Last Updated on June 30, 2025 by Eve Dawes
Where to stay in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast
Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano on the Amalfi Coast was the hotel we ended up staying at after days of searching for the best hotel in Praiano. We’d narrowed the town down to Praiano for it’s size, how unspoiled it still is, the amazing views, sea access and small-town atmosphere. The best hotel is subjective as we all have different priorities, likes and dislikes. Let’s just say we are thorough when choosing! We even have spreadsheets with ratings, amenities and pricing, etc. We chose this hotel as it had great reviews, a water taxi service (charges apply) and we got a great deal booking on our Capital One credit card. Here’s my honest, unsponsored Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano review and hotel tour.
This article is not sponsored, we paid in full, but it does contain affiliate links.
Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano Deluxe Sea View room
We booked the deluxe room, which is 215 sq ft and built literally on the rock. Which means the access is from the outside not the inside. A huge perk of this room Is it’s own private terrace. Be prepared for lots of steps! Even if you’re in the main building you’ll have to use them to get down to the pool or to the water taxi. To give you an idea, there were 58 stairs to our room from the elevator and breakfast, and there’s 181 steps from the last floor the elevator stops at down to the water.
Room amenities:
- Toiletries
- Bathrobe & slippers
- Bidet, toilet, bath or shower (this room had a shower)
- Towels
- Hairdryer
- Vanity mirror
- Private terrace with loungers, table and 2 chairs and parasol
- Air conditioning and heating
- Safety deposit box
- Hypoallergenic
- Tile/marble floor
- Desk
- Soundproofing (we didn’t find this effective)
- Private exterior entrance
- Flat-screen TV with Satellite channels
- It says there is a mosquito net but we never found it
- Telephone
- Tea/Coffee maker
- Minibar
- Wake-up service
- Wardrobe or closet
- Carbon monoxide detector
Is Hotel Villa Maria Pia, Praiano a good location
Location wise we thought Hotel Villa Maria Pia was ideal. We loved Praiano as it’s not as big and busy as some of the other Amalfi coast towns and it feels authentic. While still having several restaurants and bars like Il Pino, Costa Diva and Il Pirata in walking distance. Just don’t try to do them in heels. Most of the Amalfi Coast is not heel friendly!
There’s also a small mini mart a few minutes walk away. Just make a left out of the hotel and walk past the next hotel. As well as a couple of beach clubs. When they call them beach clubs on the Amalfi Coast, they use that term lightly. Most are rock slabs with water access with no beach in sight.
Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano review | Pros and cons
Let’s start with the pros, which there are a lot of.
There is a small pool and I mean small. The private pool in our suite in the last hotel was bigger. The pool tended to be quieter in the morning and busier in the afternoon. So if you’re wanting to snag one of the 2 loungers, get there early. Otherwise, there are a couple of other areas to sunbathe and you can just walk down to the pool whenever you want to cool off.
The views are stunning from pretty much everywhere at Hotel Villa Maria Pia in Praiano. Whether that’s on the breakfast terrace, sunbathing terrace, the pool or your room if you book a sea view room.
They were installing a brand new outside gym while we were there. This is a cool feature as long as you don’t mind getting a good sweat on!
Hotel Villa Maria Pia, Praiano has it’s own dock for a convenient water taxi pick up and for jumping off into sea to swim to the cave or cool off. Just be prepared for all of those steps down and back up! Unfortunately there is no other way down besides the stairs and no wheelchair access. When looking at Amalfi Coast hotels, this is something definitely worth taking into account as a lot are like this.
I’m a cat lover so the cats were a big plus, and they’re super cute and friendly. The hotel offers a free shuttle when it’s available around Praiano. They also managed to get us good table reservations at the local restaurants.
The hotel and our room was kept spotless. Lastly, it seems like such a small thing but the pegs and clothes line to dry your handwashing, swimwear and towels etc was a thoughtful and useful touch.
Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano | The cons
There’s lots of positives and reasons to choose this hotel and I hate to be negative but when you’re spending your hard earned money I have to be honest.
