Dacon_R

With your help my 2 week May itinerary is shaping up! I'm focused on two areas and would love any input on the hotels/B&Bs I've narrowed it down to.

In MONTEPULCIANO, I’m looking at Hotel Duomo, Meuble il Ricco, Camere Bellavista and B&B Dimora Nel Corso.

In RAVELLO I'm looking at Villa Amore, Boccaccio B&B, and Garden Hotel. Hotel Parsifal is more than I want to spend but does look great so it's not totally off the list yet!

Our interests: I'm not sure how much "hanging out" time we'll be doing at our hotel/B&B, but it is nice to have an outdoor garden, terrace or other place to lounge – especially if the room doesn’t have a balcony. (When I wrote the Ravello hotels, only Villa Amore mentioned a room with a terrace - but perhaps others have first hand experience?

Thank you in advance for your help, Dawn

kybourbon

Will you have a car? If not, I wouldn't stay at Ravello as it's more isolated and buses up to Ravello are terribly crowded.

zeppole

If you are planning a go-go-go visit to the Amalfi with lots town and island hopping, I agree that Ravello isn't ideal. If you want to truly relax, turn your back on the world, and enjoy some peaceful hikes away from other tourists, Ravello is great. One way or the other, I wouldn't want a car in the Amalfi in May to do a lot of day trips to other Amalfi towns. It is too hard to park in the other Amalfi towns.

I also think the entire point of going to the Amalfi -- and perhaps Ravello in particular -- is to lounge where it is quiet and with a lovely view of the sea. All the Amalfi towns are so crowded, having a private space to do that would be a priority for me.

Finally, are you spending a week in each region? If so, consider renting an apartment. It will be cheaper and bigger, and you can enjoy the kind of breakfast you like in solitude and occasionally eat a light supper at "home." Italian restaurant meals twice a day is often too filling and too expensive.

Dacon_R

Thanks for your replies! I will not have a car while in Amalfi area - where I will be for 4 nights. So after researching, I have trimmed my itinerary so we stay in just 2 places (yes, I know someone will say to stay put all 4 nights, but 4 days in Ravello may seem too long). With limited time and what feels like endless research, I'm not going for town/island hopping this trip.

My plan is to minimize bus trips and stay put in Ravello for a couple days, then go to Praiano for a couple days. I assume the bus from Praiano to Amalfi will be very crowded even in mid-May, so I am only thinking of doing one day trip (ferry Amalfi-Positano) and not going to different towns for dinner. Just relax and enjoy the views!

And, I'm assuming the summer bus & ferry schedules have more trips than what I see right now - do you know when/if summer schedules come out?

As for Tuscany - that's 6 nights. I hadn't thought about an apartment I guess because I didn't originally plan to drive in Tuscany but the Forum is convincing me that is the way to go. If I look at a central home base, I know everyone will say Sienna, but my daughter (who I'm travelling with) has already been there and we are going for places that are new to both of us. Do you any any recommendations for a central apartment - so I can go to Montepulciano area and to San Gimignano/Volterra area?

I'm hoping to get reservations in soon, so hope someone can help me with the choices I've narrowed it down to!
Thanks for the help.

Centralparkgirl

Not sure of your budget, but we stayed at Villa Poggiano for 5 nights last May (near Montepulciano). Beautiful grounds and room, great breakfast and location. I would love to go back.

Dacon_R

Thanks Centralparkgirl - Villa Poggiano looks very nice, but it reminded me why I wanted B&B/hotel in town: so we can have dinner choices, and then walk back to our room. So I think I'll stick with the original plan ... and save driving after dinner for a second trip!

I'm going to start a new topic with the full itinerary and see if anyone sees anything I'm missing. See you there!

zeppole

In case you don't already know this -- and you probably do! -- for your transfer from Ravello to Praiano, have a car service take you. You plan for two locations makes sense. You might enjoy pizza at Da Salvatore while you are in Ravello.

I think booking something right away in Montepulciano is a good idea. You'll have a longish drive to Volterra, but not undoable if you stop enroute for a coffee and for a gelato on the way home. I would book something with a reasonable cancellation policy, and then do at least some research about an apartment in Montepulciano or the area slightly north of there (up the SR2, nearer Siena) -- and if you find something fantastic, cancel the hotel and book. But looking for an apartment can be extremely time consuming, and I think you and your daughter might enjoy being in a town the size of Montepulciano.

Sorry I can't comment on your specific choices, but in general, if you can find reviews on tripadvisor and venere.com or booking.com, they are often more up-to-date than the response you get on message boards.

Perhaps someone will come along with the perfect solution.

zeppole

We were posting at the same time!

macdogmom

Stayed at Meuble il Ricco a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Great location right off the main plaza but very quiet at night.