Head-to-head · Amalfi Coast
Two of my picks on the Amalfi side of the coast. One has been here for over a century; the other is brand new in feel. Here is how I would choose.
Stayed at Santa Caterina · Toured Borgo Santandrea · October 2026
Four generations of one family, a team that stays for decades, and quiet luxury in the tiny details. Stay five nights and you will still be sad to leave.
My Santa Caterina review →
Spectacular and very modern, above Conca dei Marini, with a beautiful, massive, proper beach, fantastic dining at Alici and refined but warm service.
My Borgo Santandrea review →| Santa Caterina | Borgo Santandrea | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In Amalfi | Above Conca dei Marini, just along the coast from Amalfi |
| The feel | A family home on the sea: quiet, understated luxury | Very modern, in the rooms and in the facilities |
| Rooms | I book only front sea views | Very modern; the private pool rooms are not that private |
| Room to ask for | A Special Suite with its own pool, or room 45, where I stayed | Ask me first, and think twice about a private pool room |
| Service | A family hotel since 1904; many of the team have been here 15 to 20 years | Refined but warm |
| Beach club | Down through the gardens, or by elevator | A beautiful, massive, proper beach; the sun leaves the water early |
| Don’t miss | The gardens on the way down, and the gym by the sea | The beach, and dinner at Alici |
| Arriving | By boat from Naples or Salerno | By boat from Naples or Salerno |
| Best for | Slow stays, multigenerational trips, real human service | A modern, spectacular statement and a real beach |
Work with me and you get Fora perks, plus someone who knows these hotels personally and personalizes your stay: I request room 45 or a Special Suite at Santa Caterina, steer you away from the overlooked pool rooms at Borgo Santandrea, and arrange the boats and transfers. Same rate as booking direct.
Borgo Santandrea is spectacular and brand new in feel. Santa Caterina is the opposite: it has been here for over a century and it knows exactly what it is doing.
At Santa Caterina, you feel like a guest in someone’s home. The family has run it since 1904, and so many of the team have been there 15 to 20 years or more.
If you want warmth and history over a statement, choose Santa Caterina. If you want something very modern, with a proper beach, choose Borgo Santandrea.
At Santa Caterina, every category I book faces the sea head-on: the Special Suites with a private pool, the Full Sea View Garden Suites, the front sea view Junior Suites and the upper-floor Front Sea View Doubles. I stayed in room 45, in a little building just to the left of the main hotel. So private and serene, truly a dream.
At Borgo Santandrea, the rooms are very modern. Think twice before booking one with a private pool: they are not that private, and you can look down on your neighbors, and they can look down on you.
Santa Caterina is still run by the founding family, and so many of the team have been there 15 to 20 years or more. You dial 260 for the front desk, there is no WhatsApp, and reception keeps the calendar in real books with real pens. In a world of constant tech, that face-to-face connection really means something.
At Borgo Santandrea, service is refined but warm, and dinner at Alici is fantastic.
At Santa Caterina, take the stairs down to the beach club at least once; the gardens on the way feel like a fairy tale. The elevator gives you the coolest view you have ever seen on the way to the beach.
Borgo Santandrea has a beautiful, massive, proper beach. At both, the sun leaves the water early, so in the fall your swim time ends around 4:30 or 5pm.
For a multigenerational trip, Santa Caterina. Families come back for decades, and Casa Marchesa, about 300 meters away, has a three-bedroom villa that keeps everyone together, and a pool just for its guests. Stay at least five nights.
Borgo Santandrea is for travelers who want a modern, spectacular statement and a real beach. Come in May to June, or September.
Borgo Santandrea is spectacular and brand new in feel. Santa Caterina is the opposite: it has been here for over a century and it knows exactly what it is doing. If you want warmth and history over a statement, choose Santa Caterina.
Borgo Santandrea: beautiful, massive and a proper beach. Santa Caterina’s beach club is reached through the gardens or by elevator. At both, the water goes dark early in the fall.
Santa Caterina. Families come back for generations, and the three-bedroom villa at Casa Marchesa keeps everyone together.
At Santa Caterina, a front sea view: a Special Suite with its own pool, or room 45, where I stayed. At Borgo Santandrea, ask me first, and think twice about the private pool rooms, which are overlooked.
Yes, and many of my clients do: slow days on the Amalfi side, then a few nights in Positano at Il San Pietro or Villa Treville. I can split the stay.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Santa Caterina review → Borgo Santandrea review → Il San Pietro or Borgo Santandrea → Where to stay on the Amalfi Coast →