Grand Hotel Excelsior Amalfi

"Grand Hotel Excelsior Amalfi – Our Honest Review (5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) My wife and I stayed at the Grand Hotel Excelsior to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, and we had an absolutely fantastic stay. Booking & Arrival Booking was very straightforward. I also ordered a bouquet of flowers for our anniversary, which was waiting for us without any issues. We arranged a private transfer from Naples Airport, which took about 1½ hours and cost €150. While it isn’t the cheapest option, it was absolutely worth it. Public transport would have taken around three hours, especially with luggage and the summer heat. Check-in was warm, friendly and efficient. Our bags were taken immediately, everything about the hotel was explained clearly, including the in-room tablet, and we instantly felt welcome. The Room We were lucky enough to be upgraded for our anniversary, and the room was simply beautiful. It was spotlessly clean, with a large terrace overlooking the Amalfi Coast, complete with a table and two loungers. The view alone is worth staying here. If possible, definitely book a sea-view room—you won’t regret it. The bathroom was spacious and included a shower, jacuzzi bath, toilet and bidet. Two things really stood out: * The mini fridge actually worked! It kept our drinks properly cold, which is surprisingly rare in many hotels. * The air conditioning was outstanding. In the Italian summer heat, it was an absolute lifesaver and very easy to use. The room was cleaned to a very high standard every day. Breakfast Breakfast is served from 7:00am until 10:30am. There was an excellent selection of both hot and cold food, including cheeses, meats, fresh fruit, pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, mushrooms and peppers. One small tip—if you enjoy the hot breakfast, get there earlier rather than later. The food is definitely at its best early in the service. You can eat inside or outside on the terrace overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Either way, the views are spectacular. The In-Room Tablet One feature we absolutely loved was the tablet provided in every room. It lets you: * Book shuttle buses * Arrange private transfers * View restaurant menus * Find local information and places to visit * Read about the private beach * Control the TV It’s incredibly useful and makes everything very convenient. Shuttle Bus The complimentary shuttle bus into Amalfi town is excellent. The journey takes around 15 minutes and runs roughly every half hour. My advice is to book your seats early through the tablet, then head down to reception a few minutes before departure, as the bus fills up quickly. If you finish in town earlier than expected, it’s worth waiting at the shuttle stop—you may be lucky enough to get an earlier return if there’s space available. Private Beach The private beach is definitely worth visiting. When booking your shuttle, simply select the beach option so the driver knows to stop there. You’ll then take a couple of lifts down through the cliffs before emerging onto the beach. The water is crystal clear and beautiful, with plenty of sun loungers available. There is also a snack bar serving sandwiches, chips, drinks and other refreshments, all of which can simply be charged to your room. The only thing to be aware of is that it is a pebble beach rather than sand, and the sea becomes deep quite quickly. The stones can also be slippery. I’d strongly recommend bringing proper water shoes with rubber soles. I wouldn’t advise going barefoot or wearing flip-flops when entering the water. Pool The hotel pool is another highlight. Again, the views are simply breathtaking. There are plenty of sun loungers, and they feature adjustable head canopies that provide welcome shade—I hadn’t seen these before, and they’re brilliant. There’s also a pool bar where food and drinks can be ordered and charged directly to your room. Staff Without doubt, one of the biggest strengths of this hotel is the staff. From reception and housekeeping to the shuttle drivers and pool staff, everyone was genuinely friendly, welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. Their service really made the holiday special. Top Tips * Book a room with a sea view—it completely transforms the experience. * Reserve shuttle buses as early as possible. * Bring water shoes for the private beach. * There’s a small supermarket about a 5–10 minute walk away for water, snacks and wine. Just be careful walking along the road, as there isn’t much footpath in places. * Make use of the in-room tablet—it makes organising everything incredibly easy. Overall We absolutely loved our stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior. The spectacular views, excellent facilities, comfortable rooms, private beach, reliable shuttle service and, above all, the outstanding staff made this one of the best hotel experiences we’ve had. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Amalfi Coast."

"How this hotel is a four star hotel I will never know. Other than the view and some (not all) friendly staff the experience left much to be desired. Most of the food they serve was frozen food, the shuttle was not dependable, and a reservation for a local restaurant that they confirmed they made with our travel agent prior to our arrival, was never made. The quality of the hotel from the towels, to food, to aged features of the hotel pool area, to them being out of a local Amalfi white wine they served originally at the start of the one meal I had there are just a few examples. Would not recommend."

"We had such a lovely stay at this hotel it was hard to leave! The views were immaculate and the staff was so kind and welcoming. I would 100% stay here again. We were provided a free shuttle service to and from town that ran every 30 min. The ride to and from town only takes about 10-15 min. One thing to keep in mind is that there are only 8 ppl in each shuttle and they do fill up. It just made it so that we needed to plan ahead a little so we could go and come when we wanted to. Wasn’t hard to switch plans either as long as the shuttle wasn’t filled. We had access to a private beach which was incredible! There was an elevator that took you up and down and let you out into a cool little cave and onto the beach. You could order food and drinks from there as well. Some of the best beach days I’ve had. Having water shoes might be a nice addition as it can be a bit hard to walk on the rocks to get in and out of the water. My fiance was fine but I have baby feet. The water was incredible! The breakfast with a view every morning was my favorite. The breakfast was standard continental but with the views it was the best way to start the day. Andrew was so kind and welcoming and really made the stay special. My fiancé and I loved our stay, made it so hard for us to leave!"