Villa San Michele Ravello

Enchanted position

Saying sea-front is not enough: this nice villa turned into a small hotel (12 rooms) is just *over* the sea, on the rocks a few meters (and some 100 steps... ;-) in between the road and the Amalfi gulf!

Nice, cosy rooms, a wonderful view, small terraced gardens with lemons, a perfect position for travelling along the coast (1 km from Amalfi, where the road to Ravello starts, and just in the middle of the coast) and, last but not least, welcoming owners. What else could we desire for a last romantic nappy-free holiday?

A few things to know

Trip advisor reviews are helpful to me so I wanted to comment on this hotel.

As I was climbing down many flights of stairs,I wondered how someone with any mobility problems would fare and wanted to note this in a review.

The shower was very small in our room, parking was an issue, and the location is rather remote.

That said,the setting is beautiful and once you are in your room--the views make you forget the inconveniences.

Enchanting views, wonderful service. I felt like we were staying with Family

Villa San Michele was the highlight of our trip to Italy. Our only regret is that we did not stay longer. The view of the Ocean and the rocky cliffs from our large balcony, (see picture) was breathtaking. I think the best part of the trip was our warm reception from Nicoli. He treated us like family. We walked to a local winery, the neighboring towns of Atroni, Minori, and Amalfi (all less than a mile away.)

When we wanted to explore sites further away, the beautiful town of Ravello, and the rest of the Amalfi Coast, Nicoli made it easy with the help of a local car service. Our driver Claudio was VERY reasonable, and made not having a car easy.

Highlights of the Area:

1. Breathtaking views!!!!!!!!

2. Local winery: San Marco

3. Great food in Atroni, and Ravello, local specialty is Seafood.

4. Water sports (although not in January!)

5. Charming sea side towns with interesting shopping.

6. Ceramic artisans and Lemon Groves everywhere.

The bottom line is you can do as much or as little as you want to do. I really suggest not driving yourself. The winding hairpin roads are best left to the professionals. Nicoli can make all arrangements for you as far as getting to and from the hotel and around town once you get there.

The Perfect Ingredients for a wonderful hotel experience!!

I am reluctant to spread the word on this hotel as I am concerned that I will not be able to get a room the next time I am in the area. This is the 2nd time we have stayed at the Villa San Michele & it was as beautiful as ever. This time I took a tour of 12 and everyone raved about the location as being a piece of heaven & how much they enjoyed the meals.

Nicola, the owner, is laid back as ever but he runs a well organized hotel & Leo, the waiter, says preeeeggggooo like no other! The rooms are very nice & would be considered standard, but the views from the rooms & the restaurant would be considered anything but!!!

Nicola has a habit of calling everyone by their last name, so tell him that "Marcus" says hi!! What is nice is there is not a lot of formalities about this place & you can either dress up for dinner or arrive in your shorts.

I would highly recommend this hotel to those that have at least a moderate fitness level. It is about 140 steps down to the rooms & another 140 steps to the water. It is well worth a little puffing & you can always stop & admire the view before taking the next level of steps!!!

Recommended

Just back from a week at the Villa San Michele. The hotel is located just outside Amalfi (Ravello is about 5km) with a bus stop just outside.

My bedroom was big and airy, clean with tiled floors. The bathroom although small was also clean. The big selling point however was the large terrace with table, chairs and sun lounger looking out on the bay of Amalfi. Perfect for relaxing!

As the hotel is set into a cliff all rooms and outdoor seating face seaward and have great views, however be warned that because of its location it is necessary to negotiate a large number of steps between room, dining area and street level. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal.

I stayed half board and food was excellent. Although choice was limited for the evening meal, most of the items appeared to be homemade from fresh ingredients. I particularly recommend the fish and pasta!

Overall an excellent place to stay and good value for money

Oasis of peace and beauty

Stayed at Villa San Michele in August 2004, and it was the most wonderful hotel experience...

White ~1920 (or so) villa between olive and lemon trees on the steep Amalfi coast. Hotel area extends vertically rather then horizontally, so when walking in the hotel gardens you use the plenty of stairs. Several sets of gardens and sun terraces above each other, direct and private access to the sea via steel ladder or sprinboard. Not suitable for nonswimmers, no ground. Great for snorkelling along the rocks. Limited number of rooms, ours had a full 180 Degree sea view and a spacious terrace. Air-con (although you better keep the windows open and enjoy the sea breeze), mini bar, full bath room, clean and newly equipped. Half board (pasta, salad, main course, dessert/fruits), excellent home made mediterrenean food, several plates to choose from, great wine collection, friendly, familiar service.

10 min walk to Atrani, 25 min to Amalfi. Sent friends there for their honey moon in July 2005, and they were equally enchanted. We'll be back, too!

So relaxing

we just returned from the beautiful amalfi coast, staying at the wonderful hotel villa san michele.....i cannot recommend this place more highly...the location is fantastic - beautiful mediterranean views from a cliff, with a stairway walk down to the sea....the price (very reasonable) includes breakfast and a delicious dinner made of local fresh products...the hosts will make you feel almost like family. there is no need for a car, as you walk the one kilometer into the beautiful and friendly town of amalfi....you can take a short boat ride to positano or to the isle of capri...your room has a fantastic view of the sea, as does the rest of the property....this place is just about perfection....the only problem is having to leave and re-enter the real world.....

Met all our expectations

We have had some bad experiences booking hotels on the internet, but San Michele was above and beyond our expectations. We were looking for a hotel that was private and that would give us lovely views of the sea and the Amalfi Coast. San Michele was perfect! We had a nice room with a large private terrace, with uniterrupted views of the sea and the coast. It was very peaceful and quiet....very difficult to find on the Amalfi Coast. The hotel is well located, just a bus stop away from the town of Amalfi and Revello and a short walk away from the quaint Italian village of Atrani...our favourite place. We loved our stay there and we highly recommend it. We would love to return!

Ver pleased !!!

This is a true oasis of peace and beauty!!

When you arrive, you are welcomed by the owner and his wife, who bring you to the room with the magnificent view. They speak English and French very well.

The rooms are beautiful and have basic comfort but not great luxe.

The restaurant gives a spontaneous cuisine, with lots of sea food and a good variation every night. Breakfast however is not very good : just a croissant and some marmelades, without variation. This is the only minus-point of this hotel.

Beware also: if you want to swim in the sea, you have too keep in mind that, in case of very good weather, there is a big chance that there are a lot of jellyfish in the water, with a rather painful sting. There is no swimming pool.

Conclusion : great hotel, good service, nice people, good food, great charme, magnificent environment : you don't need to go to Capri for a nice view; you have it on your own balcony !

Peter

Medical doctor, 28 Years

Belgium

Charming hotel with stunning sea views and gardens

We had a wonderful time at Villa San Michele, staying 6 nights in late October. This charming hotel has breath-takingly beautiful gardens and wonderful sea views. The highlights of our stay were the amazing meals we had in the restaurant. The dinners we had there were very simple but amazingly delicious! The best caffe lattes and cappuccinos I've ever had. But the best part about our dining experience was the quirky choice of music by the owners. One night it was Barry White. Another, reggae. On our final night, John Denver of all things! I loved it! It endeared the hotel to us all the more. The owners were friendly and spoke English very well (which was great because our Italian was terrible). Everything was within an easy walking distance, including the towns of Atrani and Amalfi, and the stunning views from Ravello were just a short (intense) hike from our hotel. For those less inclined to walking or hiking, the SITA bus stops right in front of the hotel, which is very convenient. We would highly recommend this charming hotel and we hope that we can visit Villa San Michele again in the near future!