Overview

The painstaking renovation of Monastero Santa Rosa, a 17th-century monastery, has resulted in a unique Amalfi boutique hotel steeped in history, lavished with top-quality furnishings, and set in gloriously scented tiered gardens. Perched dramatically on the edge of a sheer cliff above that blue, blue Bay of Salerno in the fishing village of Conca dei Marini, the 20 ocean-view rooms and Santa Maria Novella-stocked spa are remarkably spacious and utterly romantic.

Highlights:

  • Spacious Santa Maria Novella-stocked spa

  • Beautiful Bay of Salerno views

  • Dream location for touring the Amalfi Coast

Smith extra

€55 per stay to spend in the spa

In the know

Also need to know:

No pets are allowed at the hotel. The spa is a destination in its own right, if only for a noseful of the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella unguents and a whirl in the thermal spa (Finnish sauna, steam room, ice fountain and more).Prince Albert of Monaco was one of the first guests when this pocket of heaven opened, naturally.

Packing tips:

Ditch the heels – this is steeply stepped terrain.

Dress code:

No need to be catwalk-fit: off-duty but elegant should do the trick.

Mr and Mrs Smith reviews

I hadn’t been to the Amalfi coast in almost a decade. My last trip was under very different circumstances: I spent my time sweating away in the galley cooking for a boatful of above-deck guests. For this visit, I’m happy to report, the tables were definitely turned in my favour. This spring holiday weekend was to be our first proper Mr & Mrs Smith-style escapade in over a year, so I wanted it to hit all the right notes.

Expectations were super high, which is never the best starting point. But from the moment we arrived at Monastero Santa Rosa we were far from disappointed. Since the Amalfi Coast always headlines in the glossiest travel magazines as the place to be and be seen, one has such romantic notions of this celebrated Italian coastline. Images abound of Sophia Loren sunbathing her chestnut skin, dramatic winding roads overlooking the coastline as far as the eye can see, beautiful tables laid out with the best Italian fare, and of course endless blue seas and skies.

Conca dei Marini itself is a sleepy fishermen’s village 4km from Amalfi with cobblestone and lemon grove clichés that have international jetset flocking. Having just driven around countless bends like an ageing Stirling Moss, we were both feeling a little off-colour. The SatNav indicated that we had arrived, so we pulled up by an entrance, marked by a discreet tiled sign: Monastero Santa Rosa. We walked though a small archway and up a few steps, and as soon as the hotel staff caught a glimpse of us, they rang the monastery bell to signal our arrival. From this moment onwards, the experience did not resemble anything I usually associate with a hotel…

In the absence of a formal check-in, we were greeted by the large welcoming smile of a smart-looking concierge who plied us with fresh lemonade made from the hotel’s own huge Sorrento lemons. Standing in the vast majestic vaulted hallway of the monastery, a small door beckoned us onto a tempting terrace of majolica tiling. Stepping out here we were able to get a full view of the alabaster-toned splendour and tiered landscaping. Plush and immaculately groomed gardens burst with orange and lemon trees, herbs of all aromas, full-bloomed roses and endless walls festooned in fragrant jasmine… and of course there’s that dazzling panoramic view over the cliff across the blue Bay of Salerno. And there is also an infinity pool like no other – it literally appears to drop into the ocean.

As you can imagine, by now we were desperate to dump our luggage and hit that water. 27 degrees, not one cloud in the sky – this was better than any May weekend back in London. Walking down one flight of stairs and down the hall towards our suite, was enough to have us amazed by the attention to detail. Original decorative pieces dating from Monastero Santa Rosa’s original 17th-century incarnation as a monastery, and there’s even an original confession booth. Old black-and-white pictures treat guests to a clearer idea of what this unique building and its interior used to look like.

