porters in positano and capri: please advise

I have done this in Capri - we stayed at Hotel Mamela - I don't remember the details but there was not a problem. Email your hotels, they can probably advise you - there was a fee for the service (and I'm cheap) but as I remember we thought it was worth it. It seems to me that when the hydrofoil docked, the porters were calling out the names of the various hotels and organizing the luggage. Have a wondrful trip!

Also wanted to add that if you are coming thru the Naples train station that is a place to be wary of porters. There are many men there dressed in light blue and navy that seem to be porters or connected with Trenitalia but are not official. They can be very aggressive with grabbing your bags and then requesting 5 - 10 E's per bag.

dina -

When we arrived in Capri, we were met at the docks by a woman hired by the hotel to escort us to the hotel. She told us to put our luggage on the luggage cart, and we would have it in about a half hour.

I was very leary of doing so. We had two cameras, and all of my husbands medicines in these bags, and since all we ever travel with is carry-ons, they were the only bags we had.

I questioned the woman if this was safe, and she assured us it was. The bags were marked with our hotel name, and sure enough, showed up about a half hour later at our room.

I agree with the last poster - Naples airport I would be wary of.

thanks.

our hotels told us just that porters were available at the docks for us to use if we want to do so.

any one else with positive (or negative) experiences?

Hi, dina4 -

I understand your concern, but I had no problem with the porters in Capri. They wore a uniform of sorts - sorry, but I don't remember what it looked like - and were very professional with me and my bags. They arrived safely at my hotel in short order.

Hope that helps!

thanks. that makes me feel better...

Hi Dina - In Positano there are 2 porter companies.

www.positanoporter.it
www.positanobluporter.it

Both have badges so are instantly recognisable. They are usually waiting at the jetty.

Steve

When we arrived in Positano and were approached by a porter but we were too leary to hand over our luggage. When he told us Villa Rosa was approx. 500 meters we thought we could handle it ourselves. We were very happy and grateful to use the porters on the way back.

thanks, Steve. Seeing the photos on the website made me see that they look very legit.

micheline,
thanks, also, for your input.
did you enjoy your stay at villa rosa?

Definitely worth the cost if you have that much luggage. Any way you could make it a little less? We expected to have an easy time with porters, but there weren't any around when we came into either port for our hotels. I would email your hotels and let them know specifically when you are arriving and from where so you make sure you get help. I'm not sure you can do it without! Amy

i don't think four can have less than four pieces of luggage. i'm not so much worried about the price as i was worried about never seeing my luggage again!

hopefully, a legit company will be there that could help us!

thanks!

I understand your concern—we felt the same way but in Positano they have everything worked out. We used “Blu Porter” – guys with the blue shirts and company name on their shirts—they were very efficient—cost us 7 euro a bag to Venti Rosa—well worth it!

www.positanobluporter.it

thanks, bill!

Dina - You certainly don't need to worry in Positano.
(- Naples yes, but Positano no)

NO illegit porter would survive 2 minutes there.
They'd be found hanging upside down from a lamp-post - trust me ...

Steve

I used the porters at the dock in Positano without any problem.

It's not like they run off with your luggage -- you are following them the whole time. You will probably be struggling to keep up, because those guys are quick, but they will lead up all the stairs to your hotel. I'm not sure if we would have found our hotel (Villa La Tartana, the sister property to Villa Rosa) without following the porter. And Villa Rosa is even higher up -- you'll love it.

thanks for the reassurance!

steve, do you think the same goes for capri??

Our hotel in Capri(Casa Morgano) had its own porter and it was very easy. He also managed to get us to the front of the tram line. I'd suggest you check with your hotel and if they don't have their own porter they can advise you on how you should proceed.

Dina - For Capri I'd second the suggestion to contact your hotel.

Steve

ok, thanks.