VILLA Porta Donica Ravello great views swimming pool gardens and garage

Beautiful villa with amazing views. Very clean with maid service every other day. Stairs are a somewhat challenging for older guests, easier once you get used to the setup of this house built into the side of the mountain. There is a convenient bus to Ravello that stops directly out front and a short walk to a coffee bar or pizza ristorante. Amazing vacation!

Not a typical home. Strange room layout on 3 or 4 floors, 3 kitchens, cave/garage, great pool and lots of quirky charm. Good walking access to Ravello, Minori, Villa Cimbrone, and (maybe) the Amalfi ferry.Lots of space to entertain.

Although a lot of steps internally, the quirkyness of the property wins out. Couldn’t eat outside due to European wasps but the pool is fantastic with the best view you could ever ask for

Gaetano and Giuseppe were fabulous hosts! Both were invaluable with coordinating transportation, activities and reservations. The Villa itself was spectacular and views were even better than the listing advertised. Location could not have been better. The walkway up into the heart of Ravello was right outside our door. There was a great little am cafe a very short walk to the right and a delicious pizza place just to the left. Turns out Marco owns both and he was another gracious host. Bring your walking shoes as that is the best way to get around the area, and the enormous multi level villa. It is all best enjoyed by fit people, as most all Italians seem to be! Thank you for a great trip!

the house has million dollar views and accomodation. it is built into the mountain so thgere are lots of stairs , so not for anyone feeble or has trouble walking or is out of shape, its 187 steps below the square so you will need a car or walk to everything.

A family group of 11 stayed at Villa Porta Donica for 6 days/5 nights. Although very quirky in layout (with many levels of stairs ensuring lots of exercise) because it is built into a cliff, it worked perfectly for us. We cooked and ate most meals there (dinners always at the outdoor dining and seating area) sometimes supplemented with Amalfi lemons growing on beautiful property, walked up to nearby Ravello and down to Amalfi (took taxi back), and when there hung out around the pool or in the living room. The property manager and wife were most helpful arranging a chef for a special dinner, giving us contacts as needed for taxis, and suggesting where to shop for various items needed, and helping us figure out where to park cars ... The only problem was there are no directions at all in the house, which made it difficult to use the appliances or even to know initially which way to walk to town! As for Ravello, it is quieter than the more popular Amalfi coast towns, which was to our liking.

Very easy check in and check out

Everyone in our group was thrilled with my choice of Villa Porta Donica. This villa is spectacular! The view is breathtaking. There are so many lovely balconies, patios, and outdoor areas on many levels. The pool was cleaned daily. Someone also came to clean the villa and change bedding and towels. The water pressure is excellent. There are indoor and outdoor kitchens, so if you can't find something you need in one, look in the other. My grandson picked lemons, and we made lemonade. There are many steps inside, and there are many steps to get into the town of Ravello and to the beaches. It is a bit of a challenge for the elderly with regard to the steps, but that was expected when we booked. We were sorry about an unfortunate delay at the airport that caused us to arrive in the middle of the night, which was not ideal for our host. When you book drivers or tours in Ravello, do so through the host. The host booked a ride for us from the airport to the villa, and I had booked a tour for the next day that caused some confusion. I think all of the local drivers must work for the same company. It all worked out fine in the end. It would have been helpful to have a welcome packet or booklet with information about the area with directions and contact information for private rides, a bus schedule (bus stop right in front of the villa), restaurants, groceries, etc. However, we managed to explore the area, and we found our way around for what we needed and wanted to see. We were all happy that we chose the magical town of Ravello and Villa Porta Donica for our trip to the Amalfi Coast.

The villa is gorgeous! The views are spectacular. Tano is a wonderful manager. We loved the location. The pool is delightful. The house is clean and comfortable. This home will make your vacation a dream come true!!!!

This is a fantastic property, but there are a few issues I wish I'd been aware of before booking. First though, the views, location, privacy, and gardens more than make up for the cons I'm mentioning below. So if these issues aren't deal breakers for you, then don't let it stop you from booking this incredible home. Ok so LOTS of stairs, but that's typical of the area. The strangest thing about this house is that there are two kitchens - both outdated, and both inconveniently located. The first is in the house, but on the bottom floor, far from the living areas. The second is outside - upstairs and across the yard from the pool. This makes getting coffee or snacks or cold water very inconvenient from inside the house. If you are planning to eat out for all of your meals then it's not a big deal, but it was definitely annoying at times. We found ourselves looking for items that were in the other kitchen that required quite a hike to obtain. Also, while there are loads of espresso cups in both kitchens, there is no espresso machine, just the small stovetop coffee pots, which are inconvenient to use. The outside kitchen has an old, basic coffee pot, but honestly for the rental price this house should have a small espresso machine in each kitchen. You can buy them for around $100 and it would make life and mornings easier and more enjoyable for guests. That being said, Tano recommended a bar down the street that had amazing cappuccino and pastries - and incredibly cheap. The owner Marco is friendly and efficient and also has a delicious pizza place up the street where we ate several times - also on Tano's recommendation. Tano suggested some restaurants up in Ravello that were fantastic, and also set us up with a number for a boat that we hired for the day to tour the coast. Side point - Tano is a fantastic property manager and every single thing he recommended was top notch. Another issue to be aware of is the pool. It's shaded all day and freezing cold, but the most important issue is that the tile stairs leading into it are very slippery and one in our party fell on the way in and had a huge bruise as a result. There is a railing, but you still need to be extremely careful getting in and out. We enjoyed the fresh figs, grapes, and plums that were ripe in the garden, and there was wine left for us in the mini fridge, which was also nice. I'd stay again, but hopefully with coffee next time.