Pulling up to Borgo Santandrea by boat

We arrived by private boat, which is the way to arrive. You round a bend along the coast and the hotel appears to be built vertically into the cliff, stretching from the private beach all the way up to the lobby terrace. The team meets you at the dock, takes your bags, and hands you a glass of lemonade made from Amalfi lemons before you’ve had a chance to think about what to do next.

Sunset terrace view for a perfect aperitivo

Multiple elevators connect the beach to the lobby, which is no small architectural feat given that the property is carved directly into the cliffside. Borgo Santandrea is family-owned (the same family behind San Montano in Ischia) and was carefully restored over four years before reopening with a complete transformation: Italian design and materials throughout and you don’t forget where you are for a second, especially when you’re looking out the panoramic lobby windows at the sea below. We soaked up the view from our floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the boats pass below. When we pulled ourselves away from the view, we enjoyed browsing the bookshelf stocked with Italian-themed reading. Our favorite was “How to Be Italian: Eat, Drink, Dress, Travel and Love La Dolce Vita,” which we decided we needed a copy for home.

Gardens and terraces throughout the hotel

We then made our way down to the beach club. Borgo Santandrea has one of the only private beaches on the Amalfi Coast, a pebble stretch going right into deep blue water, and we settled into lounge chairs with a margherita pizza, a Nerano zucchini pizza, and a spritz delivered right to us. We dipped in and out of the water, took gelato from the cart that came around, and did very little else for the rest of the afternoon, which is entirely the point of being here.

Pizza delivered right to your chair on the private beach

As the sun lowered, we wound our way through the terraced Mediterranean gardens, peeked at the indoor-outdoor gym and morning yoga lawn, and concluded that there is no bad view from anywhere on this property. After a refresh in our tiled shower, we made our way to sunset aperitivo on another stretch of terrace overlooking a panoramic view. The cocktail menu was organized by garden ingredients, rosemary and lemon, and local herbs, which made choosing nearly impossible and gave us an excellent excuse to order a second round. After the sun set, we climbed down to Marinella, the more casual beachside restaurant set inside the hotel’s historic former boathouse with the sea just outside, where we ordered more pasta than necessary and then wandered through the garden before bed.

Views from the suites

Breakfast the next morning is a true highlight, with the Michelin kitchen of the Alici restaurant open to guests and the buffet spread across regional cheeses, olives, pastries and cakes from across Italy, and lemons in every corner. You sit on the same panoramic terrace used for the Michelin-starred restaurant the night before, looking out at the water, and it was impossible to imagine that in a few hours we’d be back at the Naples airport heading home. We imprinted the view to memory, stuffed ourselves with local pastries, and left a few minutes later than we planned after taking just a few more photos.

Enjoy the Amalfi Coast view from your shower

Views from every corner

• Best time to go: We love shoulder season, especially September through October, when the crowds thin out and the sea is still warm. Borgo is peaceful even in peak season given its position away from the busier stretches of the coast, but summer in Amalfi is iconic for a reason and the property handles it well.

• Getting there: The hotel is about a 90-minute drive from the Naples airport and easily accessible by private car transfer. If you’re already on the coast or coming from Capri or Ischia, arriving by private boat directly to the hotel dock is the move.

• Getting around: The hotel’s complimentary shuttle reaches Amalfi town in a few minutes by car or (for more fun!) by sea. Ravello is a short taxi ride from Amalfi and well worth an afternoon for its historic villas, hilltop gardens, and a sunset dinner above the coast.

• The rooms: Book a room with a view. There's nothing quite like watching the Amalfi Coast from your bed. Some suites include private plunge pools and terraces.

• The beach: One of the only private beaches on the Amalfi Coast. Chairs, towels, pizza delivery, and gelato are all taken care of.

• Add-on: A private boat to Positano, an evening in Ravello, or dinner in Amalfi are all easy to arrange and the property serves as an excellent base for exploring the broader Amalfi Coast. That said, pulling yourself away from those views will be harder than it sounds.

For more travel inspiration and insider recommendations, check out our Amalfi Coast page.