICHELIN Key selection in 2026 with Two Keys.
16 suites. Pools and the sea: pools in the gardens.
Shortlisted 2026
The Sersale family's former summer house, still family-run, and the most famous terrace in Positano.
59 rooms. Pools and the sea: narrow heated lap pool on the terrace; no beach of its own.
Shortlisted 2026
An all-white, modern hotel in a traditional setting, for guests aged 12 and over, with a Michelin-starred restaurant on the roof.
36 rooms. Pools and the sea: outdoor terrace pool and an indoor heated pool, plus a beach club.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Boats, lemons and the coast's best-connected town
Amalfi town is the coast's hub, with a cathedral square, ferries to Positano and Capri and buses up to Ravello. The best hotels sit just outside it on the cliffs, and Conca dei Marini, a few minutes west, is quieter still, with some of the coast's most private sea platforms.
Shortlisted 2026
A 1960s modernist building reworked with mid-century furniture from the owner's own collection, promoted to Three MICHELIN Keys in 2026.
45 rooms, including 16 suites. Pools and the sea: saltwater pool, plus a private shingle beach and jetty reached by lift.
Shortlisted 2026
Family-owned for nearly a century, with terraces, olive groves and lemon orchards running down to the sea, and Two MICHELIN Keys.
66 rooms. Pools and the sea: heated saltwater pool by the sea, plus a private beach club reached by cliff lift.
Shortlisted 2026
A cliffside hotel where rock terraces step straight down into the sea, with One MICHELIN Key.
36 rooms. Pools and the sea: saltwater pool set into the cliff, and ladders from the rocks into the sea; no sand.
Shortlisted 2026
A former monastery on the cliff with an infinity pool at the edge and a Michelin-starred restaurant, Il Refettorio.
20 rooms. Pools and the sea: cliffside infinity pool and an indoor spa pool; no beach.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Gardens and the widest views
Ravello sits about 300 metres above the sea, with the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, a summer music festival and views along the whole coast. Scala, across the valley, is smaller and quieter again. Neither has a beach, so the sea is a shuttle ride away.
Shortlisted 2026
A historic palazzo with a terrace view Gore Vidal called the most beautiful in the world, and a heated infinity pool on the edge of it.
50 rooms, each laid out differently. Pools and the sea: heated cliffside infinity pool; no beach, but the hotel has a private boat.
Shortlisted 2026
A historic palazzo in the middle of Ravello with a Michelin-starred restaurant, Rossellinis, and its own sea club down on the coast.
43 rooms and suites. Pools and the sea: heated garden pool, plus a guests-only sea club with sun platforms from May to October.
Shortlisted 2026
A centuries-old aristocratic house turned boutique hotel, historic in feel and contemporary in its rooms.
A small boutique hotel of suites, some with full terraces. Pools and the sea: small hilltop pool, spring and summer only; no sea access.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
The calmer base for Capri and Pompeii
Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast itself: it looks north over the Bay of Naples towards Vesuvius. It is the easiest base for day trips to Capri, Pompeii and Naples, with flatter streets, more restaurants and a shorter drive from the airport, and the Amalfi towns are a drive or a boat ride away.
Shortlisted 2026
A historic villa hotel on the water's edge with its own beach, and Two MICHELIN Keys.
50 rooms. Pools and the sea: outdoor pool and a private beach.
Shortlisted 2026
A small cliffside guest house with Two MICHELIN Keys, open all year.
12 rooms. Pools and the sea: small pool and a Jacuzzi, with free entry to a beach club on Marina Grande.
Shortlisted 2026
A grand old hotel in its own gardens above the bay, with a Michelin-starred restaurant, Terrazza Bosquet.
81 rooms. Pools and the sea: outdoor pool in the gardens; no beach, but a private lift down to the seafront for boats.
* Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.
Coming in 2027
None of the hotels above carries our second stamp yet. Hotels we stay at earn the Stayed and verified stamp, with what we found written down and any hosted stay disclosed. Run a hotel on this list? See how verification works.
If you want to walk out of the door to a beach, a bar and a different dinner every night, a cliff hotel means lifts, stairs and shuttles to get anywhere. A hotel in the middle of Positano or Amalfi town, or a base in Sorrento, may suit you better. Pick your month first with our guide to the best time to visit the Amalfi Coast.
Questions people ask
Our 2026 shortlist has 14 hotels, each holding a MICHELIN Key. The most decorated are Il San Pietro di Positano and Borgo Santandrea, both with Three MICHELIN Keys, the highest rating. Borgo Santandrea was promoted to Three Keys in the 2026 selection. Every pick links to the judges behind it.
Positano for the classic view and the busiest evenings, Amalfi for the best connections by boat and bus, and Ravello for quiet, gardens and the widest views. Praiano and Conca dei Marini are calmer stretches between them. Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast itself, but it is the easiest base for Capri, Pompeii and Naples.
Il San Pietro di Positano, Borgo Santandrea and Hotel Santa Caterina all have their own beach or beach club, reached by lift down the cliff. Casa Angelina has a beach club down a lift and around 200 steps, and Palazzo Avino runs a guests-only sea club in summer. The coast's beaches are mostly shingle, not sand.
Most of the shortlisted hotels open from around April to October and close for winter. Some open in mid-March and a few run into early November. If you are planning a trip outside those months, check dates with the hotel before you plan anything else.
Roughly an hour to Ravello, Positano or Sorrento by car, and up to an hour and a half to Amalfi and Conca dei Marini. Summer traffic on the coast road can add a lot more, and in summer cars may be limited on alternate days by number plate, so a private transfer is worth booking.
Not yet. Every hotel on the 2026 list is Shortlisted on research. Hotels we stay at will carry the Stayed and verified stamp, and any hosted stay will be disclosed on the page.
When to goThe Amalfi Coast, month by monthAt its best: Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct.The journey · CitiesOne day in RomeSunrise to midnight: the walk, the tasting menus and a view of St Peter's.
Where to stayRome: the shortlist16 hotels, each one recognised by named judges.
Pair it withCroatia, month by monthAt its best: Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct.