La Locanda Delle Donne Monache

A stage of our road trip to Sicily from Rome led us to La Locanda delle Donne Monache, where we stayed for two nights. We were delighted that our agent had booked us into this small and very charming hotel, located above the ancient village of Maratea. It's a beautiful former convent, located high on the hillside above the village. It had been very hot the day we arrived and our lovely cool room, and the clean and inviting pool were very welcome after a long day of travelling! The hotel was a little difficult to find initially, but if you're arriving by car, the best advice is to keep following the road up! There is a private car park for the hotel, but it's easiest to take the car up to the hotel and then the staff will take it and park it for you, as access is quite tight. The staff were friendly and very welcoming, and helped us with our cases on arrival and departure. Our room was a good size, and had a large bathroom, which was decorated in a more traditional style rather than modern minimalist (but it's a traditional and very old building, so that was ok!), but was very clean. We also had our own private terrace, with a beautiful view overlooking the village and the hillside. A nice spot to start the day. The air conditioning was very welcome in the hot weather! Breakfast is served overlooking the swimming pool and is a small but good selection of food. If you wanted anything cooked to order, it was available on request. The hotel doesn't serve dinner, but the staff are happy to recommend places to eat in the village or down in the lower part of Maratea, by the beach, which is about ten minutes away by car. We found plenty of choices were available as we explored the streets and alleyways of the lovely village centre. We loved this little hotel - the staff were very kind and friendly, and the building itself is very charming, but be aware that access might be difficult if you have mobility issues. The pool is a great place to relax and enjoy the sunshine and the views over the village. We recommend the hotel and hope to visit again. Tip: If you want to go up to see Maratea's very own statue of Christ the Redeemer (worth the trip), take your car up to the car park around 5 minutes drive away, and take the short shuttle bus ride. It's possible to get there direct on foot, but it's a tough 50 minute walk up, especially in the heat. The views from there are amazing!

Wonderful property in an old building but with modern facilities, spectacular outdoor swimming pool with view at the Redeemer Statue. Perfect breakfast with local products. Excellent location with easy access to private parking place, walking distance to restaurants in Maratea old town, also easy access to public shuttle bus to reach Maratea Marina

LLDM is an incredible hideaway tucked into the middle of old town Maratea. We had a hard time pulling ourselves away from the pool which overlooks the entire valley and is likely one of the most stunning of its kind in Southern Italy. The rooms are well-apportioned and large (ours had a private patio with incredible views). While the service was friendly, the team didn't exactly go out of their way to make your stay special at either the front desk or the restaurant making this a near-miss of 5/5.

Even though its a large hotel it gives a feeling of a warm and comfortable family run B&B yet with the luxuries of high end Hotels. The breakfast is nice and the location is lovely. The staff are nice and friendly too. The layout of the Hotel is much like an old large house than a Hotel.