Dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano| Review and things to know
If you’re planning to visit Positano, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Le Sirenuse. If not, you’ve probably seen it many times on Instagram without even realizing it. Today, I’m sharing my experience dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano, as well as my review and things you should know prior to visiting. Their restaurant, La Sponda is a main attraction in the area, and it’s definitely a visit to remember.
I’m going to take you through the whole experience, from the location and atmosphere, through the service and food, and finally share which parts I did and didn’t enjoy, as well as the practical and economical aspects that you should be aware of prior to visiting. Let’s begin!
What is Le Sirenuse?
Le Sirenuse is known for being of the most exclusive hotels in the world. It opened in 1951, when four Neapolitan siblings, the Marchesi Aldo, Paolo, Anna and Franco Sersale turned their summer house into a hotel, overlooking the bay of Positano. Since then, the 58-room boutique-style hotel has progressed towards becoming one of Italy’s leading seaside luxury hotels, while still focusing on retaining the intimate atmosphere of a private home.
It’s part of the Leading Hotels of the World Group, but remains a family-owned, private establishment. It gained broad recognition when John Steinbeck wrote about the hotel in an article from 1953. He wrote ‘Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”
The Location
Positano is, perhaps the most well-known city on the Amalfi Coast. It’s a colourful little town located in an enclave leading down to the coast. Over the years, it has grown from a small fishing village, to a luxury tourism highlight. Le Sirenuse is located on the right cliffside, just outside the pedestrian-only area of Positano.
The location provides magical views of the houses along the cliffs, the colourful maiolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the Positano beach. You’re only a few minutes away from the main shopping areas of Positano, as well as the ferry port, which will be your gateway to the rest of the Amalfi Coast, as well as the island of Capri.
Dining at Le Sirenuse
Le Sirenuse has four dining facilities on the premises: Franco’s Rooftop Bar, Aldo’s Cocktail Bar and Seafood Grill, the Pool Bar and Restaurant, and last but not least, La Sponda, known to be one of the most romantic restaurants in the world, which I’ll share my experience from below. You’ll find more information about the hotel’s other dining facilities HERE.
Since staying at the legendary Le Sirenuse in Positano will set you back around 700 USD a night, Dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano or having a drink is a far more affordable way to take part in the experience, without breaking the bank.
La Sponda Restaurant
The ambiance when coming into La Sponda is breathtaking. The views of Positano from the large flower-clad windows, the flickering candles and the romantic live music will make this a visit to remember. I’ve also read that they light over 400 candles every evening, creating the most romantic and cozy vibe for their guests to enjoy.
As an avid Instagram user, I was keen to book my birthday dinner at La Sponda during our trip. Due to Covid-19, we managed to get a table reservation for two, just a few days before our planned visit. If the circumstances were normal, we would’ve had to inquire about a reservation much earlier than we did.
If you’re on Instagram, you’ve definitely seen Positano, Le Sirenuse and La Sponda before. Photos from this hotel and restaurant are continuously posted by travel accounts, and it’s probably some of the most well-known and insta-worthy spots in Europe.
Entering Le Sirenuse and La Sponda is like entering a separate universe. Vivid colors, lemons and greenery are common elements of the decor, with the photogenic hills of Positano. It’s like you’re living inside Instagram for a few hours.
About the venue
Dinner is served outdoors, in the sunset, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. The scenery looks like something out of a movie, and it’s definitely a wonderful spot to make memories. The views are breathtaking, and you’re at the best spot in town to enjoy them.
The Food & Drinks
When Dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano, one of the first people to approach you once seated is the sommelier. He will guide you through the wine list (wine bible) and, based on your dining plans and preferences, make a personal recommendation. We opted to share a bottle of local red wine named Furore Costa D’Amalfi Riserva 2014, which was lovely.
In addition to your actual order, you get to try a few amouse bouches. These vary depending on when you visit, but below are the ones we got.
We also got a good amount of freshly made bread, which we dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Since the other parts of our meal was unexpectedly light, the bread really came in handy since we didn’t want to order more than one main dish for each person.
A little tower of small extra desserts and limoncello 
My extra birthday dessert
My extra birthday dessert 
Strawberry sorbet
Service
The service at La Sponda is impeccable, and the personnel is very service-minded without being overbearing. They knew our names from the reservation, they serenaded me for my birthday, and I got an extra cake. They definitely went out of their way to ensure that we had a lovely evening. However, once our food was served, we were left unattended for an extended period of time . I also would’ve appreciated if they had explained the concept of small or tapas-style dishes to us a little better. Considering the prices and their presentation of the dishes, we were under the impression that they were full size, which we realized once we’d received it. Since the dishes also took some time to prepare, it also gets awkward to order as you go.
