When you arrive at Monastero Santa Rosa, a luxury 17th-century monastery-turned-hotel built into the cliffs on one of the most famous stretches of Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast, the staff rings a bell. And that’s one of the loudest moments of your stay at the lavish five-star property; the rest of the time, it’s as if you have the entire 20-room monastery to yourself. It’s all pretty confusing, considering it’s right in the heart of one of Europe’s busiest coastlines.
Indeed, cars and motorbikes race along the famously narrow road clinging to the Amalfi coast—avoiding renting a car is number one on most of the region’s to-do lists—but you’d hardly notice it as you lounge in the vast Mediterranean gardens four floors below this magnificent building perched on the cliffs. Tranquility is the order of the day here, from birdsong and gurgling fountains at breakfast to lemon-scented spa treatments in the shade of a pergola. It’s no wonder it consistently ranks among the best hotels in Italy, and even the world.
From Michelin-starred tasting menus to an award-winning historic spa, what awaits you?
Where?
Right in the heart of the Amalfi Coast, just off the main road between Amalfi and Positano.
The hotel is located above the quiet fishing village of Conca dei Marini, between two popular tourist towns, and you’ll need a car or taxi to get around. If you visit Amalfi, be sure to look up and see the majestic building of the Monastero shining on the cliffs.
Style
At Monastero Santa Rosa, the staff does not ask for your feedback. They ask for your confession (there are old confession rooms in the corridors) — a nod to the facility’s rich history as a Dominican monastery. I don’t expect them to get many confessions unless they’re guests raving about the Sfogliatella at breakfast or the little lemon-flavored gifts the staff leave you throughout your stay.
From the moment you enter the magnificent building, which dates back to 1612, there’s no escaping the history, from the original bell and wheel used by the nuns who lived here, to the lounge, which is now an ultra-chic gift shop. When you arrive, you’ll be offered a glass of fresh rosemary lemonade as you take in the views, whether from the flower-covered balcony by reception or one of the plant-filled sun terraces on the floors below.
The whole place is cool and quiet, with low-light, high-ceilinged corridors and a glass elevator to ferry you between floors. With just 20 rooms and a wide range of indoor and outdoor lounge areas, there’s a sense of exclusivity; you’ll never be towering over other guests – in fact, you’ll be well-off meeting plenty of others in the four levels of lushly landscaped gardens. The staff are smartly dressed and extremely hard-working, offering to bring you an extra towel or print out ferry times for your day trip to Positano.
Expect treats and extras at every turn, from decadent sweets left in your room by the nuns to fluffy slippers and hand cream by your bed when you get back from dinner. Did I know I needed a small bag filled with cold bottled water and lemonade for our journey to the airport? No. Did I love it? Absolutely.
Which room?
Each of the hotel’s 20 rooms and suites, spread over two floors of the monastery, is named after a flower or plant grown at the monastery.
The atmosphere is spacious and grand, like the building itself, with Jerusalem stone-lined bathrooms and high vaulted ceilings. It’s also full of character. Think giant tapestries on the walls, dark vintage furniture, and minibars housed in old wooden chests. Even the do-not-disturb signs are a nod to the building’s monastic past, with a hand-drawn image of a nun holding her finger to her lips.
However, you do not lose luxury. Bathrooms feature heated floors, rain showers and high-end Italian toiletries, and many feature full-size bathtubs. Each of the eight suites has a unique character and some even have their own terraces.
Food and drink
Puff pastry with honey, walnuts and black cherries. Homemade cacio e pepe with red shrimp and summer truffle. Fried turbot served with cod mushrooms, endive and smoked provola mousse.
These are just some of the culinary delights you can expect during your stay at Monastero Santa Rosa. The hotel is a foodie’s paradise, with one of the best outdoor dining terraces in Italy and its Michelin-starred restaurant, Il Refettorio, which serves a delightful tasting menu of seafood, meats and local produce that pays homage to the hotel’s monastic past. Expect flower-shaped butter and one of the most impressive hotel bread varieties I’ve ever seen. The menu features everything from blue lobster to the chef’s squid carpaccio and risotto with orange zest from Sorrento, all paired with fine Italian wines from the on-screen wine cellar in the hotel’s bar, La Brocca.
The hotel’s poolside café, Il Mezzogiorno, serves casual lunches, and breakfast is an a la carte breakfast of seasonal fruit, pastries and freshly squeezed orange juice, followed by an a la carte selection of traditional hot and cold dishes, plus an extra treat: a seasonal menu of apple crêpes, savoury waffles and the hotel’s famous Sfogliatella pastry, filled with mozzarella, broccoli and sausage with a ricotta sauce with black pepper. Room service breakfast is also an option if you prefer, but you’ll miss out on the hand-painted buon giorno dessert.
Facilities
The hotel’s lush, cascading gardens are a botanical wonderland, a Mediterranean paradise set over four terrace levels with sweeping sea views. Various sun terraces amid lemon trees are dotted with old wooden chessboards and four-poster daybeds. You could spend a week here and never sit in the same chair twice.
For bookworms, there’s a library, an outdoor fitness center equipped with Technogym equipment and several lounges; but the hotel’s real highlights are its stunning cliffside infinity pool and historic spa, which are housed in a series of vaulted interconnecting rooms and were voted “best.” Just after Tatler’s new spa opened.
Treatments and products are inspired, often directly by the hotel’s Mediterranean garden and monastic roots (think lemon, bergamot, rosemary, lavender and sweet orange aromas), and the building retains its original 17th-century vaulted ceilings and rustic walls. The most extraordinary treatment room, the Spa Suite, is an 80-square-metre double-height domed space with a steam room, dual wet and dry treatment couches, manicure and pedicure facilities, a relaxation lounge, private dressing room and a treatment area on a garden terrace. There’s also the option of having treatments in the shade of a pergola in the outdoor treatment garden.
What to share on Instagram?
The view from the old monastery window overlooks the town of Amalfi and the resort’s infinity pool, set amidst pristine Mediterranean paradise. Swim to the shore and gaze out to sea if you dare. Monastero’s has to be one of the most dramatic pool views on the entire coast.
What’s best for you?
Couples and foodies looking for a peaceful holiday on the Amalfi Coast.
How to get there
It’s about a three-hour drive from London to Naples, followed by a 75-minute drive the other way.
When should i go?
July is the busiest month here, with holidaymakers flocking to the Amalfi coast for a taste of la dolce vita. If possible, it’s best to stay away from this. Even in May, technically off-season when temperatures reach the mid-twenties, the roads were crowded and the ferries were swarming. It’s still a pleasant 26 degrees in September and a little more peaceful.
Room rates start from £559 B&B, excluding tax, Via Roma, 2, 84010 Conca dei Marini SA, Italy, monasterosantarosa.com