San Pietro di Positano Wins the Luxist Award for Best International Summer Destination
The writer John Steinbeck once described Positano, Italy, as "a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." Fortunately for well-heeled travelers, the town is quite real-and the San Pietro di Positano hotel offers lodging worthy of a Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Award in the best international summer destination category.
San Pietro was founded in 1970 by Carlo "Carlino" Cinque. Carlino had been in the hospitality business since opening a smaller hotel in the heart of Positano at the age of 23, all the way back in 1934. He chose San Pietro's location for its enviable position high in the coastal hills above Positano, all visible from a 423 square meter terrace accessible to the inhabitants of the resort's 33 rooms.
San Pietro di Positano quickly became the premier hotspot for glamorous visitors to the Amalfi Coast. Over the decades, high-profile guests have included Barbara Streisand, Sting and Julia Roberts; Keith Richards and Mick Jagger reportedly wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" while vacationing in Positano.
These days, patrons of San Pietro enjoy a private beach accessible by an elevator built into the seaside cliffs, a Michelin-spangled restaurant within the resort, and private balconies overlooking the sea in every room. Shuttle buses allow easy access to Positano's attractions, from the Church of Santa Maria Assunta to the remnants of the seaside fishing village that Steinbeck loved so much.
You may well need to be a successful pearl diver to afford a room at San Pietro. Rates start at 420 Euros per night and ramp up to 1,350 Euros during the peak summer season.
