More about Hotel Marincanto
Very Happy with the Marincanto
by TripAdvisor Member snomelc94
My wife and I spent the first six nights of our honeymoon at the Marincanto. We were very happy with our choice of hotels and our stay at the Marincanto in general. And, we stayed in the old section the entire time, Room 258 to be exact. Our room location was very private, spacious and featured a private covered terrace/balcony overlooking the beach and the sea. Our view was amazing. Some of the posts are very critical of the rooms in the old section, and I have only seen the one in which we stayed, but I have to say that our room was generally in great condition. Sure, there were a couple of places on the walls that could have used a little paint touch up and the shower was a little tight, but in our opinion that added to the character and the age of the hotel. In short, it didn't bother us and was more than made up for by the private location and spaciousness of the room, the outdoor terrace and our view of Positano. We found the staff to be gracious and accommodating and enjoyed the plentiful breakfast each morning. Our beds were turned down each night and we recieved two changes of towels each day. I felt like we had a great experience and would return to the Marincanto. If you go, try Bruno's restaurant for dinner down the street. Buco di Baco was good too. Take a diving mask for the water. The view underwater is as good as the view above water.
Fantastic hotel with breathtaking views
by TripAdvisor Member LancasterHoneymooner
This hotel is built into the rocks and has fantastic uninterrupted views across the mediterranean. Our room had a balcony overlooking the sea and a sun terrace below. The hotel has a car park which is a huge bonus for Positano. Breakfast is served on the terrace with a fantastic selection of fresh fruits, pastries and cereals. The hotel was spotlessly clean and we found the staff to be friendly and helpful throughout our week long stay. The hustle of the main resort is a short walk down the hill and the beech can be accessed from the hotel down some long and steep steps. The sun terarce was very quiet and it was great to collapse onto the comfortable wooden sun beds with padded cushions on our return to the hotel each day to enjoy gin and tonics and snacks. We sampled some equisite Italian delights in Positano with our favourite restaurant being on the terrace of the 5 star hotel overlooking the bay - expensive but worth it. We did not have one bad meal during our stay and will definately return to Positano and Hotel Marincanto again. Fantastic honeymoon location.
Had a great Honeymoon
by TripAdvisor Member Andy-Thompson
We spent 6 days of our honeymoon staying at the Hotel Marincanto. We found the Marincanto to be wonderful, our room was a junior suite with a private terace.
The breakfast was good with plenty of choice.
The staff were polite, but we did hear differing stories from other guests.
The private beach was good, with a small bar/cafe it made for a lovely relaxing day on the beach. Beware, if you plan to spend time on the beach take some beach footwear, the stones are incredibly uncomfortable to walk on.
I believe the review below (from an Irish member) is written by a couple we spoke to on the beach, they told us of there experience and were obviously disapointed, unfortunatly we heard a similar story on a few occasions.
I would return to the MArincanto, but bearing in mind what we heard from other guests I would be sure to know our room was in the new building before confirming the booking.
Very disappointed this year
by TripAdvisor Member ChristinaandPaul
We stayed in the Marincanto last year, and had a fab time. However, this year we stayed in the 'old' section. The apartment was down several flights of stairs, was ant infested and had paint peeling from the walls. I was terribly upset the first night, and did not find the desk staff very helpful. We spent all the next day looking for alternative accommodation. We were offered a room in the new section with a 'partial sea-view' which we accepted. There was sun on our balcony at any stage, I was vey disappointed. The room itself was very nice. We decided to stay in the 'new room' in the Marincanto as the location and the views, in my opinion were the best in Positano.
I would think twice before going back to this hotel.
Needless to say we were chrged the full price, with some additions for drinks and call charges which we had no incurred, but which were deducted on request
Absolutely fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by TripAdvisor Member Janey5265
What can we say… the Marincanto was absolutely fantastic!!!!!!
When we booked our stay at the Marincanto the hotel had some really good comments on Trip Advisor and was ranked 9th. However, a week before we were due to go it had slipped to 15th and a few days later it had dropped to 23rd (and it is currently 27th). Needless to say I panicked and proceeded to contact every hotel in Positano to see if we could change our booking.
Luckily (it turned out for us) none of the hotels could accommodate our dates so we arrived at the Marincanto wondering what lay in store for us.
We didn’t need to worry… we had booked a Junior Suite and were allocated Room 202 which overlooks the breakfast terrace and out to sea along with a partial view of Positano. The room was extremely spacious and simply but elegantly furnished. The bathroom had a single Jacuzzi bath with shower and the window overlooked the breakfast terrace and out to sea also.
