San Pietro di Positano

Il San Pietro di Positano Wins Luxist's Editors' Choice Award for Best in Summer Travel

At the famous Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in 2006, the Queen of England traipsed through a garden of hibiscus and bougainvillea inspired by the terraces of Italy's Il San Pietro di Positano-and liked what she saw.

"The Queen appreciated the display at the flower show, but has never been at the San Pietro," says the hotel's Lorenzo Saprio. "Her sister, Princess Margaret, was a frequent visitor."

Fortunately for the rest of the world, that experience can also be enjoyed by people who aren't members of the British royal family. Perched on the cliffs above the bay of Postitano with sweeping views of the town John Steinbeck once described as "a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone," Il San Pietro di Positano is our pick for the Editors' Choice Award in Best Summer Travel.

The hotel features 61 rooms hewn into the rock, each with its own spectacular view and unparalleled privacy. A staff of 127 people buzzes about the resort, looking after guests as they stroll from orchid-filled lobby to dichondra-decked terrace, spacious swimming pool to state-of-the-art fitness center, all the way down to an umbrella-dotted sun deck set just a few feet above the rocky shore.

Gallery: Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano

Tags: amalfi, amalfi coast, awards-main, Carlo Cinque, Il San Pietro di Positano, Italy, luxist-awards, michelin guide, michelin stars, Queen of England, resorts, San Pietro di Positano, winners-summer-travel

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The Luxist Awards for the Best in Summer Travel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Yachts of Seabourn's Fabled Far East Cruise

Now that summer is coming to a close, it is not too early to think about making travel plans for summer 2011.

Luxist readers nominated and voted for the destinations that they believe are the best-of-breed around the world. Below, are their favorite destinations within such categories as Best Adventure Getaway, Best Beach Hotel, Best International Summer Destination, Best Luxury Family Vacation and Best Summer Cruise.

Best Adventure Getaway
The first nominee offers an unforgettable trekking experience in Bhutan while the second offers an unparalleled safari in East Africa. The third nominee is located in one of the world's finest unspoiled havens, while the fourth features elephants in their natural habitat. The final nominee, located in the Montana Rockies, is known for its outdoor sports, from fishing to horseback riding.

Amankora Resort: Trekking in Bhutan
East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Savute Elephant Camp by Orient-Express
Montana's Triple Creek Ranch (Winner)

Best Beachside Hotel
The first nominee is where to go when in search of a peaceful sanctuary while the second nominee is a tropical haven with a relaxed pace. The third nominee is located in a secluded natural sanctuary while the fourth offers an award-winning beach. The last nominee offers a beachside location that is idyllic and unspoiled.

Amanpuri Resort, Phuket, Thailand
Four Seasons Resort, Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Four Seasons Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos (Winner)
The Oberoi, Mauritius

Best International Summer Destination
The first nominee is one of the world's most glamorous destinations while the second one was once the home of the Ottoman Sultans. The third nominee is the premier hot spot on the Amalfi Coast while the fourth offers chauffeured-driven tours of the Tuscan wine country. The final nominee offers a once-in-a-lifetime trip from Venice to Istanbul aboard one of the world's most luxurious trains.

Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi Coast
Kempinski's Ciragan Palace, Istanbul
San Pietro di Positano, Amalfi Coast (Winner)
Tuscany Wine Tours
Venice Simplon Orient-Express Train

Best Luxury Family Vacation
The first nominee offers a luxurious barge cruise through Burgandy while the second offers an armchair safari suitable for the whole family. The third nominee is where families go for Scottish outdoor pursuits from falconry to golf. The fourth nominee is considered to be the jewel of Maui while the final nominee is unplugged and unpretentious.

Abercrombie & Kent's River Barge Cruise in Burgundy
Ebony Lodge, Singita Game Reserves
Gleneagles, Scotland
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel, Maui
Kona Village Resort, Hawaii (Winner)

Best Summer Cruise
The first nominee offers an unforgettable cruise through the fabled Far East while the second nominee is the way to experience the Greek Isles and Turkey in complete luxury. The third nominee is an expedition to see the ice bears upclose while the fourth nominee takes its passengers down the Nile in style.

