My wife and I decided to look for lodging at the last minute to fill in a night between Palinuro and Naples........I had been to Ravello to stay once before.....went on line to book the hotel I stayed at the previous time and found it to be sold out......did some searching and found an interesting "hot deal" for a deluxe room for a night at the Palumbo. Five Stars!! Well, let's try it!!! So I booked it. We arrived in the mid afternoon......a drive to the very top of the Ravello town.....the first "high"....entered into the garage area through a driveway just barely wide enough for the car...to the hotel parking entrance and was greeted there by an attendant who guided me in to the parking area.....he took charge of our bags and directed me to the entrance.......the second "high" was the entrance into a lobby that could have been the "Louvre".......really wonderfully decorated with genuine art, a grand piano.....floral arrays......beautiful tiles, a grand first impression. A young woman greeted us warmly and when I announced my name.....we were immediately escorted to our guest room.....to the next "high"...... which was as spectacular a view as there is to be had anywhere......from a small balcony with a small table and two chairs......from which to admire this spectacular sight of the Amalfi Coast from a very high vantage point. The bags were brought smartly and we were in business. Given that the hotel was at the very end of the season and was lightly occupied, the degree of attention supplied with a smaller than normal crew was noteworthy. The restaurant was closed because of the end of season situation......but we were 100 meters walk from the main piazza......and restaurants, bars, shops, etc. Needed neither heat nor air conditioning because of the season. The king bed was fitted with genuine linens....and the sleep was extremely comfortable. The age of the building gives it a few limitations with technology......electrical fittings quite old fashioned, requiring jury rigging to hook up cell phones charger, computers, iPads, etc.., but we managed to get it all done. The wireless internet did work fine once figured out. Bath room fixtures were fine......old fashioned shower/bath fixtures take a little time to understand.....but plenty of hot water......some of the floor tiles were cracked/missing in the room......not a problem but created a sense of needing a little rehab. we were told that the building dated from the duecento (13th century).......so I guess they've done well with it, considering its age. The grounds are beautifully manicured.....lemon trees, many vines, lawns.....the floral arrangements in the breakfast room were beautiful, as were all the rooms. They had had a wedding reception there recently.......I can see how that could be made to be very special. The art in the various chambers is very special.....even the frames are notable. The staff could not have been more helpful or professional. Continental breakfast was included in our rate and really very good.....croissants especially fine. All in all a very good experience.

We didn't actually stay at the Hotel Palumbo as we were staying in Amalfi, but we visited the Episcopio winery at the hotel. This was such an amazing experience. We were greeted warmly for our tasting and taken down to the winery and they showed us where they made and bottled the wine. We tasted the wine with the wine maker right there. It was fantastic. They had cheeses and olives there to pair with our wines. Afterwards we took our wine out on the beautiful terrace area at the hotel and enjoyed the view. It was one of our favorite things from our trip.

We spent a few nights at the Palumbo in early September. It is a grand old italian villa like hotel, simply appointed with some beautiful antique furniture and art work. The view is to die for and you can get lost gazing at it for hours. Our room was a really good sized air-conditioned room with its own balcony to enjoy the spectacular views of the Amalfi Coast. The bathroom was a generous size but bizarrely came with a small shower. Whilst the room was clean the sheets were over starched, coarse and uncomfortable.

Although the Palumbo doesn't have its own pool, guests can obtain passes to visit pools at the other hotels in Ravello. The big disappointment was the food. In fact it is hard to think of having had a worse experience. That said staff did the best to fix things. Staff service was mixed - either very helpful, friendly, and polite, or a complete disaster, so you quickly know who to go to and who to avoid. Even with its faults, the Palumbo is a great dame of a hotel, in a beautiful spot that is hard to find elsewhere. In time I would probably give them another go in the hope that they have ironed out some of their problems. For my partner its a strike.

Beautiful hotel more like a private villa, slept on 100% embroidered linen sheets, perfectly ironed! Restaurant,staff and views were first class. Keep in mind this is a 100+ year old property don't expect new.