Who they are
Bluestar was started in 2000 by Giuseppe Fusco, known to everyone as Peppe, and since 2012 has been run together with his wife Elisabeth: a family business in the literal sense, with the office on the front at Spiaggia Grande and captains who are local men.
They do two things: private charters of the whole boat, and a daily group tour capped at twelve passengers. Around those sit a sunset trip, an "Early Bird" departure for people who want to leave before the crowds, photo tours and private events. On TripAdvisor the listing appears as "Blue Star Boat Tours"; it has nothing to do with the Blue Star ferry company.
On licence-free rental the official site says nothing: a third-party guide mentions small self-drive boats, but we found no direct confirmation, so we do not treat it as established.
Spiaggia Grande: the office is on the beachfront and the boats leave from the pier alongside.
Where they leave from
Via del Brigantino 1, right on Spiaggia Grande. From the centre of Positano you walk down Via Cristoforo Colombo and then the steps: five to ten minutes, downhill all the way there and uphill all the way back. SITA bus arrivals get off on the SS163 and face the same descent; ferry arrivals from Amalfi, Sorrento or Salerno land at the pier itself, fifty metres from the office.
In high season the beach is crowded by nine in the morning: turn up fifteen minutes early, because picking out the right boat among the moored gozzi takes longer than you would think.
The fleet
Ten boats, each with its own name. That's Amore and Cerasella are 38-foot Apreas for twelve; O Sole Mio is an Aprea 32, also for twelve; Red Passion is a Gagliotta 37 for eight; Sea Lady is a 33-foot wooden gozzo for twelve; Nanninella and Peppino are 30-foot gozzi for ten; Blue and Lazzarella are Aprea 25s for six; Spritz is a Selva 23 for five.
All of them, the operator states, carry a toilet, a shower, towels, snorkelling masks, drinks and prosecco. The range covers the couple alone on a small boat as well as the group of twelve, and the predominance of Aprea gozzi is reassuring on this coast: they are hulls built for the swell of this gulf.
Tours and prices
Prices from the official website. The private product is quoted openly: a full coastal day from EUR 950 per boat on a seven-and-a-half-metre boat, with higher rates on the larger craft; the Capri day from EUR 1,900 per boat. There is also a four-hour private half day, leaving at 08:30 or 13:30.
On the shared products the transparency drops: the group coastal tour, seven and a half hours from 09:30 to 17:00 with a maximum of twelve passengers, is booked through the FareHarbor engine and the price only appears once you choose a date. The same is true of the ninety-minute sunset trip. Entry to the Emerald Grotto costs EUR 10 per person and is excluded.
The coves east of Positano, such as Arienzo and Laurito, are the classic half-day destinations.
Booking and cancellation
You book online through the FareHarbor system, over WhatsApp, on +39 089 811 888, by email to info@bluestarpositano.it, or by walking into the beachfront office — which in Positano, with the boats in plain sight, still makes sense. The captains speak English.
The site publishes no cancellation policy, and that is the main gap in an otherwise tidy record. The private-tour listing on Expedia states a full refund up to 24 hours before. Reviews describe a flexible attitude to weather rescheduling, but a habit is not a clause: get it confirmed in writing in the chat.
What reviewers say
The numbers are striking: TripAdvisor showed 4.9 out of 5 from 1,682 reviews, second of 116 outdoor activities in Positano. That is the deepest review record among the operators we examined on this coast. We found no Google listing we could attribute with confidence.
The recurring praise: the captains — Carlo, Saulo, Fabio, Nicolas, Gianfranco and Franco are the names that come back — are named individually and warmly; stops in quiet coves; prosecco and limoncello on board; quick WhatsApp replies and willingness to move a date for weather; value for money; and a striking number of honeymoons, anniversaries and proposals arranged on board.
There is very little criticism, which is itself a finding: the most visible complaint concerns a restaurant recommendation rather than the trip. These are themes taken from public reviews read, with no direct verification by us.
Booking direct or through GetYourGuide
With Bluestar the direct channel is genuinely competitive: the private price is published, the route is negotiable and the chat works. The one weakness is contractual — no written cancellation terms on the site.
Platforms offer the usual safety net: free cancellation up to 24 hours before on most products, a price shown in euros before you pick a date, support in your own language, reserve now and pay later. On shared trips the advantage is doubled, because you see the price straight away: the Amalfi Coast and Positano tour with snorkelling and drinks leaves from Positano itself, while the private speedboat tour from Positano or Praiano is the short two-hour option. To compare the day's departures there is the list of Positano experiences.
In short: private is better booked direct, shared is better booked on a platform for as long as the price stays hidden.
Li Galli, the little archipelago off Positano, is the first stop on almost every trip.
Alternatives
For the same formula from a different base, Sea Horse Amalfi Coast leaves Amalfi with shared groups of ten, while Amalfi Marine is the name to know for driving yourself without a licence. At the top end, with yachts and boarding at any harbour, there is Amalfi Sails. Our guide to tours from Positano compares timings and departure points, the boat rental page explains when driving yourself is worth it, and the speedboat page helps if you only have a few hours.