We are a couple in our 60's looking to spend a few days in the Amalfi region in mid April. We will be arriving by train to Salerno and intend to tour the Amalfi around to Sorrento by bus and/or boat.
We would appreciate comments on a good base location (one of the villages?) for our local travels using these forms of transport.
Additionally, recommendations for accommodation would be welcomed.

Coming in that way I would base in Amalfi--which is also the hub for SITA bus connectins. The Hotel Floridiana gets great reviews in Amalfi. I would also consider an apartment rental---see sumerinitaly.com

There's a ton of info on past threads on this site which address your questions. You might try a couple of searches. The various towns hold different appeal to different folks, and they have been widely discussed and debated here, all of which should help you determine where you'd like to stay. That's how I decided to base our stay in Positano.

Tripadvisor.com is very helpful in figuring out hotels/B&Bs once you figure out which town you'll be in. The threads here can also help you figure out which properties come highly recommended. But with your trip coming up next month, I'd get researching real soon and book as early as possible.

Hi nov,

We very much liked our stay in Praiano.

See my trip report for details,
Ira’s Trip Report (Italy 2003)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34451044

Enjoy your visit.

I would choose Amalfi. Amalfi is a charming town with a gorgeous cathedral and a colourful market. Besides, Amalfi is flat (unlike Positano which is extremely steep).

From Amalfi, you can take buses and boats which will take you along the coast.

I agree with the above posters on Amalfi. It's very convenient for boats and buses and not necessarily flat, but a lot flatter than Positano. You can take aliscafo to Capri, Ischia, Positano, etc from Amalfi.

I would recommend Sorrento as a base. But not if you are taking the train to Salerno. If you're coming from the north, you could get off at Naples and then take the "local" train to Sorrento.

Many thanks to all respondents! Ira, we particularly enjoyed your trip report - seems you had a great time.
Here's hoping we do too!

Pleased to help, novir

Novir:
Another vote for Amalfi,a glorious location.We spent one full week there last september and enjoyed every minute of our stay.You can take a look at my report by clicking on my name,you can find places we visited,b&b we stayed,visits and restaurants.Have a nice trip!!!!!

We chose Amalfi as a base for our trip in May. 5 days there, then Benevento, Capri and Naples, for two weeks total.

Alice