Fabled Far East Cruise by The Yachts of Seabourn
Greek Isles and Turkey Cruise by Sea Cloud Cruises (Winner)
Land of the Ice Bear Cruise by Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic
Oberoi Zahra Luxury Nile Cruiser: Down the Nile in Style
Mediterreanean Luxury Cruise on Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Aman Resorts, awards-main, Cunard, four seasons hotel, Grace Bay Club, Grace Bay Resorts, Kona Village Resort, Lindblad Expeditions, luxist-awards, Oberoi, Orient-Express, Orient-expressHotels, San Pietro di Positano, Sea Cloud, summer travel, triple creek ranch

San Pietro di Positano Wins the Luxist Award for Best International Summer Destination

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

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.

Gallery: Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano

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.

Tags: amalfi coast, awards-main, best international summer destination, Luxist-Awards, San Pietro di Positano, winners-summer-travel

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The Nominees For The Best in Summer Travel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Best Adventure Getaway
The first nominee offers an unforgettable trekking experience in Bhutan while the second offers an unparalleled safari in East Africa. The third nominee is located in one of the world's finest unspoiled havens, while the fourth features elephants in their natural habitat. The final nominee, located in the Montana Rockies, is known for its outdoor sports, from fishing to horseback riding.

Amankora Resort: Trekking in Bhutan
East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Savute Elephant Camp by Orient-Express
Montana's Triple Creek Ranch

Best Beachside Hotel
The first nominee is where to go when in search of a peaceful sanctuary while the second nominee is a tropical haven with a relaxed pace. The third nominee is located in a secluded natural sanctuary while the fourth offers an award-winning beach. The last nominee offers a beachside location that is idyllic and unspoiled.

Amanpuri Resort, Phuket, Thailand
Four Seasons Resort, Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Four Seasons Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos
The Oberoi, Mauritius

Best International Summer Destination
The first nominee is one of the world's most glamorous destinations while the second one was once the home of the Ottoman Sultans. The third nominee is the premier hot spot on the Amalfi Coast while the fourth offers chauffeured-driven tours of the Tuscan wine country. The final nominee offers a once-in-a-lifetime trip from Venice to Istanbul aboard one of the world's most luxurious trains.

Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi Coast
Kempinski's Ciragan Palace, Istanbul
San Pietro di Positano, Amalfi Coast
Tuscany Wine Tours
Venice Simplon Orient-Express Train

Best Luxury Family Vacation
The first nominee offers a luxurious barge cruise through Burgandy while the second offers an armchair safari suitable for the whole family. The third nominee is where families go for Scottish outdoor pursuits from falconry to golf. The fourth nominee is considered to be the jewel of Maui while the final nominee is unplugged and unpretentious.

Abercrombie & Kent's River Barge Cruise in Burgundy
Ebony Lodge, Singita Game Reserves
Gleneagles, Scotland
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel, Maui
Kona Village Resort, Hawaii

Best Summer Cruise
The first nominee offers an unforgettable cruise through the fabled Far East while the second nominee is the way to experience the Greek Isles and Turkey in complete luxury. The third nominee is an expedition to see the ice bears upclose while the fourth nominee takes its passengers down the Nile in style.

Fabled Far East Cruise by The Yachts of Seabourn
Greek Isles and Turkey Cruise by Sea Cloud Cruises
Land of the Ice Bear Cruise by Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic
Oberoi Zahra Luxury Nile Cruiser: Down the Nile in Style
Mediterreanean Luxury Cruise on Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Amalfi Coast, Amanpuri, awards-main, Cunard, Ebony Lodge, Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, Gleneagles, Grace Bay Club, Grand Wailea, Hotel Santa Caterina, Kempinski, Kona Village, Lindblad Expeditions, luxist-awards, National Geographic, Oberoi Mauritius, Oberoi Zahra, Phinda, Queen Mary 2, San Pietro di Positano, Savute, Sea Cloud, Tuscany, Venice Simplon Orient-Express, wine tours, winners-summer-travel, Yachts of Seabourn

San Pietro di Positano, Italy: Premier Hotspot on the Amalfi Coast

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

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 nomination in the best international vacation 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.

Gallery: Hotel Il San Pietro di Positano

Tags: Awards-main, best international summer destination, Italy, Luxist-Awards, Positano, San Pietro, San Pietro di Positano

Continue reading “San Pietro di Positano, Italy: Premier Hotspot on the Amalfi Coast”