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National Geographic
4 days ago
- National Geographic
10 of the best hotels on the Amalfi Coast, from cliffside bargains to heritage hotties
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Life on the Amalfi Coast moves to its own rhythm, inviting long lunches, lazy swims and evening aperitivos overlooking some of the most spectacular coastline on Earth. It's lined with sheer cliffs and pastel-hued villages: Positano, with its steep streets; Amalfi, once the seat of a maritime republic; Ravello, known for its sweeping views over the Tyrrhenian Sea. Artists from Picasso to The Rolling Stones found inspiration here, and the old-world glamour lingers — at any moment, you feel you might see a silver-screen star strolling by in Capri pants and a jaunty headscarf. This vintage elegance is captured at plenty of palatial hotels, but there are also intimate boutique stays and seaside pensioni to be found, as well as some bargains, especially if you use relaxed Sorrento as a base. 1. Palazzo Avino, Ravello Best for: joyous colour The rosy hue of Ravello's 12th-century pink palace will gladden the heart of even the weariest traveller. Its signature shade is echoed in various interior design details, from candy-striped poolside umbrellas to pearlescent tiles in the 43 bedrooms and suites, but visitors will also feel the love when it comes to service, with a staff-to-guest ratio of two employees to every room. Sea views are also gloriously inescapable, whether you're selecting from the 100-strong drinks list at its bar, settling in for dinner at its Michelin-starred restaurant or lolling in its rooftop infinity hot tub. Palazzo Avino's beach club is reached by a 15-minute shuttle, while closer by are the historic villas of Rufolo and Cimbrone, both surrounded by precipitous gardens open to the public. Rooms: From €485 (£413), B&B. OT The rosy hue of Ravello's 12th-century pink palace will gladden the heart of even the weariest traveller. Photograph by AWL IMAGES; Courtesy of Palazzo Avino The hotel's signature rosy shade is echoed in various interior design details. Photograph by AWL IMAGES; Courtesy of Palazzo Avino 2. Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi Best for: old-world vibes Set on a cliffside by Amalfi, this property — part of Leading Hotels of the World — embodies the classic glamour of the coast, from the hand-painted floor tiles to the terrace draped with wisteria. Santa Caterina opened in 1904, when Giuseppe Gambardella transformed his house into an inn with six rooms. It's since expanded into 72 rooms and suites, with vintage furniture, marble bathrooms and balconies fit for visiting stars — but the founder's elderly granddaughters still visit daily to greet guests by name. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves ingredients from the hotel garden, and there's a glass lift leading to a beach club. Rooms: From €509 (£430), B&B. CL Set on a cliffside by Amalfi, this property — part of Leading Hotels of the World — embodies the classic glamour of the coast, from the hand-painted floor tiles to the terrace draped with wisteria. Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello 3. Maison La Minervetta, Sorrento Best for: seaside living This vibrant, nautical-style clifftop property overlooking Sorrento is Jean Paul Gaultier in hotel form. It's owned by interior designer Marco de Luca, who's paired a palette of reds, whites and blues with eclectic artworks and objects — a Marina Abramović print in the lobby, a Back to the Future cut-out mounted over a staircase, a replica Stormtrooper standing sentinel in a corridor. The 12 bedrooms are designed with sea-gazing in mind; several have small balconies, others a double-aspect view. The vista from the terrace is also a knockout, whether you're relaxing in the whirlpool tub or lingering over a breakfast of cooked eggs, griddled vegetables and buffalo mozzarella. Rooms: From €465 (£395), B&B. OT Liza Minnelli is among several stars whose photo hangs in white-tiled Bianca Bar, a temple to good times helmed by a charismatic barman. Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello 4. Villa Treville, Positano Best for: vintage glamour This 16-suite property on the outskirts of Positano pulls off an almost cinematic sleight of hand, creating the distinct impression that guests are staying at the behest of its former owner, the late film director Franco Zeffirelli. Perhaps he's nipped over to Capri, with his pal Liza Minnelli? The actress is among several stars whose photo hangs in white-tiled Bianca Bar, a temple to good times helmed by a charismatic barman — part-raconteur, part-master mixologist. Terraced kitchen gardens supply ingredients for his one-off elixirs, as well as the zesty Mediterranean dishes served at the all-day restaurant. After lunch, the On the Rocks beach club is the spot for some elegant loafing, its bathing platform dotted with blue parasols and stripy loungers. Kayaks, standup paddleboards and a private boat are available for adventures further afield. Rooms: From €747 (£633). OT 5. Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel, Amalfi Best for: history When the bells toll over this renovated 13th-century monastery just minutes from Amalfi, you're drawn back to a time when monks would tend to the terraced herb gardens and meditate under the lemon-draped trellis. The guest rooms are pared back, with stucco walls and neutral textiles, but far too luxurious to be monastic — especially the suites with Jacuzzis overlooking the sea. Yet, there's a consecrated church and remnants of a cloister, and its history is woven into every detail, such as the spa treatments inspired by healing rituals or the house amaro (liqueur) created with the hotel's 'consultant friar' and flavoured with myrtle and wild fennel. Rooms: From €535 (£450), B&B. CL The guest rooms are pared back, with stucco walls and neutral textiles, but far too luxurious to be monastic — especially the suites with Jacuzzis overlooking the sea. Photograph by Bernard Touillon 6. Casa Angelina, Praiano Best for: minimalists When this hotel opened 20 years ago in Praiano, a village between Positano and Amalfi, its white walls and modern furniture were a radical departure from the region's signature pastel palette. The 36 rooms are elegantly understated, and come with velvet-soft robes and cashmere throws on beds. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame a 180-degree display of sea and sky. And the common areas embody the philosophy of 'quiet luxury', from the lemon-scented pool deck to the softly lit Michelin-starred restaurant. Rooms: From €670 (£565), B&B. CL 7. Terrazza Duomo, Amalfi Best for: location With its striped facade, Amalfi's Duomo di Sant'Andrea Apostolo has to be the coast's most striking church — and there are few better views of it than from this hotel. The decor is pared back, with white furnishings and Mediterranean floor tiles, but the magic of this place is what's beyond the windows. Ten of its 17 rooms are directly across the square from the cathedral's grand staircase, making it feel almost close enough to touch. Guests can drink in the views along with their espresso at the terrace restaurant. Rooms: From €153 (£130), B&B. CL 8. Marina Piccola 73, Sorrento Best for: family hospitality This harbourside B&B is a great base from which to explore the coast — a mere pebble-splash from direct ferries to Amalfi and beyond. But after experiencing its hosts' welcome, you may struggle to tear yourself away. Mother-daughter duo Roberta Fiorentino and Alice Amoroso serve trays of pastries at breakfast and spritzes at aperitivo. The 10 rooms are unique — one has views to Mount Vesuvius, others feature Vietri tiles or tufa stone. All are a testament to the family's style and make use of heirloom furniture. Rooms: From €255 (£215), B&B. OT Stairs lead down from the roadside to vine-draped terraces and gardens overlooking the sea; further down, there's a private swimming platform with steps descending into the deep blue water. Photograph by Brechenmacher & Baumann 9. Villa San Michele, Ravello Best for: la dolce vita on a budget This 12-room, family-run pensione is located just steps from the busy coastal road that sweeps around the Amalfi Coast on the way to Ravello, yet it's somehow quiet. Stairs lead down from the roadside to vine-draped terraces and gardens overlooking the sea; further down, there's a private swimming platform with steps descending into the deep blue water. Rooms are basic and simply furnished, but almost all have sweeping views, and some come with terraces that wouldn't be out of place at properties with far higher price tags. Meals are served at a taverna-style restaurant, with daily dishes created from what's fresh at the market or ripe in the garden, such as rabbit roasted in lemon leaves, washed down with homemade limoncello. Rooms: From €160 (£135). CL Owned and operated by a noble Neapolitan family since 1951, Le Sirenuse combines museum grandiosity with opening-night atmosphere, and each year it commissions a new artist to add to its collection. Photograph by Andrea Lucibello 10. Le Sirenuse, Positano Best for: art-lovers The mythological sirens who lived off Positano's coast used their beauty to lure passing sailors — and visitors to this maximalist hotel named in their honour will find themselves similarly enchanted. Owned and operated by a noble Neapolitan family since 1951, Le Sirenuse combines museum grandiosity with opening-night atmosphere, and each year it commissions a new artist to add to its collection. Highlights include Nicolas Party's swimming pool installation and Martin Creed's neon typography, but each of the 58 rooms is an artwork in its own right, featuring handmade local textiles and original cabinetry. If your budget doesn't stretch to a stay or meal at the restaurant, come for drinks at Aldo's Bar, which is serenaded nightly by mandolins. Rooms: From €649 (£552). OT Published in the July/August 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Inside the cyber-scam capital of the world
