Amalfi Coast Vacation

Amalfi Coast Vacation

Paige and I chose the lovely cliff city of Sorrento for our home base to explore Amalfi coast and celebrate her graduation from University. Lots of planning went into this trip! Staying 13 days we experienced the perfect balance of touring day trips with every third day free to relax by the pool and enjoy the nightly festivity and fine dining--and gelato--in town.

Shoulder season (May, June, September, October) is less crowded but ferries are more available in summer when seas are calm. Check schedules before you go. We went in July (because of a passport glitch—check your passports!) and it was very hot--doable though. Hotels are a bargain in winter but not much is open and there are no ferries.

We flew into Naples (Lufthansa was the best deal but don’t eat their food!) and hired a driver to pick us up. Though not cheap, having a driver holding a name card and taking care of us was wonderful after a long flight—worth springing for. (€80-100) Sorrento Silver Star Car Service www.sorrentosilverstar.com

Sorrento --We stayed at the Grand Hotel Vesuvio and absolutely loved it. A sea view room is worth the splurge, the balcony was like our sitting room—what a view! They have good breakfasts and a shuttle service—though limited hours. We hired a driver for €15 several mornings to get an early start to the ferries or Circumvesuvia. This can be arranged at the front desk; they’ll quote you more but we found many fees to be negotiable. Note: you can’t walk from this Hotel. A less expensive option is the Comfort Hotel Gardenia on the busier main street of Corsa Italia; even more budget is the Ulisse Deluxe Hostel.I'd hapily stay at any of these.City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off Buses are a great way to take in a new place. The tour starts from Piazza Lauro and winds around Sorrento and neighboring areas with many incredible views.

Via San Cesareo is the main shopping street and at night cars are not allowed and it really comes alive.We bought purses, wallets and kitchen stuff. Red coral jewelry is plentiful as well.

Piazza Tasso is the heart of the city with a lot going on--and one of the few ATM's.

Marina Piccolo ‘s crowded beach is a great place to see how the locals holiday. We preferred our pool for swimming, however.

The Foreigners Club -- our “go to” restroom spot. Enjoy drinks, snacks and views on the patio.

Favorite Restaurants: Inn Bufalito; Ristorante Delfino on Marina Grande;  Ristorante Grigrio (value); da Franco Pizza (super value across from the lemon grove on Corso Italia); Il Bucco (splurge),

Positano-Amalfi-Ravello – We had a blast touring the beautiful Amalfi coasts twisting roads, stopping to take in views in Positano and spending time touring the towns of Amalfi and Ravello. The best bargain of our trip was the Aponti Viaggi bus tour that picked us up and dropped us at our hotel, and included lunch with wine for €34  www.aponteviaggi.it  For another €11 we took a boat tour from Amalfi town along the coast and into the Emerald Grotto. Tip: take Dramamine for the ride and skip the wine at lunch. We didn’t and the combo had us snoozing all the way back. Tip the guide!

Pompeii   The ancient ruins of the city of Pompeii are huge and not to be missed.  We skipped breakfast and took the early commuter train, the Circumvesuviana, from Sorrento to Pompeii. The station in Pompeii has a coffee shop where we bought cappuccino and pastries and ate at a table out back. Wear a hat, good walking shoes and carry water. Go early and bring your Rick Steve’s guide book. Download a free audio tour from iTunes listed as “Rick Steve’s Pompeii”. Give this a full day—even a half day takes a lot of energy. Back in Sorrento we cooled off in a matinee show of Harry Potter in Italian!

(Herculaneum is a great day trip, as well, but we were advised repeatedly not to go without a local, or a male travel partner.

Cooking Class -- We had a magnificent day cooking and eating at a beautiful private villa in Sorrento, Villa Ida. We wanted to be adopted by this lovely family. Angela instructed us in several delicious courses and we visited the family's wine cellar, tasting their homemade wine. A splurge worth forking over for! Book this through Ciao Laura   http://www.ciaolaura.com/       

Paestum--Europe's best-preserved Ancient Greek temples is a little out of the way but worth spending the time for. Booking a tour with Aponte Viaggi www.aponteviaggi.it  is the easiest way. They were only running 1 day a week (now they offer two days a week)so we took the hard way—but it was also a fun challenge! We took the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii Scavi, walked to the Trenitalia train station (2 mi.--take a bus if it’s too hot), the train took 2 hrs. then walked ½ mile to the ruins. Stunning! Get some gelato to cool off and then check out the small but impressive museum. Don't forget to bring your Rick Steve's book for all the scoop on these ruins.

Positano – A day trip just to Positano was a treat. Taking a ferry is the best deal, but we lucked out and a relative from Bari drove us and showed us around. Eat at one the pricey beach restaurants or bring a picnic. Hike up and down the vertical town enjoying the beautiful shops and galleries. Buy some lemon granite from a vendor—so refreshing.

Naples   We went just to tour the National Archeological Museum’s beautiful sculptures, frescoes and mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum. We took a cab to Marina Piccola,  the first ferry to Naples and another cab to the Museum. We got a cab outside the museum and headed directly back to the harbor and munched panini’s while waiting for the ferry back to safe Sorrento. Tip: Bring Rick Steve's book. He also has a free audio download for this on iTunes.

Capri --What a day! We were picked up at our hotel and taken to Marina Grande where we boarded a small yacht along with 8 other people. The sights were spectacular and we had 3 hours on Capri to explore. (We were low on funds at this point, so we brought our own snacks and drinks which saved us roughly €50.) We toured  by boat around the island, entering several grottos and and stopping to swim—this was heaven! The young captain kept us hydrated with all we wanted to drink and made us fresh caprese sandwiches. We we’re returned to our hotel door after an amazing day ,all for €70 each.   www.capitanoago.com

                                               More Tips

v  Rent cell phones before you go, we used Cellular Abroad, but shop it online.

v  Buy a stack of bus tickets and a 3 day Compania Arte Card to save on train and entrance fees.

v  Keep €1 coins handy for restroom fees. A male attendant may hand you a paper towel!

v  Town buses take a while to get the hang of, but it’s a good way to experience some local flavor.

v  Learn enough Italian to negotiate and be assertive. Carry Rick Steve’s phrase book.

v  Bring a little light colored travel umbrella for the sun esp. at Pompeii and Paestum.

v  Buy groceries in the market before heading back to your hotel; bring your own nylon bag.

v  Bring pressure point wrist bands to quell motion sickness on the ferries, boats and trains.

v  Buy some Euro at your bank before leaving, order a week before. (€ 200-300)

v  Airport shuttle to Naples for return flight can be arranged at the hotel desk.

v  Avoid Sorrento on cruise ship days—ask around to find out.

v  Try Merrell sandals, (I liked the Bassoon, Paige the Agave), from Onlineshoes or Zappos

v  Pack light, coordinate colors and accessorize big .  

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