Hotel Palazzo Avino

Palazzo Avino is a special place. They are clearly well-versed in the world of top-notch service, and while the "warmth" of said service may have been in some instances slightly below our last visit, this remains one of Italy's finest hotels. This was our second trip to Palazzo Avino, and certainly won't be our last. Our family stayed in a suite and a partial sea view room. The partial was perfectly fine- small but functional, luxury. The suite was absolutely tremendous in its use of space, with a wonderfully utilized walk-in closet behind the bed, great parlor area, and of course the world's greatest view from any hotel room. That is not an exaggeration- there is simply no hotel in the world with a more spectacular view (maybe adjacent Caruso can compare, but none other). Antonio is tremendous as a concierge. Nothing is too much, and everything is possible. The breakfast staff is truly amazing. After our first day, they remembered everyone's preference and were present without hovering. Evening drinks were enjoyed with the same level- prior orders recalled, new suggestions made based on our desires, and all seating arranged to maximize relaxation and enjoyment of Ravello's perch above the sea. We only had two small "issues" as it were. One of the two air conditioning units in our suite was not working from day one. The "maintenance" they sent was not really maintenance- he did not understand that one unit was blowing warm air and the other cold (or did not know how to fix, so feigned ignorance). It was not a huge deal as the bedroom area remained cool enough for comfort, but on the last night the whole floor lost competent air conditoning. The front desk apologized but suggested "open the window" as a solution- on the Amalfi Coast in August. It registered 77* in our room a little after midnight, and we had a relatively uncomfortable sleep. When we returned from breakfast the following morning the A/C had been restored, but it was an annoyance and there should be availability to address. The only other small complaint was that, when we were here in 2017, the beach club had floating devices and a small boat to explore. The club now has none of those- nothing to use to float in the sea in a relaxing manner, and no longer any small boat to move around with. The staff, while attentive, were not ominpresent there like in the past. Again, neither of the above are worthy enough to move below five stats (this is TRULY a magnificent hotel), but felt it worthwhile to mention at current rates. We were sad to leave.....

We spent 3 days in Orrizonte Suite in Palazzo Avino. Unfortunately I didn???t make any photos of the room but I???ll try to describe it because there aren't many pictures of it. The suite is a large whole space with an open planned living area and solid dining table. The interior is very beautiful. In fact, the room has 2 minuses, and I would not give any other hotel rate 5 with such minuses, but our stay at Palazzo Avino was so great that I forgot about all the limitations. The first is curtains. These are the most useless curtains I have ever seen in my life.Despite the fact that they were closed it was very bright (almost like outside) in the room in the mornings. And the second thing is that the bed is not king size but two single beds connected to each other. However, again, our holiday was great despite this, although usually I am sensitive to this kind of shortcomings. Food is great! For sure, Bellini restaurant is wonderful and classy but even room service food is very delicious. I guess it is the best room service food I ever tried. We were served a really late breakfast in the room either for free or for some symbolic cost (unfortunately I don???t remember) because the breakfast was included in the accommodation. It is incredibly nice of the hotel. The service is excellent, cleaning twice a day and absolutely invisible, and the reception staff will always recommend and book for you any restaurant. By the way, I advise you to book the Bellini restaurant and even the Spa in the hotel much in advance, because it is not so easy to get an appointment on weekends in the high season. The territory of the hotel is even more beautiful than in the photo, a stunning place! Our holiday was very relaxing. So I definitely recommend Palazzo Avino.

This is our fourth stay here. We originally came here for our honeymoon in 2007 and have returned every five years since. It has always been expensive: it is a *****L hotel after all; but since our last visit in 2017, the prices do seem to have leapt extraordinarily. There might be many factors for this: it has only 43 bedrooms so there is a supply-and-demand issue; the Americans have discovered this hotel; and since our last stay, the hotels had joined the ranks of the 'The Leading Hotels of the World', which might account for the increased American presence. However, the jump in cost meant that we had to limit our stay to four nights rather than our originally intended seven. I think we might have been upgraded as we reserved a room which we understood had no view but in fact the one we were allocated did have a inland, mountain view; which was welcome. If in fact we were upgraded, we were not advised of this but it was much appreciated. The room was relatively spacious with good storage/hanging space and the bed was gloriously comfortable. There was no room for a desk as such in the room and as someone who likes to keep a diary, I had to search for a place to sit in order to write: eventually I sat by the pool in the hotel grounds. Subject to the comment below about the shower, it was a lovely room. It is good to see some staff members still in situ after many years. That is always a good sign in any hotel when they retain senior staff members. The Beach Club remains a highlight of our trips to Palazzo Avino. One used to be given refreshing hot face towels on arrival but not this time: perhaps a casualty of Covid? Service and attention to detail was excellent as ever. There were more children here on this visit than previous times. This is not a hotel which caters for children - there is no 'Kids' Club' or kids' pool - and I question why anyone would come to this hotel with children younger than fourteen. Having stayed here before, we know what to expect from this fabulous place. The attention to detail and personal touches (as well as fabulous view) are what make this hotel what it is. Therefore we were disappointed by certain aspects. My Eggs Benedict one breakfast was served in Florentine style with spinach, not ham. Our confirmed reservation at the Terrazza on the evening we arrived had not in fact been made. We both think that the portion sizes at both the Terrazza and Rosselinis are smaller than in years past. The thermostat on our bathroom shower was broken meaning the water temperature was always hot. The cold meats and fish at breakfast were uncovered and on two mornings, I found wasps making themselves comfortable on the food. And, sadly, this hotel has succumbed to the fashion of having piped, so-called 'elevator' music playing from what I christened 'singing rocks' in the hotels grounds and which I find totally unnecessary. Perhaps I am being very picky and my expectations are very high; but when one is paying the the prices charged, one does expect everything to be perfect. As I say, it pains me not to give this wonderful - and to us, very special - hotel a five star review but on this occasion, sadly I can't.