The message from Alice was blunt: 'I don't trust you. You are one of them, right? You all just want to sell me like some animal.' Alice's hostile reaction wasn't completely surprising to Ivan Franceschini, Ling Li and Mark Bo, the co-authors of 'Scam: Inside Southeast Asia's Cybercrime Compounds' (Verso), out July 8. 'Like the dozens of other survivors we met in the following months,' they write, 'her harrowing experience had left her unable to trust anyone.' 9 The past half-decade has seen a nefarious web of cyber-scam operations set up shop across Southeast Asia, luring (and trapping) workers from across the globe targeting victims on every corner of the planet. Getty Images Advertisement Alice (not her real name), a Taiwanese single mom, had recently escaped from a Cambodian scam compound where she'd been raped, beaten, sold multiple times and nearly forced into a brothel. She'd been lured to the town of Sihanoukville by a friend who promised her a legitimate job, and even paid for her visa and flight. What awaited Alice, however, was not a front-desk position but forced criminal labor in an online fraud mill. 'The supervisor informed her that she had been sold there to conduct online scams,' the authors write, 'and that she would not be allowed to leave until she had earned enough money for the company.' Advertisement 9 The center of Asia's cyber-criminal network. libin – When she resisted, the supervisor threatened Alice with a stun gun and 'said that if she did not comply, he would lock her up in a room and let several men rape her,' the authors write. 'Which is exactly what happened soon after.' They tried to make her a 'pig butcher,' referring to a slow-burn online scam that involved using fictional profiles of wealthy, attractive people to blackmail hapless marks. Alice refused to play along, feigning ignorance of how to type. They made her clean. Then they sold her again. And again. This is what modern slavery looks like in the internet age. Alice is just one victim among several interviewed by the authors, all of them part of a vast criminal economy with operations across Southeast Asia. In countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, cybercrime syndicates run industrial-scale scam operations staffed by trafficked laborers and protected by complicit authorities. Advertisement 9 The beachy town of Sihanoukville in Cambodia has become the nexus of that nation's cyber-scam trade. AWL Images – The industry blossomed during the pandemic, when 'scam operators achiev[ed] record profits capitalising on the misery and loneliness of people stuck in endless lockdowns,' the authors write. According to the latest UN estimates, there were in 2023 'at least 120,000 people . . . forced to carry out online scams across Myanmar, with another 100,000 in Cambodia,' write the authors. At the center of this ecosystem is Sihanoukville, a once-sleepy Cambodian beach town transformed into 'a global online scam hub,' the authors write. The transformation began in the mid-2010s, when Chinese criminal groups began buying up property, converting apartments, villas and hotel rooms into closed compounds for scam work. These were not fly-by-night setups. They came with dorms, cafeterias, surveillance rooms and punishment cells. By the late 2010s, Sihanoukville had become a scam metropolis. 9 Pres. Trump has vowed to crackdown on cyber-crime syndicates in Cambodia and across Asia. Will Oliver – Pool via CNP / MEGA Advertisement The business model was simple: Traffic in people, extract money from strangers online and do it all behind steel doors. The operations 'often look like standard apartment buildings with unusually strict security measures,' the authors write. 'Such as high walls with barbed wire and guards posted at gates, to prevent people from escaping as much as to stop unauthorized people from entering.' The profits were massive. The risk was minimal. And the victims weren't only the ones on the other end of the keyboard. 9 Trump's most visible target is the company Huione Pay. Google Maps George, a Ugandan man in his early 30s with an IT degree, was recruited from Dubai in August 2022, to manage data in Laos. He was offered a monthly salary of $1,500, plus allowances and commissions. Once there, he signed a fake contract, had his passport taken and was put to work defrauding people using prewritten scripts. When he refused, he was sold to another compound in Myanmar. 'They don't tell you [how much they sell you for],' he told the authors. 'They just tell you: 'We own you. We bought you' . . . It's weird. It takes you back to the ages of the slave trade in Africa.' Inside the compounds, daily life blends corporate dystopia with prison brutality. New workers are given scripts and digital playbooks with titles like 'Phrases for Love, Friendship, and Gambling.' There are quotas, and heavy surveillance. Everything workers type can be tracked. 9 The new book 'Scam' explores Southeast Asia's cybercrime factories. If they miss a quota, punishment follows. Some workers are forced to do 'frog jumps,' an excruciating squat exercise repeated for hours. Others are made to run up and down stairs, or stand in the blistering sun for hours while holding heavy objects. The unlucky and disobedient ones are beaten or sold. Advertisement The scams themselves are psychologically sophisticated. Pig butchering involves building rapport over weeks or even months before proposing a seemingly low-risk investment in a phony crypto platform. Once the victim's guard is down — and their life savings transferred — the scammer ghosts them. Some workers are paid commissions based on how much their victims lose. 'Bonuses can be lucrative,' the authors write, 'and the rules are often posted in public areas as a reminder to all staff.' Others are forced to perform the scams without pay under threat of physical harm. The result is a chilling blend of victim and perpetrator: exploited laborers trained to exploit others. 9 'Scam' co-author Ivan Franceshini. Courtesy of Ivan Franceschini One company in Cambodia charged workers for everything they used inside: toilets, chairs, keyboards, the portion of floor they occupied and even the 'seaside air' they breathed. 