The staff were all friendly, polite and helpful (including Monica Vespoli) and I wonder whether some of the problems people have experienced have been caused by the language barrier rather than attitude. I noticed only a couple of guests attempting to speak Italian (and that was only to say good morning or order cappuccino at breakfast)… why is it that when a foreigner comes to England / America we expect them to speak English yet when we go to their country we still expect them to speak English? All of the staff at the Marincanto spoke English to varying degrees but you do need to make allowances.
The hotel is in a very good location… on the edge of Positano (just up the road from Le Sirenuse) with fantastic views yet only a 10 minute walk from the centre of Positano. I can’t really understand the comments about the number of stairs/steps. Not all of the hotel is serviced by an elevator but the main body of the hotel, from the road down to reception, is spread across 4 floors and there is an elevator for this section of the hotel. But anyway... don’t people do their homework before they book their holiday… the whole Amalfi coast is steep hills so you have expect a lot of steps in the area and all the tour guides/brochures advise that the area is not suitable for people with walking difficulties so… if you don’t want a lot of steps then book your next holiday in Holland.
There are 286 steps to/from the beach from the reception/sun terrace and it cost 10 euros per person for a sun lounger & umbrella, not 12.50 euros as a previous review states. The beach is small pebbles but I would rather have these than sand and we found the water to be quite warm even for the end of September.
For eating out we would recommend Chez Black down on the beachfront… it was so good we went there three times. Le Tre Sorelle (next door to Chez Black) wasn’t quite so good, the food was good but we didn’t get service with a smile. Buca di Bacco was ok and we went there twice but we wouldn’t recommend Bruno’s which is just down the road from the Marincanto. We had to wait ages to get served, the staff were miserable and we had to ask 3 times for the bill. Whilst we were waiting for the bill, we got chatting to some Australian ladies at the table next to us who had eaten there for the previous 3 nights and they said the service was always like that and the only reason they kept going back was because it was next door to their hotel (the California) and they couldn’t be bothered to walk down the hill to the centre of Positano. We actually saw them the following evening when we walked down to Chez Black and they were still there when we walked back to the Marincanto which gave us all a laugh.
I’m sure not everyone will have had as fantastic a holiday as we did and there will inevitably be the odd hiccup but we can only comment on our experience and our experience was more than acceptable.
Hopefully our comments and photo’s will be useful and we really hope the Marincanto gets the more favourable reviews it truly deserves.
Make sure to stay in the new section!!
by TripAdvisor Member Susieluna
My husband and I spent 3 nights at Marincanto for our honeymoon and had booked a "Superior Room with Sea View" 4 months in advance. When we arrived we were told that another guest had missed his flight and our first night was in a standard room and we would be moved to the "Superior Room" for our next 2 nights. The standard room was one step above hostel quality. Two bedrooms and one bathroom, dingy, no light, old linens, old furniture, old bathroom with a stand up tub that did not drain properly. Our 2nd two nights when we stayed in the "Superior Room" were a whole new world. Updated everything with a private balcony overlooking the sea. However, we did have an ant problem. I would only recommend staying at this hotel if you are guaranteed to stay in the renovated portion.
Best view in Positano
by TripAdvisor Member Lorraine1976
My husband and I stayed at Marincanto for 4 nights during our honeymoon. The hotel is wonderful. Okay, the staff may be a bit "aloof" but the view from apartemanto 208, OH MY!!! There is nothing like sipping a glass of wine, sitting in the Jacuzzi, overlooking Positano. My husband and I decided that when we were back at work in front of our computer screen that we would close our eyes and this would be our "happy place." The fact that the hotel is steps away from La Sirenuse the view is the same for half the price. Being on that side of town you get the view of Positano as it is captured in so many photos. But, if you get a room with a Jacuzzi, make sure it faces the Positano view as the room next to us (in my opinion) did not have nearly as beautiful of a view because it faced the other way. Friends of ours just went on their honeymoon and had the same room we had and LOVED it. You can't go wrong in Positano, it is a magical town.
Perfection in Positano
by TripAdvisor Member maudsters
Well, we began to get a little apprehensive before we went away because of some negative comments on this site, but we needn't have worried. From the moment we arrived, greeted by the friendly, smiling doorman, to the moment we left - three days later - waved off by the same guy, our whole experience at The Marincanto was delightful.
We stayed in room 205 and it was just perfect. Our usual request for an extra mattress to help with my husbands back problem was dealt with speedily and without fuss - very impressive.
