50 and Fabulous in 2015---need help planning my trip to Amalfi, FINALLY
Apr 11th, 2014, 05:24 AM
#62
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We stayed in Naples ( for 3 nights) 2 weeks ago as our base for a trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum. We also went to archeological Museum in Naples. And we used a private driver for a day trip along the Amlfi coast.
Naples was a bit gritty, similar to Marseille. We were ok with it, as we have lived in big cities and still visit them. We stayed at Hotel Piazza Bellini and were very pleased with it. Nice area, easy to walk to museum and we even walked to and from central station several times. That said, I would offer that most folks would prefer staying in Sorrento for such a trip (with the same goals as we had).
Naples was a bit gritty, similar to Marseille. We were ok with it, as we have lived in big cities and still visit them. We stayed at Hotel Piazza Bellini and were very pleased with it. Nice area, easy to walk to museum and we even walked to and from central station several times. That said, I would offer that most folks would prefer staying in Sorrento for such a trip (with the same goals as we had).
Apr 11th, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Judy, you can also take the ferry from Positano to Amalfi, then a taxi from Amalfi up to Ravello, which is what I did a couple of years ago. Much cheaper and the views from the ferry are fantastic!
Apr 11th, 2014, 03:57 PM
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Hi Denisea,
You've received a lot of good suggestions regarding locations, and hotels, and I'm sure you're in the throes of decisions. After you get all that sorted out, you might want to consider (or at least have in your back pocket) a day trip to Pompeii. . .that is, if you can steal away from the AC. We think Pompeii is a worthwhile trip. However, even though we like to travel independently, we might suggest getting a day tour. .. maybe from Positano. We thought it was very worthwhile. . .a real insight into the relatively sophisticated style of life for that time. Just a thought.
You've received a lot of good suggestions regarding locations, and hotels, and I'm sure you're in the throes of decisions. After you get all that sorted out, you might want to consider (or at least have in your back pocket) a day trip to Pompeii. . .that is, if you can steal away from the AC. We think Pompeii is a worthwhile trip. However, even though we like to travel independently, we might suggest getting a day tour. .. maybe from Positano. We thought it was very worthwhile. . .a real insight into the relatively sophisticated style of life for that time. Just a thought.
Apr 12th, 2014, 03:59 AM
#67
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Definitely in the mix, tomarkot. I haven't given too much thoughht yet to the day to day activiites. I feel sure that we will visit Pompeii. I think Chaz, in particular, will be interested in Pompeii.
Apr 12th, 2014, 06:13 AM
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Hi Denisea,
First let me say thank you for all your great Paris advice - used several of your suggestions on a Sept 2012 girlfriend trip. Maybe I can repay the favor by giving you some Amalfi Coast recommendations?
Visited the AC for 8 days in late April 2010 - weather was on the cool side but at times sunny and warm enough to wear shorts - too cold to swim. From what I've read, May/June or September would be better months. We stayed the entire time in the town of Amalfi visiting Positano one day but did not get a chance to see Sorrento. Also wanted to stay on Capri for at least 2 or 3 nights but the weather was not ideal and we decided not to tour there on a day trip. We did visit Pompeii and thoroughly enjoyed that - try to include that in your schedule - it's fascinating. Would have also liked to tour Herculaneum and Paestum but saving those for next time.
Some posters above have mentioned Hotel Santa Catarina - that's where we stayed and can highly recommend - spectacular views, beautiful rooms with small terrace, 2 open air dining areas overlooking the water, spa/pool, excellent service. Truly a splurge type of place. Hotel provides free shuttle service to the town. We were there off season and had a reduced rate so booked a Superior Room - I actually requested the room with white and gold curtains featured at the top of their "Rooms" page and it was as lovely as it looks.
http://www.hotelsantacaterina.it/en/rooms
As other posters have commented, the hotel is on the very busy coastal road above the town but I did that 5-10 min walk several times a day staying very close to the side of the road and felt safe even with cars and Vespas whizzing by (I had just come from Rome so was very used to doing that!) We did use the hotel's shuttle service as an alternative. Given the hairpin roads, we decided not to rent a car and used a combination of
ferries, buses, taxis and a private driver to get around. We visited Positano one day by ferry - it's beautiful, too, but we found it to be too hectic with lots of high end shops. Maybe if you stay there it's a different feel? I know many here recommend it and it is more centrally located. We really preferred our quaint town of Amalfi especially in the late afternoon/evening after all the tourists left. We enjoyed sitting in an outdoor cafe watching the families doing their "passeggiata" evening stroll - it has very much a local town feel.