'Consequently, no matter how long they work, their debts can continue to grow,' the authors write. Many go deeper into debt while trapped, their families extorted for ransom payments that may or may not result in release. The psychological toll is devastating. Alice described 'brainwashed' survivors who 'developed some mental illness.' Meanwhile, her own family thought she was trafficked 'because I am greedy and wanted to get rich overnight,' Alice admits. Advertisement Efforts to crack down have had limited effect. When compounds in Cambodia are raided, the operators move to Laos. When Laos tightens regulations, they set up shop in Myanmar. There are always more buildings, more bribes and more desperate people willing to answer job ads that turn out to be traps. The authors note that these operations are not rogue or isolated. They are systems. Ecosystems. And they are growing. 'Tech companies are failing to ensure that their services are not used as platforms for organised criminals,' the authors write. Messaging apps continue to facilitate communication between recruiters and victims. Governments continue to look the other way — or actively profit from the business. 9 Co-author Mark Bo. Courtesy of Mark Bo Even when victims are rescued, justice is rare. Some are deported. Others are treated as criminals. A few, like Alice, find ways to speak out. Most don't. And even for those who escape, the trauma lingers. Alice eventually found a way to post a call for help on Instagram and 'was rescued before being sold a fifth time,' the authors write. She now works with advocacy groups to warn others about the dangers of overseas job scams. 'If I had been enslaved for a year or two,' she tells the authors, 'I might not be able to believe in humanity anymore.' Advertisement 9 Co-author Ling Li. Courtesy of Ling Li This industry isn't going away, the authors write. It's adapting. It's expanding — even as it faces a crackdown by the Trump administration, which recently designated the Cambodian firm Huione Group what so many already know it to be: a money-laundering operation. Still, much work remains to free women like Alice. In the time it took to read this story, another person somewhere may have just clicked 'Apply Now' on a job that doesn't exist.
New Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
'No mechanism for victims to remove revenge porn' - Lawyers' group
GEORGE TOWN: Existing laws aimed at protecting people, especially children, from sexual exploitation are insufficient to tackle the rise of revenge and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated pornography, said a lawyers' group. Jasmine Wong, president of the Association of Women Lawyers (AWL), said laws, such as the Sexual Offences Against Children Act and the Penal Code provisions that criminalise child sexual abuse material, focused on punishment after the fact. She said Malaysia lacked a mechanism for victims to swiftly demand the removal of harmful content, such as the United States' new "Take it Down" Act. Wong said Malaysia's Online Safety Bill 2024, passed last December and awaiting to be gazetted, expanded the government's regulatory powers over child sexual abuse material and cyberbullying. "However, it does not address the rapid spread of deepfake or AI-generated sexual abuse content, leaving a critical gap in protection. "The current laws are reactive and rely heavily on criminal prosecution, which is often slow and emotionally draining for survivors. "There is no legal right for minors or their guardians to request the immediate takedown of non-consensual explicit images, forcing survivors to endure prolonged trauma and public stigma," she told the New Straits Times. Earlier this year, a teenager in Johor was arrested for producing and selling deepfake sexual images of his female classmates. He is being investigated under Section 292 of the Penal Code for distributing obscene material and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for sharing offensive content. Wong said a central takedown platform, possibly under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), could improve coordination and response times. She added that social media companies should adopt the best practices in the US' "Take it Down" Act, which sets timelines for content removal or risk penalties under MCMC's licensing regime. "AI developers must build safeguards to detect and prevent the misuse of AI-generated content, and schools and educators play a vital role in addressing digital abuse promptly and educating students on safe online behaviour. "Digital literacy campaigns and parental guidance are essential to equip children with the skills and support needed to navigate the online world safely." AWL vice-president Denise Lim said the "Take it Down" Act has been hailed by advocates and victims' families as a powerful tool to protect dignity and privacy in the digital age. "Malaysia needs urgent legal reform that reflects the realities of digital sexual abuse, combining punitive measures with proactive protections for victims. "Effective enforcement, swift takedown procedures, and multi-sector collaboration are key to safeguarding young people in an increasingly online world," she said. Lim added that as digital sexual abuse evolved, so must laws meant to combat it.
