La Fornace Relais & Spa

This is a sleeper on the Amalfi Coast. Castellammare is the Northernmost town on the Coast, but still within striking distance of all the famous villages, Amalfi, Sorrento, Vico Equense, etc. It is also 30 minutes from Pompeii. This converted Brick foundry La Fornace means the "the furnace", and the honeymoon suite is the flue stack and worth booking. This family run 6 room Relais and Spa is one of the best places I have ever visited. With its private beach club across the street, which has a pizzeria and magnificent beach and sunset, this spa is complete. The rooms were large, some of the best beds in Italy, newly renovated, and clean as a whistle. The staff is mostly family, and they do everything to make your stay worthwhile. An ample and fresh American breakfast every morning will keep you fueled for the day. Nearby Castellammare di Stabia is a quaint town with its own beaches, ferry terminal, and gondola ride high above the mountainous. I cannot give this Relais and Spa any higher rankings. The cost was reasonable and we stayed two whole weeks and found it a great home base for all of the Naples area, without the crowds.

We stayed at la Fornace for 5 nights in June. Overall a very enjoyable experience, la fornace is a boutique hotel with only 6 rooms, modern decor, large bedrooms and a nice dining/breakfast room. The staff were fantastic, providing excellent service and super friendly. We really enjoyed the breakfasts with great choice of pastries, fruit etc. lovely covered terrace / walled garden There are approx 6 beach lidos a very short walking distance away. The town centre with lots of bars and restaurants is approximately 20 mins walk or short taxi journey. Sorrento is approx 40 mins by car or 20 mins by train We would definitely recommend la fornace

I really wanted to like this place more. But it is let down by a few things. Firstly, the good ... our room was a junior suite and was a good size with a new and clean bathroom and plenty of space. The whole property is very small, only 6 rooms, but very nicely decorated and very clean throughout. But things to know before you book ... the location is not great. It is on a main road, the parking is a few hundred metres down the road with no help to bring the bags to the hotel. There is a beach opposite, over the main road which is nice with pebbles instead of sand and a couple of restaurants to eat at. You need a car to stay here. It is close to Pompeii and Vesuvius but an hour from Sorrento and longer to Positano. None of the staff speak English and the main lady has a rather brusque manner which can be off putting. We asked for extra towels but were told that as they had been changed that morning, we weren't allowed more. We were told that for eco reasons they didn't want to provide more towels, but the breakfast is a bowl of small packaged condiments, which was completely un eco friendly. Breakfast was poor, especially if you are a diabetic or want to watch your weight as it comprises solely of sugared pastries. We ate dinner one night in the restaurant, which is in a very small brick converted furnace and it was one of the worst meals we've ever had. We were the only customers that night and were told that the sea bass that we wanted was finished, which we couldn't understand. As this was the only vegetarian option, we ended up with some whole fried fish which was inedible. We had no soap for the first three days and the shower gel was not replenished throughout our stay. It's worth mentioning that there is a dog on-site, which we had no problem with, but if you are not fond of dogs, be advised that there is a pit bull in reception. She was very sweet but we weren't advised beforehand or asked if we were allergic or anything like that. It's not a 'bad' hotel, it just feels as though it's not run very well and it could be better. I really think there are better options out there sadly.

Can easily be missed when we were heading from The Towers hotel into Castellammare di Stabia (just on the right passed The Garden Beach). Serves breakfast, lunch & dinner as well as being a hotel & spa. Fantastic setting, very relaxing. Amazing food, great service. Can’t wait to go back again.