Terrazza Duomo

The room was spacious, colorful, and impeccably clean, with a spectacular view of the church. The building was being renovated, though, and netting over the facade partly blocked that view. A small fridge beside the bed made a constant cooling noise. I was tired enough each night to fall asleep anyway. Wooden shutters blocked out the light well, but the single pane glass let in outside sounds. In the morning I could hear alarms and cars and scooters honking as they made deliveries before the city got busy. The hotel's position is excellent, right in Amalfi's heart, with the Cathedral of St. Andrew in view. Once outside, you're among shops, restaurants, coffee, dessert, and ice cream places. There's a distinctive terrace, and breakfast, included with our booking, ran from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. We picked the same table each morning as it seemed the best spot. The buffet had eggs, salami, bread, cereal, yogurt, and fruit, though the fruit wasn't peeled or cut. The staff were friendly and helpful.

I'm reviewing the restaurant, not the hotel stay. Its central position overlooking the Duomo gives it a great view, but I can't recommend dining here. Our server seemed indifferent, took our order, and didn't speak with us again that night. We chose the a la carte menu, and I'm glad we didn't commit to the tasting menu. When I asked about the two seafood options, I got only a very basic answer that both were good, with little explanation. For a special night out in Amalfi, I'd look at sensi for a true dining experience.

We spent two of our nine Amalfi nights here. The location made it easy to walk everywhere, and you can see the Duomo from both the breakfast restaurant and our room. I was concerned about outside noise, but it wasn't bad. Staff were helpful and breakfast was great. We parked in the garage just outside the town centre, about 20 euros a day, then took the tunnel walkway into town and walked a short distance to the hotel. Our room was small, with little room for luggage and a tiny shower. Even with just a backpack and carry-on each, I wouldn't have wanted to stay more than one or two nights. Take note if you travel with big suitcases.

Breakfast was very nice, and the staff were wonderfully helpful. Having reception staffed all the time was a real convenience. The place was impeccably clean too. It's right by the Duomo in the town centre, near restaurants, sights, the sea, and ferry terminal. The one drawback was carrying our bags up a few steps when we arrived.