It doesn’t matter what the weather’s like. The view from this former monastery, which clings to the side of an Amalfi cliff, is so wide and magnificent it’s always mesmerising, whether it’s glittering in the morning sunlight or brewing a tumultuous storm. The location, just above and beyond the medieval seaside town of Amalfi, is a treat too. You’re elevated enough to feel a sense of sanctuary on its shady terraces, but also close enough to the harbour’s hubbub to make popping in and out a cinch. The result is a very enabling sense of luxury and convenience, with any bump in the road smoothed out by the exquisitely polite staff.

Overall score 9/10

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Rooms and suites

Score 9/10
The rooms are like a well-made latte macchiato. Deceptively simple, creamy brown in colour and deeply comforting, they yield their pleasures slowly with carefully considered lighting, well-made furniture and delicious bedlinen. The marble bathrooms are equally serene and low-key, with the yellow Acqua di Parma toiletries supplying the main pops of colour. Book at least a Premium Sea View Room to be sure of getting French windows and a private balcony. Views as ravishing as this need a proper, floor-to-ceiling frame. Likewise, the best of the suites are those with balconies or even a terrace — with the exception of the Suite del Priore. The former prior’s apartment overlooks the medieval cloister and has a beautiful frescoed ceiling. If you want to commune with the building’s long monastic history, this is the place.

Food and drink

Score 9/10
Delicious meals await at either end of the property. In the main building, expect rich, precise and well-balanced dishes in the vaulted Dei Cappuccini restaurant. Cannelloni filled with a beef stew, topped with black truffle shavings and served with a creamy parmesan sauce is one of the highlights — and no wonder, given that cannelloni is said to have been invented here in 1924.

Each morning breakfast is served in the same room — with the French windows flung open and tables beckoning on the sun-drenched terrace. The buffet groans with fresh fruit and pastries, and there’s a choice of cooked food too. At the far end of the garden you can also feast on pizzas from a wood-fired oven, courtesy of La Locanda della Canonica, led by the Neapolitan pizza maestro Gino Sorbillo. Lighter fare is also available in the Dei Cappuccini Bar and by the pool. Service is discreetly efficient.

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What else is there?

Score 8/10
For the first day, you won’t need much more than the view — spiced up, perhaps, by a dip in the spectacular swimming pool and maybe some exercise in the outdoor gym. Once you’ve got used to being dazzled you can then retreat indoors to the small but sleek spa, which has two couples’ treatment rooms, a hammam and an “emotional shower” (expect a range of coloured lights and soothing aromas). Elsewhere on site, you can try making limoncello using the hotel’s own lemons and learn some of the chef’s secrets in a cookery class. Meanwhile, the hotel’s concierge can organise all kinds of private excursions — from guided Pompeii tours to boat trips to Capri.

Where is it?

Score 10/10
The hotel perches on a long narrow ledge just west of Amalfi, reached from the coast road by an unassuming entrance and two lifts. The magic only happens once you emerge from these, walk the long polished corridor towards reception and look out through its windows. That’s when you realise just how privileged a position this is. Only half the site is occupied by the monastery’s converted (and extended) buildings. The rest is shaded by bougainvillea and lemon trees, and there are a hundred different places in which to while away an afternoon. Being so close to Amalfi is a buzz too — not just for its sense of history and bustling quayside. It’s only 15 minutes by bus (or taxi) from Ravello and its top-of-the-world scenery.

Price B&B doubles from £329
Restaurant mains from £32
Family-friendly Y
Accessible Y

Sean Newsom was a guest of Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel (anantara.com)

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