The AC didn’t work the 1st day and half of the 2nd day and it was 26 degrees in the room according to the AC unit. Now things break, that wasn’t the issue, it was how it was resolved. To cut a long story short, we had to ask 3 times over 2 days to get it fixed as messages weren’t getting passed on between them. The response we got wasn’t sorry, but that we were lucky it wasn’t July and 32 degrees! It finally got fixed but they also turned the AC off everyday in our room when they came to clean. So when we came back it was always over 26 degrees and we left the card in the slot specifically so it didn’t go off.
There are other loungers on other decks but there are only 2 by the pool and like I said there’s a lot of steps. So if you have a leg injury or need an ADA compliant hotel, I don’t think Hotel Villa Maria Pia is going to be ideal for you.
I’m not sure what the other room types are like but the Deluxe Sea View rooms say they are soundproofed but they are loud as they’re tiled. We could hear the people dragging furniture around and walking over the floor above and next door. So definitely bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper.
Hotel Villa Maria Pia, Praiano review | Breakfast and dining
I don’t know if we were just early but there was no service or coffee offered at breakfast on any of the mornings. We always had to go and find someone to ask. There was a lack of warm service in general, besides a couple of exceptions like the friendly man working on installing the gym and one of the young men in the day at the bar.
It’s a basic continental breakfast that’s offered. Which includes cereal, fresh pastries and bread, cheeses, meats, yogurt, boiled eggs, fruit and juices. It’s nothing special but it does the job and the views!!! I could stare at them for hours.
They don’t have a restaurant for dinner but there are a few fabulous restaurants in walking distance that we loved.
Dinner in Praiano
I’ll do a separate, more in depth article on where to eat lunch and dinner but just quickly:
You need to take a taxi or the hotel shuttle to Il Pino in Praiano but it’s a fun spot with friendly staff. It’s inside so they don’t have the best views unless you snag one of the tables by the windows. Be sure to save room for the Ferrero Rocher dessert as that was the best dessert we had all vacation.
Costa Diva is walking distance and another friendly scenic spot with fabulous views under lemon vines. They’re also open for lunch.
Il Pirata is a beautiful restaurant on the water that’s scenic, romantic and has great food. Order the sesame crusted Ahi tuna, this was outstanding.
Water taxis VS taxis
My advice is to book water taxis for the day or when you’re casual and coming back in good time, and to book a taxi for when you’re dressier, going out for dinner or coming back a bit later. Because yes the water taxi is quick, cheaper (50 Euro to Positano vs 70 Euro for a taxi), scenic and easy. However, you’ll flash if you’re wearing a dress or skirt and it will mess up your hair as it’s windy when you’re sailing along. There is also no shade and make sure you have shoes that won’t fall off when you’re getting on and off the boat.
We also struggled to get a water taxi back to the hotel. The hotel had told us to call when we were done and they’d be there in 5 minutes. However, when we tried calling at 8:45pm no one answered so we had to find a taxi and pay more. It’s much easier to book a taxi in advance than to find one and taxis are very expensive.
Hotel Villa Maria Pia Praiano, Amalfi Coast review & tour
Join me for a review and tour Hotel Villa Maria Pia in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast! This authentic Italian hotel offers breathtaking waterfront views, a cozy small pool, and true Amalfi charm. In this video, I give you an honest review and a full hotel tour, sharing what it’s really like to stay at one of the most authentic hotels on the Amalfi Coast.
Tips for staying in Praiano and getting around the Amalfi Coast
You really want to stay in the town you’re staying in as much as possible or book tours. As water taxis and taxis will add up quickly and we don’t recommend hiring a car and trying to drive here. The roads are very narrow, windy and there is very limited parking. If you do want to explore, I’d recommend hiring a driver for the day like we did.
Pack or buy mosquito repellant as there are quite a lot of mosquitoes.
Don’t bother packing heels unless you’re not planning on leaving your hotel or resort. There’s lots of steps and cobblestones. I wore my slide sandals all vacation. Even my espadrilles wedges only got worn once.
Book Hotel Villa Maria Pia
Overall, I’d still recommend this hotel in Praiano as it is a great location, they have their own dock for water taxis and swimming, it’s very clean, the shuttle around Praiano is convenient and the views are beautiful.
