Section I · The Ranked Ten
From best to tenth.
Sorted by what each does for two. The number-one pick is the one we would book first for a honeymoon given a free pick from all ten.
No. I
The Positano cliffside two-bedroom with sea terrace.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Positano. Peak rate: €22,000 to €38,000 / week. Included: daily housekeeping, breakfast service, concierge, welcome provisions. Not included: chef, boat day, transfers.
Why it ranks here: the Positano view is the honeymoon, and the cliffside-terrace archetype delivers it without making you climb to it. A two-bedroom set on the lower-to-mid town with its own sea-facing terrace puts the dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the bay in front of you at breakfast, and the restaurants of the lower town within a manageable walk down. The extra bedroom is the dressing room and the luggage room, not a second couple.
What we would change: confirm exactly how many steps sit between the villa and the road, in writing. Positano hides them in the photography. Anything over 80 steps to the nearest car turns a late dinner into a decision.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. II
The Ravello garden two-bedroom above the sea.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Ravello. Peak rate: €18,000 to €32,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, garden, concierge. Not included: chef, beach access, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Ravello is the quiet, cultural answer for a couple who want the view without the Positano crowds and steps. At 365 meters above the sea, a garden villa here trades the beach for silence, a private terrace over the gulf, and walkable access to the town, the gardens of Villa Rufolo, and the summer concerts. The calmest honeymoon base on the coast.
What we would change: the sea is a drive or a steep descent away. If daily swimming in the sea is the point, this is the wrong town. If long lunches and the view are, it is the best on the list.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. III
The Praiano one-bedroom with private plunge pool.
Bedrooms: 1. Sleeps: 2. Town: Praiano. Peak rate: €12,000 to €22,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, plunge pool, concierge. Not included: chef, beach access, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Praiano sits between Positano and Amalfi, quieter than both and famous for its sunsets. A true one-bedroom with a private plunge pool is the purest honeymoon archetype on the coast: no spare rooms, no compromise, just two people, a terrace, and a pool over the sea. The rate reflects the single bedroom, which is the saving for a couple who do not need more.
What we would change: Praiano has fewer restaurants than Positano, so the concierge and a couple of taxi dinners matter. Confirm the nearest walkable restaurant distance.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. IV
The Conca dei Marini sea-access two-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Conca dei Marini. Peak rate: €16,000 to €28,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, sea access or private steps, concierge. Not included: chef, boat day, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Conca dei Marini is the small, discreet cove between Amalfi and Praiano, the rare Amalfi pocket where a villa can have its own sea access rather than a public-beach walk. For a couple who want to swim off the rocks in the morning and watch the boats from a terrace at night, the direct water access ranks it above larger villas with none.
What we would change: sea access on the Amalfi Coast almost always means steps down and steps back up. Confirm the count and the gradient before booking.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. V
The Nerano two-bedroom on the Sorrento side.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Nerano, Massa Lubrense. Peak rate: €14,000 to €24,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, concierge, sea views. Not included: chef, boat day, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Nerano sits on the Sorrento peninsula at the western tip, famous for the beachside restaurants of Marina del Cantone and the spaghetti alla Nerano that started there. A couple who care about food over the Positano postcard get calmer water, shorter transfers from Naples, and some of the best lunches on the coast within a short drive or boat hop.
What we would change: it is not the Amalfi Coast proper, and the postcard towns are a drive or a boat away. If the Positano view is non-negotiable, book Positano. If the food and the calm are, Nerano wins on value.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. VI
The Amalfi town two-bedroom with rooftop.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Amalfi. Peak rate: €13,000 to €22,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, rooftop terrace, concierge. Not included: chef, sea-front, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Amalfi town is the transport hub of the coast, which is the practical honeymoon pick. Ferries to everywhere leave from the harbour below, the cathedral and the restaurants are walkable on flat-ish ground by Amalfi standards, and a rooftop two-bedroom gives you the view without the worst of the climbs. The easiest base for day trips by boat.
What we would change: the town gets day-tripper busy at midday. A rooftop above the crowd is fine; a ground-floor villa on the main pedestrian street is not. Confirm the floor and the noise.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. VII
The Positano Montepertuso two-bedroom.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Montepertuso, above Positano. Peak rate: €14,000 to €24,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, parking, concierge. Not included: chef, walkable beach, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Montepertuso is the village in the hills above Positano, which solves the one problem Positano cannot, parking and car access. A two-bedroom here gives you the Positano view from above, a quieter night, and a driveway, at a lower rate than the cliffside. The trade is that the town and the beach are a shuttle or a steep walk down.
What we would change: you will rely on the villa’s shuttle or taxis to reach the lower town. Confirm the shuttle schedule, because the walk back up after dinner is not a honeymoon activity.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. VIII
The Scala hillside one-bedroom above Ravello.
Bedrooms: 1. Sleeps: 2. Town: Scala. Peak rate: €9,000 to €16,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, garden or terrace, concierge. Not included: chef, beach, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Scala is the oldest town on the coast, facing Ravello across the valley, and the value honeymoon pick. A one-bedroom here is the quietest and cheapest way to get the high-Amalfi view and the Ravello access, with the town a short drive or a walk across the valley. For a couple who want calm and the view over proximity to the sea.
What we would change: Scala is genuinely sleepy, with little walkable beyond the village. Pick it for the quiet, not for the nightlife, and plan to drive for variety.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. IX
The Maiori three-bedroom with pool.
Bedrooms: 3. Sleeps: 6. Town: Maiori. Peak rate: €15,000 to €26,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, private pool, concierge. Not included: chef, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Maiori has the longest flat beach on the coast and the easiest car access, which makes it the honeymoon pick for a couple bringing parents or a friend along, or one who simply wants a pool and level ground. A three-bedroom with a private pool here costs less than a two-bedroom in Positano, and the flat promenade is a relief after the cliffs.
What we would change: Maiori is more workaday than the postcard towns, with a modern seafront rebuilt after wartime damage. It is the value-and-space pick, not the romance-of-the-cliffs pick.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide
No. X
The Sant’Agata two-bedroom between two gulfs.
Bedrooms: 2. Sleeps: 4. Town: Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi. Peak rate: €12,000 to €20,000 / week. Included: housekeeping, breakfast service, parking, concierge. Not included: chef, beachfront, transfers.
Why it ranks here: Sant’Agata sits on the ridge of the Sorrento peninsula with views over both the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno, the only base on the list that sees sunrise and sunset over water. A two-bedroom here is the calm, well-connected pick for a couple touring both coasts by car, with parking and short drives to Sorrento, Positano, and the Path of the Gods.
What we would change: it is up on the ridge, so the sea is always a drive. Book it as a touring base, not a beach base, and the dual-gulf view earns its place.
Get the free villa buyer’s guide