Hotel Cetus

A very nice hotel with a matching price point. The rooms are decorated beautifully with local ceramic work, the balconies show amazing views across the bay. Staff were generally very lovely (even called in a private doctor when I got tonsillitis who was lovely and spoke great English). We were there just before peak so had the “beach” to ourselves. While it’s normal for the area we did find being spoilt Aussies the pebble and rock beach was painful and not an enjoyable walk. The water though was clear, safe for swimming with no bad currents/rips. In peak season they would have a bar/food down on the beach. If you want the in house restaurant you would need to book a day early. It doesn’t serve till 8pm but that is like most of the neighbouring town. It is an easy though at times hair raising walk 3-5mins into Cetara for dinner or supplies- you may need to request a wine glass from the bar if you grab a bottle of vino in town as disappointingly they only include paper cups in the room.

The view takes your breath away, the staff are superb, the private beach was above and beyond and generally the olace is easy to find and had a so valuable parking. 5+

Exceptionally kept rooms, great staff and plenty of amenities to enjoy during your stay, not to mention the breathtaking
view of the sea. Hotel will arrange transportation from train station on request and depending on the time of day it is cheaper than taxi ( taxi is ~50€ at time of review) from Salerno. There is a Restaurant on site, but the hotel is 6 mins walk to city centre of Cetara where you will find plenty of restaurants, gelato and many other small village gems. Cetara is one of many small municipalities along the coast that doesn't get as much attention as other popular sites, but if you want to be removed a little from the touristy ruah and experience a little local authenticity while taking in the coastal vibe, this is the place to be. There is a SETA bus stop outside of the hotel both to Amalfi and Salerno. Depending on the day, the bus may be full and drivers wouldn't stop. A little hint: walk down to Cetara where you might have a better chance of boarding the bus. Careful walking along the main road.

You cannot go wrong with stunning views, a hot tub on your balcony, and a private beach! Hotel is also clean and breakfast was lovely. But maybe the best part was Elena at the front desk. If she does not own the place, she should! She was patient, caring and very helpful. Listen to her recommendations for places to eat! We had two of the best meals of our entire trip at places we would have never found or gone to based on online searches. She made a wonderful stay even more special. Also nice that beach chairs are free and they are not pushy (sun is on beach from about 10am-3pm).

Fantastic! My husband and I stayed for 5 nights in this lovely hotel as part of our honeymoon. The hotel is clean, quiet, and impeccably designed. It is quite literally carved into the cliffside just east of the town of Cetara.

The corridors always smelled fresh and clean, and the temperature throughout was consistently comfortable. The outdoor terraces, lobby, breakfast room, and other public hotel spaces were spacious and never felt crowded (though the hotel was fully booked). We didn’t need to park a vehicle, but there is a surface lot on the roof (the hotel is “upside down” with the parking above the lobby above the rooms above the sea - very unique!!).

Our standard suite was the perfect fit, with a balcony complete with table and chairs, large shower, separate water closet, and comfortable bed. We had everything we needed, including beer, snacks, and water in the mini bar. The room was cleaned every day and bar restocked - every staff member we encountered was so pleasant and helpful. The view from our room was incredible - we could see Salerno, sailboats, and ferries from the massive glass sliding door.

We walked down into the town every day - about 5-10 minutes. The walk is on the main road, which was never very busy, but is quite narrow. After dark, we walked with our phone flashlights on (one facing forward, one backwards) for added safety, but we never felt uncomfortable. The views on the walk are absolutely breathtaking!

We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel one morning - it was a very nice spread with lots of cold options, plus hot scrambled eggs and bacon, toast, and fresh espresso, cappuccino, etc. The breakfast room has indoor and outdoor seating.

We also visited the hotel bar twice and had excellent cocktails, wine, and some tasty bar snacks (chips, seasoned croutons, and pistachios). The bar has indoor and outdoor seating as well.

We will review the restaurant separately, but it will also get 5 stars! We had dinner on the balcony seating one night and loved it.

The beach has a separate elevator to access it, and although the “club” was closed for the season, there are still chairs available (and beach towels from the front desk) - we enjoyed a quick dip our last full day. If you are not used to pebble beaches, you may be more comfortable in water shoes - we were fine in sandals.

Our last full day was also when we booked massages with the on-site spa. The anti-stress massage was splendid! We didn’t use the gym located near the spa, or small pool/whirlpool on its own balcony, but both looked clean and well-equipped.

Ok, if you’ve made it this far, what are you waiting for?! Book a room with Hotel Cetus now!

Lovely property with breathtaking views, authentic food and quality service from real genuine professionals. The rooms are comfortable and the cleaning staff is top notch!! Always immaculate. The spa is small but efficient and Barbara (masseuse/esthetician) has a great energy and good touch. Highly recommend spending several nights… one isn’t enough!

Arrived at night. Was escorted to our room with private balcony. Pending update...

I had very high expectations for this hotel and it was truly even better. The rooms are beautiful, the views are stunning and service is impeccable. They have a private beach which only adds to the beauty of this place. The only issues with it is that it is a pet friendly hotel without really being pet friendly, the only place that you're really allowed to bring your pet is to your room, even bars and restaurants with extensive outdoor seating we weren’t allowed to sit. Additionally there’s really only a 4 car parking lot for or dog to walk or do her business. All in all, I would not recommend coming with your pet at all, otherwise the hotel is fabulous.

Very good experience ! The small private beach is beautiful and you can order food/drinks directly there. The rooms are not the most modern but are still quite charming, spacious enough, high ceiling and have nice balcony or terrasse on the sea. Breakfast is very qualitative and employees are helpful and nice.
Small thing that can be improved: beach could be a bit cleaner (some plastic or glass pieces/cigarettes in the sand sometimes), but that’s not really a big deal.

