Villa Amanda
Description
Villa Amanda stands on a cliff terrace along the coast road at Sorrento, on ground with a long memory: the house was built over the remains of a Roman patrician villa some twenty centuries old, and traces of it are still visible on the lower floor. What the position gives today is one of the great views of southern Italy, unobstructed across the Gulf of Naples to Vesuvius on one side and the island of Ischia on the other. It is a restored two-storey residence for eight, finished in linen, fine woods and designer furniture, with a garden of more than 3,000 square feet, a pergola for long lunches, and a heated six-seat whirlpool set to face the water.
Where exactly is the villa?
The house sits on the coastal road at Sorrento, between neighbouring buildings and above the cliffs, which is what makes it unusual: it has the panorama of a country villa and the convenience of a town house. The beach, the restaurants and the historic centre of Sorrento are all within walking distance, so a party can spend a week here without needing a car at all, and without the hairpin drives that define most of this coast.
Sorrento itself is the best base on the peninsula for anyone who wants to move around. The ferries and hydrofoils leave from Marina Piccola for Capri and Ischia, the Circumvesuviana train runs to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples, and the coast road goes south to Positano in around forty minutes and Amalfi in a little over an hour. Naples airport is about an hour and ten minutes by road.
What is the view actually like?
It is the reason to take this house. From the garden, the pergola and the panoramic balconies, the Gulf of Naples opens out with Vesuvius directly across the water and Ischia on the horizon, and the light changes through the day from the hard blue of midday to the pink that settles on the volcano at dusk. The whirlpool is positioned for exactly that hour.
What is the house like inside?
Two floors, lovingly restored, with the Roman remains left visible on the lower level as the house’s own quiet piece of archaeology. The sitting area is comfortable and unfussy, with sofas, armchairs and a fireplace for the cooler months, and the dining room seats ten. The kitchen is fully equipped, with an induction hob and a breakfast bar for the informal meals.
Natural materials carry the interiors: linen, good timber and designer pieces rather than anything showy. There is underfloor heating throughout, air conditioning in the bedrooms and living room, smart televisions, Wi-Fi indoors and out, a washing machine, a dishwasher and a safe.
How are the bedrooms arranged?
Four bedrooms sleeping eight, across two floors connected by an internal staircase of twenty-two steps.
On the main floor there is a queen bedroom with access to the panoramic balcony and its own bathroom, a second bedroom that can be made up as a king or twins, also opening to the balcony, and a queen bedroom on the mezzanine; these last two share a bathroom. On the lower floor, a king bedroom opens into the garden and has its own bathroom. All bathrooms have showers.
What is outside?
The garden runs to more than 3,000 square feet, furnished and manicured, with sun loungers, chairs and an umbrella laid out to take the view. The Sorrentine pergola shades a dining table for the whole party, and there is a barbecue, an outdoor shower, and Wi-Fi in the garden for anyone working from a sunlounger.
The heated hexagonal whirlpool seats six and looks straight out over the gulf; it is maintained daily and is as welcome in March or October as in August.
What is included, and what can be arranged?
Included in every stay: daily continental breakfast, housekeeping four hours a day from Monday to Friday, daily towel changes, a mid-week linen change, final cleaning, all utilities including heating and air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and full garden and whirlpool maintenance.
A cook is available through the villa’s own staff, and additional housekeeping and personal laundry can be arranged. The Haute Retreats concierge handles the rest: airport transfers and drivers, private boat days to Capri, Li Galli and the Amalfi coves, guides for Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, cooking classes and limoncello tastings, in-villa massage, and reservations at the tables in Sorrento that fill up months ahead in summer.
Who is Villa Amanda right for?
Families and groups of eight who want the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento coast without renting a car or committing to a hillside estate: everything within walking distance, ferries to the islands a few minutes away, and a garden and a whirlpool with a volcano across the water to come home to. It suits a summer fortnight, a spring or autumn week when the coast is calm, and celebrations where the setting does the work.
Good to know
Seven-night minimum stay. Check-in 4 pm to 8 pm, check-out by 10 am; a late-arrival charge applies after 8 pm. Non-smoking; children welcome; pets not accommodated. The bedding configuration is fixed. Parking is available nearby for a fee. A damage deposit applies, and the local visitor’s tax is payable on site in cash. Full terms and cancellation policy confirmed at booking.
A few days at Villa Amanda
Walk into the centre of Sorrento for the morning market and a coffee in Piazza Tasso, then down to the marina for lunch.
Take the hydrofoil to Capri for the day, or hire a boat and swim off the rocks below the coast.
Pompeii and Vesuvius in the cool of the morning by train, with the crater walk before the heat.
Stay home: breakfast under the pergola, the afternoon in the garden, and the whirlpool as the sun goes down behind Ischia.
Read More A Week in Amalfi Coast in the Spring
Availability
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| 1 $2,950 | 2 $2,950 | 3 $2,050 7 | 4 $2,050 7 | |||
| 5 $2,050 7 | 6 $2,050 7 | 7 $2,050 7 | 8 $2,050 7 | 9 $2,050 7 | 10 $2,050 7 | 11 $2,050 7 |
| 12 $2,050 7 | 13 $2,050 7 | 14 $2,050 7 | 15 $2,050 7 | 16 $2,050 7 | 17 $2,050 7 | 18 $2,050 7 |
| 19 $2,050 7 | 20 $2,050 7 | 21 $2,050 7 | 22 $2,050 7 | 23 $2,050 7 | 24 $1,250 7 | 25 $1,250 7 |
| 26 $1,250 7 | 27 $1,250 7 | 28 $1,250 7 | 29 $1,250 7 | 30 $1,250 7 | 31 $1,250 7 | |
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
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| 1 $1,250 7 | ||||||
| 2 $1,250 7 | 3 $1,250 7 | 4 $1,250 7 | 5 $1,250 7 | 6 $1,250 7 | 7 $1,020 4 | 8 $1,020 4 |
| 9 $1,020 4 | 10 $1,020 4 | 11 $1,020 4 | 12 $1,020 4 | 13 $1,020 4 | 14 $1,020 4 | 15 $1,020 4 |
| 16 $1,020 4 | 17 $1,020 4 | 18 $1,020 4 | 19 $1,020 4 | 20 $1,020 4 | 21 $1,020 4 | 22 $1,020 4 |
| 23 $1,020 4 | 24 $1,020 4 | 25 $1,020 4 | 26 $1,020 4 | 27 $1,020 4 | 28 $1,020 4 | 29 $1,020 4 |
| 30 $1,020 4 | ||||||