2 Highly Recommended Amalfi Coast Activities:
1. MAMMA AGATA COOKING CLASS - RAVELLO
Definitely the highlight of our trip. Class is conducted by Mamma Agata and her daughter, Chiara Lima, in their home - a beautiful 250 year old villa with large terrace overlooking the sea. We did the class with 2 other couples and cooked, drank homemade wine, laughed a lot, and ate so many delicious dishes while listening to Andre Bocelli - there are really no words to describe how wonderful it was! It's an all day class that includes breakfast and lunch and all the wine you can drink plus homemade limoncello. After it was over my husband wanted to book the class again for the next day! Take a look at the website and read the reviews - they do not exaggerate. To get to the class, we took the 2 euro bus from Amalfi up to Ravello - riding the bus on that uphill, hairpin curve road was an experience in itself! A couple in our class hiked from Ravello down to Amalfi when the class was over. While you're in Ravello, also recommend you tour Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone - both gorgeous properties. And our favorite restaurant meal of the trip was also in Ravello at Villa Amore Albergo Ristorante (on the way to Villa Cimbrone.) If you eat at Villa Amore and then walk from there to the main part of town, there is a ceramic shop on the left hand side (do not have the name) but recall the owner's name is Fulvio and he will talk you into buying some beautiful ceramics! We did and it is a lovely momento of our day in Ravello.
http://www.mammaagata.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Cooking_Class-
Ravello_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html
2. MONTE DI GRAZIA VINEYARD WINE TOUR - TRAMONTI
Toured this organic vineyard owned by a charming local medical doctor, Dr. Alfonso Arpino. As far as I know this is only available as a private tour with tour guide, Giocondo Cavalieri, from Amalfi Life. Giocondo picked us up at our hotel and suggested we visit a few nearby seaside towns to see some ancient ruins before driving up to the Monte di Grazia organic vineyard high up in the hills. We toured the vineyard with Giocondo and Dr. Arpino and then had lunch prepared by Dr. Arpino in his home. As far as I know, he left his practice mid-day to do our tour and make lunch for us - only in Italy! We booked this tour in a round about way by first emailing Laurie Howell of Amalfi Life (www.amalfilife.com) - she's in Brooklyn NYC - who in turn contacted her Amalfi colleague, Giocondo Cavalieri, to advise him to get in touch with us. I believe Giocondo's contact info is on their website but you could also email/call Laurie who is very responsive and she can relay a message. Our vineyard tour with this delightful local doctor and personable tour guide (Giocondo was excellent) was another highlight of our trip - the wine, the food, the setting, and most of all the charming people - again, words just don't do the experience justice. We actually did the tour in a misty rain which was quite atmospheric! The attached article describes an experience at this vineyard very similar to ours.
http://www.amalfilife.com
http://www.i-italy.org/bloggers/1015...-winery-clouds
Hope this will give you a few ideas. Wishing you a trip fantastico on the Amalfi Coast!
First let me say thank you for all your great Paris advice - used several of your suggestions on a Sept 2012 girlfriend trip. Maybe I can repay the favor by giving you some Amalfi Coast recommendations?
Visited the AC for 8 days in late April 2010 - weather was on the cool side but at times sunny and warm enough to wear shorts - too cold to swim. From what I've read, May/June or September would be better months. We stayed the entire time in the town of Amalfi visiting Positano one day but did not get a chance to see Sorrento. Also wanted to stay on Capri for at least 2 or 3 nights but the weather was not ideal and we decided not to tour there on a day trip. We did visit Pompeii and thoroughly enjoyed that - try to include that in your schedule - it's fascinating. Would have also liked to tour Herculaneum and Paestum but saving those for next time.
Some posters above have mentioned Hotel Santa Catarina - that's where we stayed and can highly recommend - spectacular views, beautiful rooms with small terrace, 2 open air dining areas overlooking the water, spa/pool, excellent service. Truly a splurge type of place. Hotel provides free shuttle service to the town. We were there off season and had a reduced rate so booked a Superior Room - I actually requested the room with white and gold curtains featured at the top of their "Rooms" page and it was as lovely as it looks.
http://www.hotelsantacaterina.it/en/rooms
As other posters have commented, the hotel is on the very busy coastal road above the town but I did that 5-10 min walk several times a day staying very close to the side of the road and felt safe even with cars and Vespas whizzing by (I had just come from Rome so was very used to doing that!) We did use the hotel's shuttle service as an alternative. Given the hairpin roads, we decided not to rent a car and used a combination of
ferries, buses, taxis and a private driver to get around. We visited Positano one day by ferry - it's beautiful, too, but we found it to be too hectic with lots of high end shops. Maybe if you stay there it's a different feel? I know many here recommend it and it is more centrally located. We really preferred our quaint town of Amalfi especially in the late afternoon/evening after all the tourists left. We enjoyed sitting in an outdoor cafe watching the families doing their "passeggiata" evening stroll - it has very much a local town feel.
