The honest review of Belmond Hotel Caruso

Calling it an Old Master cliffhanger feels about right once you've seen the view from the terrace.

Condé Nast Traveler·

The setting is mesmerizing, perched right above Ravello with views that feel almost too composed to be real. Calm and uplifting is the right description for the overall mood here, and the pool lives up to its reputation as one of the draws of staying. Ravello itself is close enough to wander into without leaving the calm of the hotel behind.

“An Old Master cliffhanger”in their words

Touring the competition while staying at Caruso made it obvious how much more the Caruso delivers on rooms and grounds.

We actually toured a nearby cliffside property while we were staying at Caruso and it was a clear downgrade across the board, rooms, communal areas, gardens, facilities. It was a bit cheaper, but you feel the difference the moment you walk the grounds. Caruso still felt intimate to me despite its size.

I'm not usually a fan of hotel chains, but Caruso is gorgeous and that infinity pool alone justifies the stay.

I generally avoid chains when picking where to stay along this coast, but Caruso is a genuine exception. The infinity pool alone is worth building a stay around. It doesn't quite have the singular character of some of the smaller, family-owned places nearby, but it holds its own on setting and grounds.

The cocktails, made with herbs and fruit grown right on the hotel's own grounds, deserve their own mention.

For me this is the best hotel on the Amalfi Coast, and it's tucked into the cutest small village. The staff and the food quality both felt like a dream. The cocktails stood out especially, since they use herbs and fruit grown in the hotel's own garden. And of course, with that view, almost anything would taste better.

The staff seemed to know what we needed before we did, which is what made our honeymoon so hard to leave.

We spent our honeymoon here and genuinely wished we never had to leave. The staff were friendly and attentive in a way that felt anticipatory rather than scripted. Food and drinks were excellent throughout the stay, and the pool is one of the most striking I've seen anywhere. Hard to imagine a better honeymoon stay.

“it's like they know what you need before you know you need it”in their words

The in-hotel service at Caruso was lacking in person, even though every email exchange beforehand had been warm and responsive.

We had a rough experience at Caruso right before moving on to another hotel we loved. The correspondence via email for months beforehand was lovely and communicative, but the in-person service within the hotel itself, not the restaurants, was disappointing, and I'm not exaggerating that. The food was good. We ended up wishing we'd stayed at the neighboring property instead, whose pool and grounds looked better from where we were.

A wedding happening on property every single day we were there got old fast, even though the views never did.

The property and the views were absolutely incredible, some of the best elevated coastal panoramas I've seen anywhere. But the pool felt genuinely crowded when we visited in mid-June. There was a different wedding on property every day of our stay, which became annoying after a while. End of May is probably a better window if you want it quieter.

Caruso felt more luxurious overall than its neighbor, though quieter and more subdued in personality.

We stayed at both this property and its immediate neighbor in early May, and found Caruso the more luxurious of the two, while the other felt more boutique in feel. Food was good at both, maybe a touch better here. The neighbor has warmer, more personality-driven service, while Caruso plays it more subdued and quiet, though the views from both are basically the same incredible panorama.

The concierge was so proactive they rerouted our entire airport pickup to fit in a private Pompeii tour we hadn't even asked for yet.

We stayed last year and it was a highlight of our whole Italy trip. Staff didn't quite know us by name, but they remembered us day to day, which felt genuine rather than performed. The free shuttle to Amalfi and free boat to Positano meant we never had to arrange separate transport. The pool staff in particular were excellent throughout.

Caruso sits so high above the water that every outing means a drive down and back up the hill, which is the real cost of that famous terrace view.

Caruso is up in Ravello, about 350 meters above the sea, so what you're really buying is the quiet garden-and-terrace-view experience. The tradeoff is that every time you want to reach the coast road you're heading down the hill and back up again. It has the more famous view of anywhere on that stretch, but if you're moving around a lot day to day, that commute is worth weighing.

Every member of the team went above and beyond, and the sommelier's introduction to each dish set the tone for the whole evening.

There's very little to say other than that everything was outstanding. From arrival, the sommelier and Carmelo set the tone with how they introduced each dish. Giovanni and the team gave us hospitality I'd call genuinely warm, not just polished. If you're in Ravello, eating at Caruso Grill is not something to skip.

“If you're visiting Ravello, don't miss the chance to dine at Caruso Grill”in their words

It's a lovely, romantic hotel, but honestly no single staff member stood out the way I'd expected from what I'd read.

This is a genuinely beautiful, romantic hotel with stunning, almost suspended-above-the-coast views. Our room had charming details and breakfast each morning had plenty of variety. Nothing went wrong and service was pleasant throughout, but no particular staff member stood out to us the way other reviews describe. Still a very special, relaxing stay overall.

We eloped and had an incredible meal, but our wedding day was never mentioned again after the front-of-house greeting.

We arrived at Caruso Grill after eloping and the front-of-house team congratulated us warmly, which was a nice start. The meal itself, we had the Steak Florentine, was maybe the best steak I've had, and our servers were kind throughout. But after that initial greeting, our wedding day was never acknowledged again during the whole dinner, which stung a little after reading how other couples were celebrated. Paying our large bill in cash also came with an oddly aggressive recount of the money in front of us, without so much as a thank you.

The concierge team tracked down a vital medication for our dog across the whole coast and had it delivered to the hotel.

Like every Belmond we've visited across Europe, this one is exceptional: a breathtaking location, one of the best infinity pools in Europe, and food across the restaurants that was consistently delicious. What sets it apart is the staff, and the General Manager Iolanda Mansi in particular, who's visibly present everywhere from reception to the pool. Aurora at reception and the concierge team went to real lengths for our dog's medication, and they clearly extend that same care to pets, not just guests.