Villa Magia

Reaching the hotel was a struggle, with what felt like hundreds of stairs to climb just to get to the lobby. Positano is hilly, but the access was much harder than we expected. We paid for a large premium room and couldn't believe what we found: rock-hard beds, showers that barely worked, broken sinks, toilets with a foul smell, and bugs throughout the room. The spa was just as disappointing. Bugs there were unacceptable for a hotel sold as five-star luxury, and the hot tub looked cheap and poorly maintained for a place in this price range. The food was poor, and the service mediocre at best. Nothing about the experience justified the rates. Villa Magia felt like a hotel from the 1950s, without the elegance and with all the problems. Based on my stay, it fell well below what I'd expect from a luxury hotel.

The apartment and views in the Top Dependance were immaculate, and the staff were always kind and quick to respond. Johnny at the restaurant was especially helpful. We accidentally left our key cards there, and when we were halfway down the hill, he ran down the steps to bring them to us. We loved the room and the service, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. A few things about staying at the Top Dependance were harder than they would've been in the main hotel, though. The complimentary shuttle wouldn't pick us up at the apartment, and its pickup point required walking up many flights of stairs, which is really hard or impossible with luggage. The bag porter was listed as complimentary, but that only covered carrying bags to your room within the hotel. To get luggage to the ferry, we had to carry it up all those stairs or pay the hotel another 15 Euro per suitcase. We were already spending 1k a night, so that was surprising and disappointing. Private porters at the ferry dock offered the same service for as low as 10 Euro. It was also disappointing that no one offered to pick us and our bags up at the apartment. Breakfast was included and delicious, but although complimentary delivery was listed, they charged 75 Euro daily to bring it to the apartment. I assume it's because of all the stairs staff would need to climb, which must be difficult. The apartment had been presented as being just as convenient as the hotel, but these surprises made it clear it wasn't. If those issues don't bother you, I'd still highly recommend Magia Top Dependance to anyone staying in Positano.

Jianne really made the stay memorable. He was great with guests and went out of his way to help. The apartment was a few minutes from the main restaurant and reception. Just be ready for the steps, there are around 100 to climb to get anywhere. I’d definitely recommend the hotel.

We spent five nights here and made good use of the spa, which was incredible. The food and drinks were superb, and the service was first-rate throughout. A fantastic hotel, highly recommended.