Borgo Santandrea, Amalfi

In short… Chic and ‘60s-inspired splurge-y hotel with a lovely beach club and excellent restaurants

The surroundings… On the Amalfi Coast in the tiny village of Conca dei Marini, Borgo Santandrea is just 3.5km from Amalfi—they have a shuttle that will get you there in 10 minutes. We like driving, so we rented a car at the Naples train station, but most guests opt to have a driver bring them (navigating those narrow winding roads behind buses or bad drivers isn’t for everyone), or, if you’re really splurging, arrange a boat transfer. It’s a 3-minute boat ride (the hotel’s boat will shuttle you over) to the wonderful La Tonnarella (Jackie Kennedy’s favorite!) and, while we didn’t leave the property, other guests we met took day trips to Capri, Lo Scoglio, and da Adolfo.

The back story… Built in the ‘60s as the Grand Hotel Saraceno, Maurizio and Salvatore Orlacchio—brothers from Ischia—along with another family, bought the property in 2017 and took four years to renovate it. Obsessed with Gio Ponti, Salvatore wanted a place to house his collection, and the blue and white of Gio Ponti suits the location perfectly. 

The vibe… Often these five-star bucket-list splurgy hotels can end up being too quiet—everyone wanting to be proper and on best behavior. So they can end up feeling romantic, not sexy; stiff rather than fun. BSA definitely falls in the fun camp—in part because its general manager, Maurizio, is exactly that. He has a constant sparkle in his eye, smile on his face, and makes everyone feel so welcome—so he sets the tone of you’re here to have a good time and feel at home. 

The rooms…Our room 802 had windows across it with views to the sea and the coastline. We also had a giant terrace with sunbeds on it. The bed was super comfortable, with linens from Italian family-owned company Rivolta Carmignani. Big bathroom with a tub (love when there’s a giant bowl of bath salts you can help yourself to) and Aqua di Parma products (although I wish they were in refillable containers!), and a Dyson hairdryer (which my husband loves). Each afternoon, a treat was delivered—a delicious little cream filled pastry along with some savory biscotti. 

The food & drink… There are three restaurants: Alici, their Michelin-starred restaurant; Marinella, their more casual restaurant above the beach; and the Beach Club Pizzeria & Grill. Since my only food intolerance is fussy food, I always avoid Michelin restaurants in hotels, so I didn’t check out Alici. Marinella was fantastic—we had a tasting of local traditional pastas, and the Genovese won, but the Nerano was excellent as was the Direttore (named after Maurizio, since this is his invention). The pizza is delicious for lunch at the Beach Club. But the thing that they really pride themselves on here is breakfast. Maurizio explained that this is where they really go all out—they even have a guy who they call the Breakfast Ambassador, and he shows the guests all the options. While for a minute I thought it was a bit too schticky, I realized that so often I don’t know what I’m looking at in a breakfast buffet, and it’s usually something local and really interesting. They also serve breakfast until noon, so if you’re a late riser this feels very luxurious. The Plumbago Bar makes excellent cocktails—I even veered from my traditional martini with Tanqueray 10 and enjoyed their local gin, which had just a touch of lemon—and their bar snacks of caper berries and picked baby onions, which I’m copying as soon as I get home.

The wellness…There’s a gym with both indoor and outdoor facilities, Technogym equipment and some cardio machines. Morning yoga classes happen on the outdoor terrace, and if you’re a stair climber, this place is bliss! I had an excellent deep-tissue massage at their spa.

Is it kid-friendly?  Kids over eight are allowed, but for me, this is not a family hotel. Besides it being super sexy and a place that is filled with couples who either don’t have kids or left theirs at home, it has so many stairs, so you’ll have to hear them complaining or worry about them running and falling.

Be sure to…There’s a sauna on the terrace just next to the pool which has an incredible view to the sea. If you’re a sauna person, you’ll appreciate how hot they keep it. 

Special shout out goes to…  Luca the boat captain was incredibly sweet when he brought us over to La Tonnarella, giving me his WhatsApp to text him when we were close to ready. On the ride back to the hotel, he asked for my phone and took so many photos of me and Matt. 

Date of stay…Sept 9-11, 2025