Great hotel with fantatic view, nice private beach and great location to explore the gems of Amalfi coast.

Rooms are typicly amalfian in style, with beautiful tiles, have amazing views and small balconies to enjoy the views.
The staff is great. Offers plenty of parking spaces!

Great hotel, lovely staff and perfect location! The superior room was very spacious, clean, and the view was amazing. Staff is very nice and helpful. The hotel is a short walk away from Cetara, a lovely town that is not so crowded as Positano and Amalfi. From Cetara, local buses and ferries are available to explore the coast and Capri. Highly recommended

Awesome views of the sea from every rooms balcony.

Me and my friend have just returned from the most amazing time in the amalfi coast, we stayed at Hotel Cetus for 7 nights. We originally planned to explore the other towns each day but the hotel was so amazing we spent a few days relaxing on the amazing priviate beach. Tip for anyone not acclimatised to the beaches on the coast, get yourself a pair of swimming shoes ( these can be purchased from the town of Cetara for just 10€ ) the staff at the beach bar are lovely, very helpful and friendly.

There was a vast variety to choose from at breakfast. Dinner was lovely but we walked into Cetara most evenings for dinner at some of the local restaurants which were amazing. Locals where very friendly and helpful, the town itself is very quiet compared to almalfi, positano or Salerno ect but all of these are easily reached by ferry or bus and the staff at reception have leaflets with all the information you may need.

I recommend visiting Capri while you stay here. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.

The hotel bar opens at 3 until 11pm and overlooks the ocean, the views are beautiful. Our barman Danilo looked after us very well, he was very friendly and kept us entertained on quieter nights at the bar.

Will definitely return.

This hotel is absolutely gorgeous in every way. The views are incredible and the location is perfect - not crowded with tourists yet close enough to get to wherever you want along the coast by ferry/bus (we even did a trip to pompeii by train which was easy and cheap to travel)
The rooms are classic Italian style- beautiful and so close to the sea that you hear the waves from your room. Breakfast is the morning is delicious- we looked forward to it every morning. Staff are super friendly and helpful. What a hotel!!! I will only every stay here if I come back. Thank you Hotel Cetus for a superb stay!

Great hotel. Private beach is amazing. As are the views. On the day of check out we wanted to spend a few hours on the beach following our 11AM (ish) checkout. We were charged 50 euro for this which is kinda absurd. Still I give this place 5 stars

A great hotel with best views , Cetara is a great area to live as well with nice beach access. Staff was very helpful and courteous. Rooms were amazing with nice beach balcony view

A beautiful hotel with the kindest staff. The lady at the front desk (unfortunately, I did not catch her name) was so helpful and helped us arrange shuttles to nearby Cetara (the fishing village) and a taxi to Salerno, as well as helping us get a bus pass when needed. You can walk to Cetara via the road but it feels a bit dangerous with the turns in the road and the cars coming. It's also connected to Cetara via the beach at the bottom (we walked from Cetara), but I think access to that beach was locked from the Cetara side when we visited so we had to go back and get a shuttle from the town instead (call the hotel to arrange it). The decor in the hotel is very elegant and all the little details are beautiful (love the painted tiles and hallway lighting). The breakfast was astounding with beautiful views. The whole building faces the sunrise. So peaceful. We also went to the restaurant one night and had a fabulous meal and service. Thank you so much!

First the review, then some tips for visiting travellers.

Excellent hotel with the best staff! Always friendly and helpful and speak good English (much better than our Italian luckily!). The hotel’s private beach (accessible by elevator) was our favourite of the ones we tried.

Not surprisingly, the rooms have some of the best views you’ll find anywhere and are spacious.

Breakfast buffet was very good. The hotel has a gym, restaurant attached, and a bar (also a spa but I think they’re renovating it at present maybe).

Here are some tips for travellers:

Taxis are scare and the buses unreliable, so try Sunshine Travel (check their website) who are based in Cetara and can be at the hotel in flash. The hotel can arrange transfers too.

The ferry service here is better (and faster) than road travel. Docks at Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, etc etc. You can buy tickets at the dock.

Don’t go exploring the smaller villages late at night unless you’ve planned your way home! Transport ends at a certain hour (and as above, taxis are scarce).

The hotel likes to hold passports but if you’re not comfortable with that (I wasn’t after a bad experience in Vietnam) just ask for it and you’ll get it back.

There is a great sea cave at the end of the hotel beach.

Bring rock shoes if you own them, otherwise you can purchase some at the hotel’s beach bar.

There were not tea/coffee amenities in our room, but the hotel kindly provided a kettle and tea cups on my request.

The restaurant next to the hotel makes excellent food. Yes, it’s expensive, but you’re staying here.

Divine views, private beautiful beach, amazing, kind, and professional staff, the rooms are clean and spacious. Mine had a balcony with a jaw dropping view of the ocean. The bar and restaurant are pretty good as well. I don't want to leave! I will definitely come back soon. Hotel Cetus is private and quiet, a great stop before heading to the more popular and touristy Positano/Capri etc. I saw several couples and families staying there. One of the guests told me the beach is quite lively during the weekends, with lots of people and a DJ to help set the mood. 100% recommended!

Never been in a more stunning spot. We hopped around the Amalfi coast all holiday with Cetus as our first stop and nothing managed to beat it. Private beach with towels provided and cafe attached, stunning views across the water where we had our doors wide open during an epic summer storm where we could watch the lightning out across the water, and the restaurant meal was the best of our whole honeymoon. Small town with shops, restaurants, and harbour with boat trips and activities a short walk away. Will be back in future for sure