The Pool at Il San Pietro di Positano

"View the entire 2011 Gold List of the world's best places to stay › Also appeared in the Gold List in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 Amenities: Beach, Pool, Spa, Tennis"

"Other facilities include a semicircular swimming pool, Michelin-starred restaurant, and a private beach (accessible by lift) with an adjacent lawn with sunbeds, plus tennis court"

"Though there is a small pool, most guests opt for the private sunbathing patio and sandy beach—a coup for any hotel along this rocky coastline—reached via a dramatic elevator ride down through the cliff"

"Hotel facilities include a panoramic pool perched near the top of the property, formal and casual restaurants, and, at water level (hundreds of feet below the main hotel), a glamorous bathing platform, a private beach, and a tennis court"

"The beautifully tiled baths have robes and hair dryers, and whirlpool tubs are in all"

"On a terrace higher above, the pool is a flurry of sociable sunning, bright bougainvillea, and a ridiculously stunning view of the sea and rugged coast"