For our stay in Positano in June 2007, I wanted budget accomodation, but didn't want to stay in a dorm room. I booked the Ostello Brikette on the recommendation of a friend who said to make sure we stay in the room with a private bathroom and terrace. That particular room wasn't available, however the room next to it was, which also had the sea-view terrace but a shared bathroom. If you stay there in a double room (i.e. non dorm room) make absolutely sure you get one of these rooms with a view...I saw the room across the hall and it had 2 tiny beds and not even a window, and looked almost like a prison cell. Ours was beautiful in comparison to that one.

Good things: The view from the terrace was amazing, the room was clean and bright and airy, and the place is in an excellent location for hopping onto the bus (The "Bar Internazionale" is a major landmark and bus stop and it's just around the corner).

Neutral things: As some reviewers have mentioned, it's not on the beach, so depending on where you plan to go, be prepared for stairs (we counted 722 steps from the beach). That being said, this is Positano. If you don't like stairs, you may want to choose a different destination. We found the stairs to be a fun challenge. Also if you prefer, you can take the winding road back up (takes longer but easier on the legs), and someone told me that the bus even goes up from the center of town. We didn't spend much time at the beach anyways, because we were more there for hiking and exploring.

Not so good things: Apparently these little ants are indigenous to the area. The hostel staff sprayed for the ants in our room and they never came back inside. But be prepared to see them, no matter where you stay. The worst thing about our stay was the shared bathroom. Of course it is a hostel, so you expect that a shared bathroom might be a bit grubby. But this bathroom was moldy, damp, stinky, and seemed pretty dirty by the end of the day each day. I think there were something like 6 other people sharing it.

Otherwise, it was pretty good. A few mix-ups with our booking, but Cristiana was very accomodating once we talked it over. If you stay there make sure you talk to Cristiana. She was born and raised in Positano and has all kinds of interesting and helpful stories.

My boyfriend and I stayed in this hostel during May 2007. We booked, over the internet, a private room, thinking we were getting a great deal for such an expensive destination. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Christina (the owner) and the filth of reception. After confirming we were staying for 3 nights, she asked us to follow her to our room. She then lead us out the back door of the hostel, across the road, and pointed down a long steep flight of stairs and said that an elderly lady will greet us half way. We had with us a suitcase each, which she was well aware of.

After carrying the suitcases down, what turned out to be 300 odd stairs, we came across the old lady and she took us to this little tiny room.....more like a cave. The room was so small, we could hardly close the door with our suitcases in the room. I knew at this stage, this was NOT what I had booked over the internet. I then went back up the 300 stairs and approached Christina, telling her this was not what I had booked. She then proceeded to tell us that she had overbooked and that this ladies rooms were of the same standard. After several minutes of explaining that we were not impressed that she had not explained the situation, she offered us a dorm room in which only my boyfriend and I would occupy for one night and then she would give us some HUGE upgrade the next two nights, a double room with ocean views.

The dorm room we stayed in was reasonable clean but the share bathrooms were of a very poor standard. Very dirty, showers did not work efficently, and there was a stench of urine throughout the bathrooms and corridors. The next night we moved upstairs to the private double room. This room was worse than downstairs. The room itself smelt old and stale, the bed linen was repulsive, and the room was just plain old dirty. The bathroom upstairs was worse than downstairs, it was so bad, it stank out the entire upper level. Everytime we walked into the corridor, we were greeted with a stench that made us gag.

The staff were unprofessional, complaining to us about other guests in the hostel. Christina's pet dog was constantly running around in and out of people's dorm rooms and witnessed it chewing a guests shoe.

This hostel is in a great location, close to bus stop and has great ocean views. But unfortunately every other aspect of this hostel is terrible and not worth the money paid. We would never stay here again, nor advise anyone to either. We are definately NOT recommending this place to anybody who has level of self hygine.

Im assuming Lonely Planet and Lets Go Travel had their eyes, ears and nose closed when they recommended this place!!!

Brikette is a wonderful place to stay. This was the 2nd time we've stayed here and we bought our parents who also absolutely adored it. Cristiana is hilarious and we loved her, her dog is beautiful and the other staff were very sweet. The drinks are cheap and it's wonderful to get delicious coffee and a croissant in the morning. I would try to stay in the upstairs apartments if possible as it was so wonderful to have a huge balcony to yourself. Positano is amazing, even better than in the movies... and Brikette is perfect ,without the movie star prices!!!

My friend and I stayed in this hotel/hostel for 3 nights in June 2006 in a Double Room with a shared bathroom and our overall experience was pleasant. One thing however must be said, the dorms (i.e. shared rooms), should be avoided at all costs. While they are cheaper- you will DEFINETLY regret not paying the extra 10-15 Euros a night and staying in a private room. The dorms were cramped, dirty and ant-infested and I would NOT reccomend them. The double rooms however, especially the ones with the balcony Terrace were lovely, although not always clean. Also if u are thinking of having a quiet vacation do not stay here as it is very much a youth hostel and not a hotel as it may sound. Overall this is a cheap and cheerful way for younger people to see an otherwise expensive part of the Amalfi Coast.