Flowers have inspired the names of all the suites, and we quickly twigged that despite the grandeur of this Amalfi hotel, there are in fact only very few bedrooms (a mere 20 in total, all ocean view). Stepping into our Sea View Deluxe Suite and we were met by wide vaulting and four windows overlooking the sea and simple but very luxurious furnishings. Once again God was in the detail: wonderful bed linen, juicy just-picked strawberries, and extremely efficient WiFi – which despite the incredibly thick walls works throughout the hotel and even by the pool. A credit to the American owner perhaps? More on that in a minute.

Filipo was at the pool to greet us, and he couldn’t have been more charming or helpful. He set us up in no time and even arranged a simple and delicious lunch from the pool menu, which offers simple classics as tomato and mozzarella and melon and Italian ham. We’d heard that the food was not too formal in the way some Italian restaurants can be. The German chef focuses on Campania flavours using local ingredients – don’t expect all the bells and whistles from the à la carte menu in the evening, just five or so choices for each course. And while this terrain never used to boast any respectable vintages, Amalfi now yields some world-class wines made from grapes grown not far from the hotel itself.

Enthused by the whole experience so far, we grilled poor Filipo about who could have been behind such a gargantuan project. We were informed that the hotel was acquired a dozen years past by an American heiress who had seen the castle-like silhouette from her boat as she sailed along the coast. Bianca Sharma fell in love with the property and set about acquiring it immediately. Its South Carolina owner then executed a 10-year renovation programme to transform the property using local artisans and craftsmen. Grazie mille for such an amazing labour of love.

Yes, the pool was wonderful, warm and oh-so inviting – who could ever tire of being perched on its edge taking in those incredible sea views? It could only take a Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella spa to tempt you inside on days like that. This too was mind blowing – particularly the couples’ facilities. Fans of the Florentine apothecary will thrill too at the treatments using the aromatic ancient-recipe products.

Little surprise then that we could have easily stayed put on the premises for all three days and nights, but since the hotel’s location is so well positioned an explore of the Amalfi Coast is irresistible. Particularly when the concierge recommends you rent a boat. On our second day we cruised to Positano and had lunch at Conca del Sogno – a beach club restaurant especially wonderful when accessed from the water. But on our way back, as we saw Monastero Santa Rosa reappear high up on its cliff, our hearts lurched again for our very special home for the weekend.

 

Accommodation details

Address:

2 Via Roma, Conca dei Marini, Campania, 84010
Conca dei Marini
Italy

Location:

1.9 mi / 3.1 km from city centre

General facilities

  • Onsite laundry
  • Spa
  • Exercise gym
  • On-Site parking
  • Internet services
  • Restaurant
  • Pool
  • Lounges/bars
  • Room service

Dining information

Restaurant:

Santa Rosa Ristorante wows with Campania flavours done simply but perfectly, many of the organic ingredients picked from the hotel’s own gardens. When it’s chef Christoph Bob who is behind your homemade spaghetti with vegetables and baby squid expect the spectacular; even his wild strawberry take on cheesecake is an extraordinary interpretation – he was plucked from Alain Ducasse’s thrice Michelin-starred restaurant at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. As one might expect, the wine cellar has among its 400 varieties some incredible local wines such as Furore’s DOC white or red are delicious, as well as world-famous award winners.

Top Table:

Since the hotel’s terrace enjoys one of the most special Amalfi Coast views possible, if the weather lets you go alfresco, any of the sea-view tables are benissimo. Inside, a corner of the intimate vaulted dining room is especially romantic.

Last Orders:

Breakfast ends at a civilised 10.30pm; lunch is flexible throughout the day and dinner runs 7.30pm–10.30pm.

Room Service:

Pick at sandwiches, pasta, bigger-deal meals and sweet treats around the clock.

Hotel Bar:

Take one relaxed lounge bar, add a watery sunset or starlit sky and you may concur that all that’s missing from toast-worthy scene is a Monastero Martini (vanilla vodka, white cocoa cream, limoncello, fresh cream milk) or a Conca cosmopolitan (vodka, Cointreau, limoncello, cranberry juice). Local wines weren’t worth mentioning until recently: now the hotel can showcase an excellent new generation in its presentation wine cellar.

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