mstillwell820

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy. He wants to do Pompeii or Herculaneum, so I was trying to add in some of the Almafi coast experience to the trip. I have already been to Sorrento & Capri. Based on the day trip to Carpi it seems a little overcrowded and extremely pricey, so we wanted something a little different. A friend of mine suggested Ischia and said how beautiful it was, however I have heard some mixed reviews on some articles. I have had some suggest Positano which looks gorgeous too. I was trying to figure out if we only had the chance to do one which one would be better, and if trying to do two was a good idea. Also if we did both which one would be better to spend the most time in? We have about ten full days (non traveling) to work with on our trip. Here are things we're looking for:
-good restaurants
-a hotel in the 4/5 start range
-beach access
-possible chance for hiking or exploring
-wineries if possible (I heard Ischia has wineries, anyone have any knowledge of this)

We've been to Monterosso which we adored, so if Ischia or Positano had that type of feel we'd love it. If anyone has any tips/suggestions we'd love them. Thanks for your help!

ekscrunchy

Ischia has all those things, including wineries.

This is the most famous winery, but far from the only one on the island:

http://www.dambravini.com/en/

I've been to both places and would return to Ischia first. We loved this charming hotel, which has a wonderful thermal pool area; they have a bathing platform on the sea that is down the street from the hotel.
http://www.ilmoresco.it/en/


This is another of the many other upscale hotels on the island; it is a Relais&Chateau property:

http://www.termemanzihotel.com/


Here is a planning thread I began before my own trip in 2009:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...the-island.cfm



Here is my report from that trip:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-its-spell.cfm



Of course, the Amalfi Coast also would check all your desired boxes, as there are a few wineries; this is the most renowned, in Furore, in the hills above Amalfi/Conca dei Marina:

http://www.marisacuomo.com/


Positano in season has the feel of a once-jet-set resort that now attracts hordes of day trippers. You can find an oasis in a good hotel, but the town is kind of overrun with foreign tourists and you will hear lots of English spoken.

You may not hear nearly as much on Ischia, although the island is popular with German tourists. The town of Ischia Porto is charming to the maximum. And since the island is pretty large, you would have plenty of hiking and walking options, including a hike up the slopes of the Mt. Epomeo volcano that rises in the center of the island and provides the rich soil used to grow the grapes and excellent vegetables.


http://www.visitischia.com/en/what-t...nd-trails.html

What month are you planning to travel?

ekscrunchy

Forgot to mention this, probably the most spectacular of the island's hotels, on the sea:


http://www.mezzatorre.it/it/albergo_5_stelle.php

A_Brit_In_Ischia

In congratulating your friend on their discernment, I'd better admit to a degree of bias!

Perhaps a look through these, taken either when vacationing here, or since our move to the island in 2003, will help you to get more of an idea what Ischia is like...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/allaboutischia

To go with those, you'll find backnumbers of the visitor magazine - bilingual since last April - here...

http://www.ischianews.com/it/home/ar...ategory/2.html

... and a collection of press articles, starting on:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop..._Campania.html

One thing that would probably be very different to Monterosso is that most of the visitors here (over 80%) are Italian, followed by.... well, look for yourself:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/133250480

Despite that, English is fairly widely-spoken - although a lack of practice makes many Ischians rather reluctant, until convinced you've no Italian!

There are indeed wineries - both large and small, with many of them thrown open to the public during this annual September event...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/panzacan

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/panzacan2

Although the island's small - the size of Oxford, or some two thirds of Manhattan - the restaurants tend to divide into mainly fish at the coast, and meatier produce inland... with this place, run by a branch of the same D'Ambra winery family, being perhaps the best-known:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur..._Campania.html

There's a host of hotels at all levels but, to those already mentioned, I'd add this one - towards the Ischia Ponte end of the island, where we live...

http://www.puntamolino.it/en/

... another that has a wonderful beachside setting, on the less-populated southern coast:

http://www.hotelparcosmeraldo.com/it/

... and a place that often defies people's original intentions, up in the Castello Aragonese...

http://www.albergoilmonastero.it/ind...n/home&lang=en

But, as well as Capri, there is also yet another island nearby - all three of them are described in this little leaflet..

http://www.shiftmed.eu/userfiles/doc...de%20SHIFT.pdf

... which probably makes for quite enough reading by now?

Peter

mstillwell820

Wow thank you guys! I will definitely look into all of these links. I am so appreciative. Thanks so much!

hpluss1

I love Ischia also. Got engaged there. We did 3 nights at 3 different hotels in different areas of the island. It was a great idea to do it this way because the island is quite big, and that way you can explore each area at a time. I wrote about Ischia on my blog http://brooklynbabysocial.com/2010/1...d-love-ischia/ @ekscrunchy and @A_Brit_In_Ischia - Do you know any hotels that would be good for bringing my 8-month old baby along? I remember loving the town of Forio for walking around. Are there any good hotels right around the town? Thanks!!

A_Brit_In_Ischia

Hi there! Didn't notice this old thread come to life again till just now...

No idea about baby-suitability, but these are the hotels listed on TA as being in Forio...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotels-...ia-Hotels.html

It's a large comune, spanning the west of the island, so do be sure to check their exact locations!

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/imag...36626/original

For somewhere right in the town, we've always been impressed by the makeover given to the Villa Carolina - with its small rooftop pool and sun area....

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R..._Campania.html

It's shown the photo labelled 'Harbour view' here:
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/forio

... but, now I've looked at your blog, I see you already knew that!

Peter