As another reviewer asked, "Where do I start?"
I booked Casa Monticello for the month of May, 2016.
I have travelled around the world and have rented many apartments, homes, and villas for my vacation stays; and I must say Casa Monticello is by far the best place I have ever stayed, and my hosts - Raffaele, Teresa, Emilia, and Fabrizio - are simply the nicest people I have ever met in my travels.
I was met at the train station by Teresa and her husband, Fabrizio, who stopped along the way at scenic sites for me to take pictures. When we arrived, Raffaele and and his wife, Emilia, were very sweet and welcoming, taking care of my luggage with an ingenious lift that Raffaele had designed.
They showed me the apartment and made me feel immediately at home.
The apartment met and exceeded all expectations - extremely clean, very modern, and very comfortable, with many extra "touches" that really made the place special.
The view from the private terrace is stunning - mountains on 2 sides, Positano in all its glory 1000 feet beneath you, and the sea stretching out to the horizon.
The entire Guida family was very patient with my limited Italian, impressing me with their grasp of English. Especially Teresa, who speaks wonderful English and served as my hostess, translator, counselor, tour guide and booking agent my entire stay. My visit would not have been the same without her.
One of the special perks of staying here is Raffaele's boat. Each of my friends said the boat excursions were the highlights of their visit. Raffaele is an expert fisherman who knows the coast like the back of his hand, and with Teresa as our tour guide, Raffaele showed every nook and cranny of the coast during a water tour around each of the islands in the area, including Capri, with Teresa telling us the stories and myths of the area. We visited Capri, returning to the boat for a beautiful trip back. While the trips to Capri are beautiful, it is the trip from Positano south to Amalfi that had the most sights to see and stories to be told, and it is so different then what you can see by car.
The friendly little town of Montepertuso is in walking distance and has a small grocery store, a coffee bar, and a restaurant, Il Ritrovo, where Salvatore, his wife, and staff serve wonderful food and treat every guest as family. I went there many times.
I cannot overstate how wonderful my month was at Casa Monticello. I now consider it my "home" in Positano, and I will return.
