Can't comment on price of the hotel this was a wedding gift for our Honeymoon, but the views are awesome and the hotel and staff very nice! Positano is very pricey so you need to suspend some thoughts about cost/value if you stay there. As noted by others this hotel is high up in town which some Brits we talked to like as it's cooler there (breezy) when the town gets warm. Our room was smaller but very nicely decorated and the full Ocean view (small balconly with bistro table) room was amazing and the layout along with fact your staying basically on cliff, makes the rooms completely private both to other rooms or anyone else, which is kind of nice. Walking up the hill from the beach is probably several hundred steps but a nice little mini workout(if you're in decent shape ). They do have a free shuttle that will take you up and down to the town itself that runs hourly most of the day but we really enjoyed the walks to help burn off some of the amazing food that we found everywhere. (except after a late dinner we would take the shuttle) If you want to stay in to eat, the dining room here was very good with prices in line with the resaurants in the area and very quiet and romantic. The R. Steves reccs on restaurants were pretty good but I wasn't thrilled with Chez Black. The one upstairs from there is very good and nice people. One of the highlights of our trip was going to capri, and renting a scooter, a little thrill -seeking but an absolute blast and a cool way to get out of the crappy Capri tourist port ("Ghastly" as one Brit it) and see a really cool island. Amalfi town was so so. Heard great things about Ravello but we didn't make it.
Again, great splurge hotel if you want to stay higher up on the hill and the view is like heaven.

Recently stayed at the Villa Franca and have to give it mixed reviews. We stayed in the Annex since the main building was sold out. Our room was 260 Euros and was billed as a partial town/partial water view. We were disappointed to find that the only way to see the water was to stand on the far left side of the balcony and lean over. That provided a sliver of water view through the next room's balcony railing. Not what we were expecting. The room itself was small and unremarkable. We had ants crawling all around. When we complained the person at the front desk said there were no other rooms available but that she would offer us a free upgrade to a full water view in two days ( halfway through our stay). The new room was a big improvement. - much larger with a beautiful view. We would have been satisified with this room had we received it when iniitially checking in. The view was what we were expecting. Beware that the views shown on the hotel website may not be what you get. We paid for a superior room and got a view advertised as the standard room view. Even when we were upgraded to a supposedly deluxe room the view was really the same as what was shown on the website as a superior room. i heard other guests complain of similar experiences. Breakfast is good, staff is friendly, and the rooftop pool is spectacular. Be prepared to walk alot of steps or be hostage to the shuttle schedule. We are in pretty good shape so didnt mind walking it occasionally but there are about 650 steps from the hotel to the bottom. Overall not a terrible experience but would probably look into other options if we visited Positano again.

My husband and I stayed at Villa Franca to round out our incredible vacation in Italy. Guide books (Karen Brown and Frommer's) recommended it as well as friends. The pictures looked amazing and since you're paying around $360 to stay there, you have reasonable, but good expectations.

My honest opinion is that it really is not worth it. My number 1 complaint was the family that owns the hotel is ALWAYS around the hotel behaving like guests. Now obviously, it's their hotel so they can do whatever they want, but it creates an uncomfortable atmosphere - I think - for the guests. And the family isn't just a family of four - it's the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, kids and whomever else. And they're all laying out at the pool, drinking at the bar, on the complimentary computers, eating in the restaurant. I mean, no seperation from "church & state." And it would be one thing if this was a "friendly" family that made you feel welcomed. Rather, they keep to themselves, are always critiquing the staff and my husband and I felt like they were constantly watching us (ha - I sound a little paranoid, but seriously). Really odd...

Other notes...The food was ehhhhh (although the meatballs were great), room was stuffy and a little small (but nicely decorated), view was okay (but a lot of street noise), the staff overall was nice - didn't really go out of their way - but were pleasant.

Honestly, the place to go if you want a great room and it is reasonable is Villa Rosa. We stayed there previously and it is wonderful. First off, the staff is fantastic and bend over backwards, the view is AMAZING and shares it with Le Sirense (the most expensive hotel in Positano), it's just steps - well a lot of steps - but close to the downtown square area. It was great and all you need from a hotel in Positano. My husband and I actually wish we had returned there, but c'est la vie!

My wife and I stayed here for the first 9 nights of our honeymoon, and chose the hotel based on it's reviews, the location (unbelievable views) and the fact it's one of the few hotels to have a pool and gym in Positano. We were not disappointed!
The staff were always charming and willing to offer advice on ways to expore the region, not to mention their ability to make killer cocktails based on your individual tastes!
The views are spectacular, we often sat on our balcony or on the roof top pool watching the incredible sunset, and the location means you're away from much of the noise from the restaurants and cafes. The complimentary shuttle bus made the trip to the town center in lees than 5 mins (10 mins return), and the option of the stairs (over 200 of them) were a great way to work off a small portion of the fantastic food and wine we managed to consume in town.
The room and bathroom, although on the small side (I think we had the smallest of all the seaview rooms), was well laid out and very clean. The balcony could comfortably seat 2 of us including table and offered spectacular views across the bay and beyond.
The hotel is well priced for the quality of accomodation offered and the location. Will definately return!