Azure Cove is carved into the rock below Positano's tumble of pastel houses, and the approach sets the tone: a private lift drops you from the coast road to a cluster of whitewashed terraces that seem to float above the sea. The eighteen rooms are quiet and unfussy — lime-plaster walls, linen the colour of sand, and shutters you fling open to a wall of blue.
We paid our own way across two nights in the shoulder season and found the service genuinely warm rather than performed. Breakfast is the standout: a slow spread of stone-fruit, ricotta, and cornetti served on the lowest terrace while fishing boats work the cove. The small saltwater pool is cut straight into the cliff and never felt crowded.
It is not cheap, and the funicular-style access means it suits travellers who pack light. But for a room that puts the whole Amalfi Coast at your feet, the price feels honest. Book a sea-view room outright — the garden-view rooms are lovely but miss the point of coming here.
