Le Sirenuse

The Sersale family opened their Positano summer house to guests in 1951 and have run it ever since, which is unusual at this level and shows in the detail. The building steps down the hillside in stages, so there is no grand lobby and no single view - instead a sequence of terraces, tiled corridors and balconies, each with a slightly different angle on the domed church of Santa Maria Assunta and the sea beyond.

Rooms are individually decorated with antiques, majolica tiles and contemporary art rather than a house style, and almost all have private outdoor space. La Sponda, the main restaurant, holds a Michelin star and is lit by several hundred candles at dinner; the Franco's Bar next door has become one of the Amalfi Coast's better-known places for an aperitivo.

There is a compact spa, a heated pool on a terrace, and a boat for exploring the Li Galli islands and the coast toward Amalfi. Positano itself is vertical and busy in high summer; the hotel's quieter edges are a relief.