Hotel Villa Franca Positano

Ideally we’d all have well-to-do Italian friends with a vacation house on the Amalfi Coast. Because while we love a good hotel, there’s something about Positano — the dramatic scenery, the cinematic atmosphere, the possibility of a three-hour lunch that starts with aperitifs and ends with limoncello and cappuccino — that makes you feel like being someone’s glamorous houseguest. Until that invitation arrives, there’s Hotel Villa Franca Positano.

The villa was a private home until the family turned it into a boutique hotel, so the place is filled with designer pieces and thoughtful details from an Italian film library to vintage board games. It has the coziness of a guesthouse and, thanks to the rooftop pool, a great spa, and a pair of gourmet restaurants, the wow factor of a luxury hotel.

Like every other building in the heart of old Positano, the villa is built right into the steep cliffside: if you think of the town as a giant amphitheater with a sea for a stage, Hotel Villa Franca Positano would be on the first or second tier of balcony seating. And while there’s hardly a bad location in a landscape as stunning as this one, the five-story villa has a particularly enviable address that affords spectacular views over the water.

Views, it bears noting, that you can enjoy in your pajamas — each and every guest room has a private balcony. In a destination where the emphasis is so squarely on the outdoor landscape, interior design seems less important. But it’s lovely nonetheless. The look mixes traditional and modern, with decorative majolica and Vietri tilework and nearly all-white decor. There’s statuary in the suites, while standard guest rooms are less grandiose, but all rooms feature Italian marble bathrooms, LED TVs, and free wi-fi.

Have a poolside spritz with 360-degree views over the water, or book a table at the high-end Li Galli Restaurant. Either way, you’ll never have to tear your eyes away from the fabulous water views, spread out before you and your plate of seafood. True, it’s a hotel — it’s not quite the same as staying with friends. But take a quick look at the lavish breakfast buffet and you’ll be glad you’re not making your own espresso on a kitchen stovetop.

Please note: Hotel Villa Franca Positano is a seasonal hotel open March thru November.