J

Traveling to Italy late Oct, early Nov. Planning on 3/4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence. Have 5 more days before heading back to Rome. Want to visit the Amalfi coast, not sure where to stay or how to get there. Looks like Sorrento is central, but heard Ravello is spectacular. Any suggestions? Also, need hotel reccomendations as well. Thanks so much!

elizabeth

Hi J: <BR> <BR>We stayed in Sorrento and found it a great base to explore the Amalfi Coast, although others swear by staying in Positano. May I suggest you start by doing a search on this site (if you haven't already done so) - there's a TON of information on the Amalfi Coast (restaurants, hotels, sights, etc) and you might just find what you're looking for on past postings. If you're new to the site - use the "Text Search" box (the box at the top of the web page) using the keyword "Amalfi". To get you started I've "topped" a couple of recent postings - they'll all have "Amalfi" in the title. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps - I'm sure you'll enjoy the Amalfi Coast - it's lovely. Regards, Elizabeth

Katherine

My first trip we spent 5 days in Sorrento at the end of an exhausting month in Italy. It was the perfect way to recover and ready ourselves for the return home. Although we stayed in Sorrento (at the Hotel Aminta, which I heartily recommend) we covered a lot of territory; Pompeii, Capri, Ravello (you're right, it's incredible) Positano and Amalfi. And we spent a lot of time shopping, eating and enjoying in Sorrento. The Aminta is on the hill above Sorrento with a great pool and deck and spectacular wide angle views. Feel free to email me with any questions.

GAC

Sorrento is the better choice if you plan on doing day-trips to places like Capri, Pompei, Naples and Caserta, since it is geographically closer and has better public transportation options. Ravello is better if you want peace and quiet, and total relaxation. Ravello is much more intimate and refined, and has better views. Sorrento has better night life, many more hotels and restaurants, and is generally noisier. Ravello's Villa Cimbrone (and its hotel) is probably situated in the most beautiful spot on earth. I stayed at the four-star Villa Maria in Ravello in April 2000 and can recommend it without reservation. To get to Sorrento from Rome, take an IC or ES train to Napoli Centrale and transfer to the Circumvesuviana commuter train. To get to Ravello from Rome, take an IC or ES train to Salerno, then a SITA bus (hourly) OR frequent ferry to Amalfi (a better choice), then a local orange bus (hourly) up the hill to Ravello. A taxi from Amalfi to Ravello is expensive, but useful if you have a lot of luggage. Bear in mind that a number of the better hotels in Ravello have no access by automobile (such as Villa Maria and Villa Cimbrone), which means paying a porter to haul the bags up the steep flights of stairs... but the spectacular views more than justify the expense.

Cheryl Z.

<BR>J., In June we spent a week on the Amalfi coast in Praiano, stayed at the Grand Hotel Tritone, half way between Amalfi and Positano. We thought Sorrento too much of a "big city" for us, and were disappointed. Very crowded, so much traffic. We were able to take plenty of day trips from where we were including to Capri but we skipped Naples and Pompei. At any rate, the whole coast is a beautiful area to visit and you can't really go wrong.

Janda

We stayed in Praiano. At the Neptuno hotel. It was very nice. Across the street was a restaurant named La Buca. It was excellent. <BR>We have decided that the next time we go we will stay in Sorrento. The Amalfi coast is spectacular, but we would like to experience Sorrento more. We took the train from there to Naples then onto Rome. I loved the whole area and thank God everyday that I am lucky enough to travel. Next month we will go back to northern Italy then into France. <BR>None of us have been to France so we are excited about that. <BR>I hope your trip is as wonderful as ours have been. <BR> Janda

Linda

Katherine, can you give me more information on the Hotel Aminta? The search I did gave me examples where everybody said it was fantastic, but none of them said why. What was the price range, location, quality of rooms, etc.? Thanks in advance.

Katherine

Linda, <BR> <BR>I sent you an email this morning. If you didn't get it let me know and I'll resend it. <BR> <BR>Also, their website is www.aminta.it

Linda

Katherine, I got it. Thanks a lot. Looks like a real possibility for our trip.