Hotel Villa Franca
S. Italy: Campania: Positano
Villa Franca was opened in the 1940's as a bar with a few sleeping rooms in the family's private villa. Over the years, it has remained in the same family and has become, in JDB's opinion, the best four-star hotel in Positano.

Twenty-eight rooms are in the main building with ten additional rooms in another building nearby. The rooms are not large but they are beautifully appointed down to the smallest detail, always with each guest's comfort in mind. Some deluxe rooms have balconies and jacuzzi tubs. There are no connecting rooms.

Facilities include a rooftop swimming pool with a panoramic view of Positano and the Mediterranean Sea, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, and an attractive lobby bar. The hotel's energetic owner, Mario Russo, undertakes projects each year to improve his hotel and the services it provides. Although one can walk down the hill to town for shopping or take the elevator in town down to the black sand beach, a complimentary shuttle bus is available between 8:30 a.m. and midnight. The entire staff here is excellent.

NOTE: Hotel normally closes late October and reopens late March. There is a 3-night minimum.