A daring new opening near Amalfi

The Amalfi Coast’s “30-some miles of cliffs, coves and colourful villages” are among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, and sequester at least half a dozen of the world’s best hotels, all longestablished, with loyal clienteles. To open another here is “a tall order”, says Maria Shollenbarger in the FT, but that’s what two families from the nearby island of Ischia did in July, and the Borgo Santandrea, in the hamlet of Conca dei Marini, is already settling in nicely. The hotel’s “clean-lined” 1960s structure is that of the old Gran Hotel Saraceno, which the owners acquired in 2017 and stripped of its “ornate, heavy” interiors. It now has a strongly 20th century feel, with 31 unique blueand-white majolica tile designs that took artisans in Salerno two years to produce, and a “gallery-worthy” array of mid-century modern furniture, contributed by one of the owners, a banker, from his personal collection.

From the entrance, almost 100 metres above the sea, the hotel’s seven floors spill “prettily” down a steep terraced incline. The gardens are “lush”, and the 45 rooms and suites all have balconies with “show-stopping” sea views, while some have grassy terraces, plunge pools, or bathtubs “nestled next to picture windows”. There are three restaurants, including one offering fine dining under chef Crescenzo Scotti, and another serving simple classics al fresco. But the ace up the hotel’s sleeve is its private beach, a rarity on this coast. The water is “aquamarine” and “eminently swimmable”, and there’s a beach club “dressed perfectly in low-slung white sofas and 1970s rattan lounge chairs”, with boats to ferry you to other restaurants. Doubles from s770, borgosantandrea.it.