Why I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere
Now, most of the things I’ve read online have told me that La Sponda will be one of the most amazing dinner experiences you’ll ever have, which increased my expectations. It is definitely a great experience, and it felt somewhat magical. However, the other words that come to my mind when describing it is pretentious, overpriced, overrated an not worth the money. And I’ll tell you why.
The food
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by both scenery, service, and especially, bill when dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano. We thought we knew what we were getting ourselves into and had expected ourselves to feel like it was totally worth it. Our main disappointment was actually the food. While the flavours were all there and it tasted really well, we’d expected more for the money. No one explained that it was a tapas-style concept where you should ideally order more than one dish per person. Usually, that’s not what you expect when they’re at 40 EUR per person. We didn’t understand that until we started seeing other tables order way more than the amount of people at the table.
Other guests
To me, the other restaurant guests matter as well. The crowd was exactly the kind of people you’d hoped it wouldn’t be. There was a few couples that only came for the pictures and left after having a small appetizer. Although I love taking photos myself, it gets quite annoying when someone is trying to strike a pose right next to where you’re eating.
There was also a guy at the table next to ours (they were pretty generously spaced out though) who made it his mission to show his entitlement. He complained about the food temperature, sent back dishes. He also said that the food had been better when he had a lunch at the restaurant the other day. Apart from staying at Le Sirenuse and eating there daily, he talked loudly about other luxurious restaurants and hotels they had visited on the coast with the table next to his. He also made sure to say that they did all their excursions with private boat etc.
General thoughts
The combination of people who only came for photos, and people who were trying to trump each other with their respective luxury experiences, caused an unfriendly, shallow atmosphere which wasn’t what I’d hoped for or wanted for my visit. To me, a friendly atmosphere is key, regardless of the price range of the restaurant that you’re at.
Night view from our table 
Sunset view from our table
Other than that, the atmosphere was cozy and the views of Positano were magical. Two singers playing guitars came to the tables to sing songs which was beautiful and romantic. They also sang happy birthday to me. The surroundings are reason enough to visit the hotel. The vibe is utterly romantic and it’s perfect for couples on a honeymoon.
Overall, I don’t regret coming to the hotel at all and I’d be happy to go back. However , a drink on their balcony would’ve sufficed to give me the dose I wanted of Le Sirenuse. I wouldn’t choose to dine here again though. The location and venue is absolutely beautiful, but it became an issue for me in terms of value for money. I don’t mind paying for a memorable food experience, but the experience has to be equally good, or better.
Things to know before you decide to come here
If you’ve decided that you want to visit the restaurant , I’ve left a few good things to know before your visit:
- Dress up, it’s as fancy as it gets.
- It’s is difficult getting back to the hotel after dining at Le Sirenuse Positano if you aren’t staying in Positano. We ended up paying 80 euros for Le Sirenuse to provide us with a car back to Sorrento at 11 pm. Taxi and car shuttle prices are not cheap in the area. I’d suggest that you book a car in advance. Use a service that’s not affiliated with Le Sirenuse, unless you want to pay a lot. There are buses operating between Positano and Sorrento, but not at night, and during Covid, timetables aren’t always accurate.
- Expect to pay at least 500 Euro for two people for the full restaurant experience, including wine. When it comes to the food, the prices really aren’t justifiable, but you’re essentially paying for the location and view.
- It’s not a quick dining experience, although you’re of course free to be there for as long as you want. I’d recommend planning to stay there and enjoy the sunset, music and beautiful surroundings for a few hours.
After our dinner, we had to wait in the lobby for a while to get a car to take us back to Sorrento 
The famous restaurant interior by night
I hope you’ve found this helpful. I’d be happy to answer any questions about dining at Le Sirenuse in Positano, and my experience. Make sure to leave a comment or contact me through email or Instagram if you have any questions.
Hi Beatrice….I enjoyed your review.
My wife and I are visiting Positano in September and are booked in to La Sponda on one evening. A question for you, do you need to book for outside terrace seating or is dinner only served on outside terrace?
Thank you.
P.S. Fab Pics of hotel and Positano!!
Hello and thank you! I’m glad to hear it. I think they put you outside as long as the weather isn’t bad. If there’s a specific table or if you want first row, I’d ask for it and if they can’t promise, make sure to have your reservation right when it opens and be 10-15 minutes early on top of that.
Hi, yes you can, no reservations to the bar at Le Sirenuse!
So glad I read this post – great recap and from the sounds of it, we like the same things so I am reconsidering my dinner experience here in a few weeks. Curious about the “just visit for a drink at the bar” approach – can you just roll up to a bar there and have a drink outside?