Five minutes from the chaos of Positano's centre, a cliffside former private villa offers a very different version of the Amalfi Coast: quiet, heavily staffed and, reviewer Summer Woolley found, closer to staying in a lavish private home than a hotel.
Villa Treville was once the summer residence of film director Franco Zeffirelli, and past guests have included Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli. Today it runs as a 16-suite retreat spread across six villas on two hectares between Positano and Praiano, connected by a maze of corridors, staircases and lifts, with hidden plunge pools, secluded terraces and panoramic viewpoints dotted throughout.
No two suites are alike, each refurbished with original tiles and furnishings. Most are Junior Suites with sea views and marble bathrooms; the showstopper is the four-bedroom Zeffirelli Suite, where the director lived and worked, with multiple terraces and a private heated plunge pool. All rooms come with Dyson hairdryers, organic Seed to Skin toiletries and a free minibar restocked daily with drinks and organic snacks.
Service is the standout. Guests can arrange anything from a private cooking class to a guided hike on the Path of the Gods via a 24-hour WhatsApp chat or in person, and staff remember details like your slippers size and preferred water at turndown. Food is served at Maestro's, where head chef Vincenzo Castaldo cooks Neapolitan dishes using produce grown on site. Breakfast includes a buffet of pastries, homemade jams and local cheeses in Zeffirelli's old kitchen, while the Linguine "Nerano" is the dish to order later. The Moroccan-inspired Bianca Bar serves cocktails on a lantern-lit terrace with free olives and tarallini.
Facilities include the La Traviata Spa (Dr Barbara Sturm treatments in a wrought-iron greenhouse, plus a Turkish bath and sea-view plunge pool) and an open-air Technogym overlooking the sea. There's no full-sized pool; guests instead use riad-style plunge pools or swim at the On the Rocks beach club. Five parking spots are available, pets are welcome on request, and the Zeffirelli Suite and Maestro's are wheelchair accessible, though the stair-heavy layout is otherwise a challenge. It's more of an adult escape than a family pick.
Who's it for? Travellers wanting a luxurious, restful Amalfi break with genuine privacy and top-tier service, who don't mind being a boat or short drive from central Positano rather than in it. Check-in is from 3pm, check-out at 11am.
