Locanda Costa Diva

Ending our week exploring Italy and Greece at this beautiful hotel in a marvelous town was perfect. We brought my mother for her 60th birthday, and the views from everywhere took our breath away. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and the staff made us feel so welcome. From check-in and the lovely breakfast and coffee I still dream about to the lemon risotto, the whole experience was great. We can’t wait to return.

The view and location are hard to beat, and that’s what you’re paying the $300 for. We had lunch for six, no alcohol, and left hungry and disappointed. The service was fine and the staff were nice, but meals here move at a very laid-back pace. The food didn’t come close to matching the setting. After a week in Italy, this was easily one of the worst pastas any of us had eaten. The €20 lemon risotto tasted like a first week culinary school student made it. It lacked basic seasoning and was flat, with none of the finished texture or creaminess it should have had. If not for the view, my score would be much lower. Skip dessert, maybe stop for a drink on the cliffs, and leave the rest. By the time we got to Amalfi, we were all looking for generic food to make up for that lunch.

The bus stop is right beside the hotel, which was handy. We arrived very late but the friendly staff and Phillipe, who I think was the owner or manager, welcomed us and made us feel comfortable. The room was as described, with an amazing view. Breakfast was plentiful and delicious, and dinner was wonderful too. Definitely get the lemon risotto!

Our room, Rafaella, was a private suite a little apart from the rest of the hotel, with a balcony, sun loungers, table and chairs, and stunning views over the Amalfi coast. We’re so glad the charming man we guessed was the owner or manager gave us those keys. On our third morning, my partner proposed at sunrise from the loungers, in the peace and privacy of dawn. We’ll always feel attached to Costa Diva because of that, and have to come back to the same room someday. The manager or owner even gave us each a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate. A lovely Italian man met us at the top of the driveway in the blazing heat and carried our bags all the way to the room. The food was great too. We ordered a plate of king prawns on the first day and demolished it. Some people complain about the food, but Italian cooking doesn’t need to be the highly processed, over-seasoned food the western world seems to expect. We had delicious buffet breakfasts every day, and now permanently eat like Italians, with espresso, croissants and assorted cheeses. One server could have smiled now and then, but I might’ve been a bit pissed too if customers didn’t speak a word of Italian or kept butchering the little they knew, which we did a lot. Sorry, and grazie mille! See you again soon, ciao!