All the staff were friendly towards us. Having said that, we are friendly people ourselves, and I do think that makes a big difference. We saw an American guest giving the guy on reception terrible grief one day - I won't go into detail, but I don't know how the reception guy stayed so patient!!
The breakfast was delicious! As the previous review says, there was something different every day - and plenty for the sweet-toothed like me!! One morning, we had the best fresh pineapple either of us had ever tasted. The breakfast terrace was also delightful, and looked enchanting in the evenings, when it was candle-lit (there was even a neighbour's cat mooching around one night for me to pet - which pleased me no end!!)
The light and airy lounge and reception area is as lovely as it appears on the hotel pictures - as well as spotlessly clean.
We didn't use the sun terrace (although it did look very nice) or the steps down to the beach - we strolled down the hill into town and back, just soaking up the fabulous views.
We did eat in Bruno's the first evening as we were too tired to do much else. The food was ok - we just had pasta - and the young man that served us was really friendly. In fact, every time he saw us pass by, he called out a cheery greeting and gave us a wave!
The best food we had Positano was in Restaurant Max - lovely lasagne and delicious desserts! Expensive, though, for what we had. (Positano is generally quite expensive, especially compared with Sorrento, where we went to after our 3 nights here). Best gelato was in a cafe called - I think - Zagara, on the narrow little street in town, just before the descent down towards the beach. My favourite is nocciola (hazelnut) and theirs was YUMMY!!
Back to the hotel - The Marincanto turned out every bit as good as we expected it to be when we booked it - we truly cannot say one bad word about it.
Would highly recommend
by TripAdvisor Member fancybits
I must agree with the previous reviewers experience.
We also had room 202 (a junior suite) and the previous photographs are almost identical to mine - except the weather changed so much when we were there that the sky was always different!
We also saw the rating of the hotel plummet before we went, so were delighted to meet people as we arrived that said it was just lovely. And they were right.
The room was lovely, the views beautiful and the staff very gracious. I expecially found the ladies serving food and drink most pleasant. Franco, on reception, was courteous and helpful and we only found one man on reception to be less that friendly.
We stayed there for 5 nights and the breakfast was a feast - with something new to try every day. I was glad of all the steps to the beach - kept my weight down whilst eating all the cakes!
The location was unbeatable. We walked the length and breadth of Positano and saw the other hotels we had been thinking of. Most of them were only accessible by lots of steps. The Marincanto is on the road, so you can walk down into the town, the beach, etc. and also the bus stop is only 50 yards up the street (Positano 'Sponda') so no bother with carrying bags. Very easy to come and go to Sorrento or go on to Amalfi and back.
The only thing I would disagree with the previous reviewer is that Bruno's (the nearest restaurant) has good, cheap food.
Forum Posts
Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by Wilhelmine
Hi,
Can anybody help me make up my mind? I'm trying to decide between a suite at the Hotel Marincanto and a suite at Villa Fiorentino. The hotel is on Via Colomba and the Hotel somewhere high up on Via Marconi. Prices are similar, the hotel is about 40-50 Euro more/night. The Villa seems to have a small private pool, but it's self catering. The Hotel obviously has the regular services ,but only a Jacuzzi. Both have private terrasses. How inconvenient would it be to be really high up in Positano in order to get to restaurants etc.? Is it worth skipping the small private pool and larger living area for the (I assume) more convenient location of the hotel? And lastly, can I get around in moderately high heels to go to dinner without breaking my neck?
Thank you so much.
W.
RE: Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by Wilhelmine
Correction: The Hotel is on Colomba, The Villa is on Marconi.
RE: Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by nicolaitan
i don't know your hotels, but i do know there are several good restaurants in the upper part of Positano so you will not starve. Check the VT travel guide and the many member Positano pages. One thing I am pretty sure of - even medium heels are not what you want to wear. Dining is Positano is not haute cuisine at all but the most expensive places and does not require getting "all dressed up".
RE: Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by gubbi1
Hi, also me I would not recommend this type of shoes. There are lots of stairs and the whole town is steep. Probably you would survive it, but maybe it is not worth the risc of messing up your holidays...
Happy travelling and have fun down there in this beautiful (and expensive) place. Christian.
RE: RE: Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by Wilhelmine
Thank you guys :)
RE: RE: Hotel Marincanto or Villa Fiorentino?
by BarryAir
chunk the heels. Theres a great resturant up top that will come pick you up in the evenings and return you depending I guess on what hotel you stay at. We were at the best western and we had about 10 people ride up for supper.......marvelous ride up and back. If you are going to walk to the beach, the lower you are the better is my thinking.Caio.
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