2 Highly Recommended Amalfi Coast Activities:
1. MAMMA AGATA COOKING CLASS - RAVELLO
Definitely the highlight of our trip. Class is conducted by Mamma Agata and her daughter, Chiara Lima, in their home - a beautiful 250 year old villa with large terrace overlooking the sea. We did the class with 2 other couples and cooked, drank homemade wine, laughed a lot, and ate so many delicious dishes while listening to Andre Bocelli - there are really no words to describe how wonderful it was! It's an all day class that includes breakfast and lunch and all the wine you can drink plus homemade limoncello. After it was over my husband wanted to book the class again for the next day! Take a look at the website and read the reviews - they do not exaggerate. To get to the class, we took the 2 euro bus from Amalfi up to Ravello - riding the bus on that uphill, hairpin curve road was an experience in itself! A couple in our class hiked from Ravello down to Amalfi when the class was over. While you're in Ravello, also recommend you tour Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone - both gorgeous properties. And our favorite restaurant meal of the trip was also in Ravello at Villa Amore Albergo Ristorante (on the way to Villa Cimbrone.) If you eat at Villa Amore and then walk from there to the main part of town, there is a ceramic shop on the left hand side (do not have the name) but recall the owner's name is Fulvio and he will talk you into buying some beautiful ceramics! We did and it is a lovely momento of our day in Ravello.
http://www.mammaagata.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Cooking_Class-
Ravello_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html
2. MONTE DI GRAZIA VINEYARD WINE TOUR - TRAMONTI
Toured this organic vineyard owned by a charming local medical doctor, Dr. Alfonso Arpino. As far as I know this is only available as a private tour with tour guide, Giocondo Cavalieri, from Amalfi Life. Giocondo picked us up at our hotel and suggested we visit a few nearby seaside towns to see some ancient ruins before driving up to the Monte di Grazia organic vineyard high up in the hills. We toured the vineyard with Giocondo and Dr. Arpino and then had lunch prepared by Dr. Arpino in his home. As far as I know, he left his practice mid-day to do our tour and make lunch for us - only in Italy! We booked this tour in a round about way by first emailing Laurie Howell of Amalfi Life (www.amalfilife.com) - she's in Brooklyn NYC - who in turn contacted her Amalfi colleague, Giocondo Cavalieri, to advise him to get in touch with us. I believe Giocondo's contact info is on their website but you could also email/call Laurie who is very responsive and she can relay a message. Our vineyard tour with this delightful local doctor and personable tour guide (Giocondo was excellent) was another highlight of our trip - the wine, the food, the setting, and most of all the charming people - again, words just don't do the experience justice. We actually did the tour in a misty rain which was quite atmospheric! The attached article describes an experience at this vineyard very similar to ours.
http://www.amalfilife.com
http://www.i-italy.org/bloggers/1015...-winery-clouds
Hope this will give you a few ideas. Wishing you a trip fantastico on the Amalfi Coast!
Apr 12th, 2014, 01:45 PM
#70
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Amalfi Coast is just the best!! We were there in late April and had wonderful weather. Personally I tend to like to stay put in one place however I like the idea of staying one night on Capri and then maybe Positano.
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
Apr 12th, 2014, 01:45 PM
#71
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Amalfi Coast is just the best!! We were there in late April and had wonderful weather. Personally I tend to like to stay put in one place however I like the idea of staying one night on Capri and then maybe Positano.
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
Apr 12th, 2014, 01:45 PM
#72
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Amalfi Coast is just the best!! We were there in late April and had wonderful weather. Personally I tend to like to stay put in one place however I like the idea of staying one night on Capri and then maybe Positano.
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
http://www.donalfonso.com/... This one was my personal favorite....take the tour of the wine cellar....
http://www.torredelsaracino.it/ Best Buffalo Mozzarella....super fresh.. If I remember correctly this place was off the beaten path close to the shore...
Apr 20th, 2014, 07:27 AM
#76
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Denise,
No one has mentioned visiting Paestum, so I will! I spent 6 days in Praiano on my last trip to the Amalfi Coast and took one day to go to Paestum - it was well worth it. Beautiful Greek temples. Go if you feel you have the time!
No one has mentioned visiting Paestum, so I will! I spent 6 days in Praiano on my last trip to the Amalfi Coast and took one day to go to Paestum - it was well worth it. Beautiful Greek temples. Go if you feel you have the time!
Apr 21st, 2014, 09:58 AM
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For Judy: Don't mean to hijack post, but in Capri try LO ZODIACO, at Marina Grande, where the boats arrive/depart. One of the best lunches we've ever had in many trips to the AC!
In Positano: On the seaside path that winds its way from COVO DEI SARCENI in town to FORNILLO BEACH, try LO GUARACINO. Excellent homemade pastas, amazing pizzas, and a view of the water that goes for miles. We've had many great lunches there.
Also love: In town: Bucca di Bacco, ground level on the beach for great food. (Also a lovely hotel). And IL CAPITANO on VIALE PASITEA.
In Positano: On the seaside path that winds its way from COVO DEI SARCENI in town to FORNILLO BEACH, try LO GUARACINO. Excellent homemade pastas, amazing pizzas, and a view of the water that goes for miles. We've had many great lunches there.
Also love: In town: Bucca di Bacco, ground level on the beach for great food. (Also a lovely hotel). And IL CAPITANO on VIALE PASITEA.
