My husband and I stayed at the Grand Hotel Aminta for our first year anniversary. (we were married in Positano in August 2004 so were keen to return to the Amalfi coast). Our stay in Sorrento was lovely, most notably for the wonderful hospitality extended to us during our stay. The staff were all very unobtrusive and courteous, and we found the reception desk very friendly and helpful whenever we had any questions about the hotel or area in general.

The elevated position of the hotel provided such amazing views of Sorrento and beyond to Naples, and was a welcome haven from the busy hustle of the town below. We also really appreciated the courtesy shuttle bus into the centre (5 - 10 mins drive), which was very reliable and made our trips into town very straightforward - the walk down took about 20 mins, but was hard work on the way back up! In fact the 7:30pm bus and the return at 11:15pm were often so popular that we suggested to the hotel that extra bus's after these times might be an idea for next season - and they were very positive about the idea.

The hotel is immaculate, and very light and airy, and because it is in such a commanding position, has fantastic views from almost every aspect. The pool is large, and operates a sun lounger reservation system and there is a hire charge, but there are also plenty of comfortable deck chairs freely available.

We stayed in the Annex building, which was again, very clean and tidy. Our room had air-conditioning and a tv & of particular note, the bathroom provided lots of freebies - shampoo, shower gel, even a razor and after shave balm. We were also kindly upgraded to a room with balcony and sea view - which was wonderful & made for many romantic sunsets overlooking the Isle of Capri. The only down side was the noise made by some of our neighbours during our stay. Our room was right next to the staircase and some people did tend to congregate at the top of the stairs to have a chat, we assume before they went for breakfast at 7am!

In addition, the breakfasts were delicious - bacon and eggs served with wonderfully rich Italian coffee. An excellent start to each day.

We would highly recommend staying at the Grand Hotel Aminta.

View is outstanding, but comes at a price - getting in and out of Sorrento is not that easy and the shuttle is not as frequent as we would have liked, especially the evening return times (8:30- too early, 11:15 - too late !). On the plus side, it was nice being out of the centre of Sorrento and the walk down is very pleasant. We walked up twice, it is steep !!

We had a sea view room with balcony - nice to sit on, but the traffic noise was intrusive. We had a "triple room" - basically a double with a couch bed; small and little storage space. More 3* than 4*.

Reception staff were very pleasant, but seemed more interested in helping guests who wanted to buy the expensive excursions than in suggesting options for people like us who wanted to do it independently.

Waiters in restaurant also very friendly and service was good. We were b&b - breakfasts were a bit dull unless you are very into Italian cakes.

We didn't expect to have to pay extra for sunbeds, pool towels or to store our own botel of water in the fridge - again didn't seem like 4* hotel treatment.

Sorrento is VERY touristy, and we felt like everyone was out to get as many euros from us as possible.

If you do go, one thing we would recommend is hiring a boat. We did this twice from a lovely woman at the marina grande, and really enjoyed exploring the coast. You could even go to Capri on your own.

We had some great food and some very mediocre. Don't order mixed salad - doesn't seem to be a concept the Italians understand. Restaurant Tasso was fantastic (strongly recommend the chocolate souffe), as was Perruchino's. We found some lunch items at the hotel to be over-priced and not great quality, but the spaghetti was good.

Just come back from two weeks at the Aminta with my Wife, I have put my points down below

1) Fantastic staff - very helpful, friendly - my Wife fell Ill one night and they seemed genuinely concerned.

2) Fantastic location - loved being out of the heat and noise of Sorretno town centre - The only negative is that the path down to the town is very badly lit and would be dangerous if you were on your own - We walked in and back on many ocassions - which was useful for letting our dinner/ice-cream go down !

3) The food in the hotel was not the best - We had dinner once and it turned out to be the worst and most expensive one in the two weeks !
Lunch was fine, but needed the option of sandwiches and other lighter snacks...

4) the room was not a 4 star standard, this did not bother us, but it was very basic - Awful television and furniture was not up to much. the bed was really comfy though !! (Great Internet use in reception- which was free of charge)

5) The pool was lovely and really quiet - perfect for what we needed - Was not happy about paying for the sunbeds - they were notvery comfy and cost 4 euros a day - which adds up after two weeks !

6) Excursions - I recommend not using the hotel for excursions -we did it ourselves, using public transport and saved lots of money and got the same if not more out of the day - for example Pompei

7) Sorrento - lovely place, but not as nice as I expected it to be - It was a bit too touristy and English for my liking, but had some wonderful evenings and some gorgeous meals

8) Overall a fabulous holiday and a lovely hotel, but I do no think we will be going back to Sorrento again. If we do, it will be part of a tour of the Amalfi coast. BUT I will recommend the Aminta for a hotel, if you want a quiet and relaxing time.

Ciao !

The staff and accomodations are wonderful. We were 7 people with grandchildren and spouses. We are looking forward to our return. The views and people were outstanding. It was the start of a truly marvelous family vacation...bellisimo...it only got better. Mille grazie a tutti.