The Hotel Palumbo Palazzo Confalone’s large and impressive lobby strikes a stylish tone with delightful terra-cotta tile floors, fine art-lined walls, and lush plants hanging down from the mezzanine. Seating areas throughout the common spaces are tastefully furnished with fabrics that complement the tile floors. Outside, an arbor-lined brick pathway with climbing roses leads past expanses of lawn and loungers. Thick green ivy climbs the stairs and covers the building exterior as well, which makes the garden seem to rise vertically up the building. On the patio, a thatched roof hung with ivy shelters wicker loveseats, chairs, and tables, all with wide ocean vistas. Another large cement patio nestled between the older and newer buildings has the same gorgeous views and a couple of loungers and chairs, but is otherwise bare. In places, patches of plaster have fallen away from the building’s exterior, showing its age.

Built into the mountainside, the Hotel Palumbo Palazzo Confalone overlooks the Gulf of Salerno in the town of Ravello. The views are superlative, and the area is quiet. The ocean looks close enough to touch, but the beaches are actually 10 to 15 minutes away by car. It’s a five-minute walk to Piazza Duomo, Ravello's main square, and many shops, restaurants, and cafes are nearby. The attractive seaside village of Amalfi is a 15-minute drive away, and Positano is about an hour away. It takes about 50 minutes to drive to Pompeii and an hour and 15 minutes to reach Mount Vesuvius. The closest airport is in Naples, about an hour away by car.

The Hotel Palumbo Palazzo Confalone has rooms in two buildings: the historical 12th-century palazzo and the more modern Casa Palumbo. Rooms range from a rather snug 220 square feet to a stately 600 square feet; balconies vary greatly in size, up to 260 square feet. Rooms in the older building have quirky touches, such as a narrow passageway with stairs leading from the sleeping area to a bathroom. Most also have luxurious linens and fabrics in bold colors, but some are decidedly unspectacular in their decor, rather plain and unimpressive. Bathrooms vary from room to room, but most have tubs and showers, and many have whirlpool tubs. For nontraditionalists, the strikingly modern rooms in Casa Palumbo are spectacular and large, with ceramic tile floors, 21st-century designer furniture, and bold fabrics. However, most lack the ocean views of the older building. Bathrooms in Casa Palumbo have double sinks, two-person whirlpool tubs, and separate giant rainfall showers. Rooms in both buildings come with hairdryers, bathrobes, and slippers. Minibars and programmable safes are in every room, as is free Wi-Fi.

The Hotel Palumbo Palazzo Confalone has style and history in spades, but it’s lacking in amenities. There’s no spa, no fitness center, and no pool, though there is a hot tub, placed rather awkwardly in a corner of the garden. Guests do have the use of the pool at the nearby Hotel Villa Fraulo, though. And while other top-tier hotels nearby have private beach clubs and transportation to them, this hotel does not, so guests are on their own to drive to the beach. The hotel’s Ristorante Confalone is as popular for its gorgeous ocean views as for its food. Don Pasquale, the hotel’s diminutive bar, has striking tilework on the walls and bar. The buffet-style breakfast includes many hot and cold options and is served on the terrace overlooking the sea. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.