Reuters
29-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
India's AWL Agri Business ups sales forecast on delivery boom, easing food prices
April 29 (Reuters) - Indian consumer goods firm AWL Agri Business ( opens new tab, formerly known as Adani Wilmar, raised its forecast for fiscal 2026 sales volumes, expecting growth to surpass 10%, as it bets on the boom in 10-minute delivery platforms and softer food prices. Inflation slipped to a more-than-five-year low in March, even as Indians wrestle with high living costs, with food prices moderating from eye-watering levels last year. here. "Overall food basket inflation worry is not there. Consumption will happen because prices are affordable now," CEO Angshu Mallick told Reuters on Tuesday. He added that sales volumes in AWL's edible oil business, its biggest, are expected to increase by 7%-10% this fiscal year, which started on April 1. This, coupled with the food business, is expected to push the group's growth over the 10% mark. The 'Fortune' oil maker also plans to increase the number of stores it serves directly by 12%-15% to almost 1 million outlets from 860,000 currently. The upbeat forecast comes weeks after the company changed its name from Adani Wilmar following Adani Group's exit from a joint venture by selling its stake to Singapore's Wilmar International . In February, Mallick told Reuters AWL would return to sales volume growth of about 10% this fiscal, led by tax relief measures and growth on delivery apps. India's 10-minute delivery platforms, including Swiggy's ( opens new tab Instamart, Eternal's ( opens new tab Blinkit and Zepto, have helped consumer goods makers grow in Indian cities. The quick-delivery sector accounted, opens new tab for over two-thirds of all e-grocery orders last year, with its market share growing about five times to $6 billion-$7 billion from 2022. Separately, Mallick also said India should widen the import tariff differential between crude and refined oil, particularly palm oil, to support domestic refining capacity. "If somebody imports refined oil directly, processors have to live with the lower production, higher cost, and then, obviously, the business is not so viable," he added. On Monday, AWL's quarterly consolidated net profit jumped nearly 22% to 1.9 billion rupees ($22.4 million). ($1 = 84.9770 Indian rupees)
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Business Standard
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
AWL Agri Business Q4 results: Profit up 22% on strong edible oils demand
India's AWL Agri Business, previously known as Adani Wilmar, reported a nearly 22 per cent rise in fourth-quarter profit on Monday, benefiting from higher demand in its core edible oils segment. The consumer goods company, which makes the Fortune brand of cooking oil, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1.9 billion Indian ($22.36 million) for the quarter ended March 31, compared with Rs 1.56 billion a year ago. Revenue from its core edible oils segment - which accounted for more than 81 per cent of total revenue - jumped 45 per cent during the quarter, driven by increased demand for sunflower and mustard oils. Cooking oil has largely resisted the broader slowdown in branded consumer goods due to its essential nature despite brands increasing prices in recent months to offset rising ingredient costs, as per analysts. AWL's food unit, which sells staples such as rice and wheat, reported revenue growth of 9 per cent, driven by strong demand and distribution through e-commerce and trade channels. AWL's chief executive officer, Angshu Mallick, told Reuters in February that the company expects sales to grow 10 per cent in fiscal 2026, led by demand from 10-minute delivery apps and tax cuts. Overall revenue rose about 38 per cent in the fourth quarter. The company changed its name from Adani Wilmar in March after Adani Group exited the joint venture by selling its stake to Singapore's Wilmar International. Rival Marico, which sells the Saffola brand of cooking oil, will report results on Friday. The company is eyeing revenue growth in the low single digit for the three months ended March following three straight quarters of profit fall. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
