Hotel Santa Caterina

The original grande dame of Amalfi Coast hotels still reigns in Belle Époque splendor on the coastal road just outside the town of Amalfi. Now in its fourth generation of Gambardella family management, this 1904 looker has rooms spread across the main building, two villas, and a triplet of cozy honeymoon cottages. All are filled with original local antiques and decorated with hand-painted or pure-white ceramic floor tiles and whitewashed walls; some have half-tester or curlicue brass beds. An elevator descends to a private beach, saltwater pool, fitness center, and thatched-roof pizzeria and fish grill. As you stroll through the lovely secluded, terraced gardens and citrus orchards, it’s obvious why Liz Taylor and Richard Burton chose to hide out here.