A couple of my girl friends and I are planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast the end of May beg. of June for 10-14 days. Which would you recommend Positano or Capri?? or would you recommend splitting it up? We don't care to much about night life. We want to stay on the beach and relax.

For that amount of time (how I envy you), you could easily split it up. I have never been to Capri, but both it and Positano are warmly recommended on this board. Positano is heaven.

Note that by "beach," I hope you don't mean Hawaii-type beaches. The beach in Positano is not only small, but gravelly. You will, however, have relaxation in spades. Get a room with a private terrace and a view (it is worth the extra $) and you can relax all you want!

With that much time I'd split it up. Probably 3 days on Capri and 7 on Positano. Even if you stay longer, I think I'd stick with 3 days on Capri. If you go the full 14, I'd do 3 on Capri, 3 on Ischia and the remainder in Positano, taking day trips out of there periodically.

Thanks, coffe addict and jmv. would you guys be able to recommend some hotels? or Villa type accomidations? we travel in a pretty large group about, 10 girls -=/

We stayed at Albergo California in Positano and liked it. It has a nice patio overlooking the water and a 5 minute walk tops to the beach. The rooms were huge by European standards as was the bathroom.

With that many people (and if you don't mind sharing rooms), a villa would make more sense financially. Hotel rooms are expensive on the Amalfi Coast.

If you haven't already, do a search of this site for "Positano hotels" or "Positano villas." There are dozens of threads.

Two other places to look: italyby.com has a section devoted to the Amalfi coast. I know it lists villas there. You can also check the Rants n' Raves section of fodors.com.

Once you have narrowed down your options, you can repost with specific inquiries about each property. You'll get more helpful answers that way.

Sindije,

Just so you know, most "beaches" on the Amalfi Coast are stone swimming piers and rocks that jut into the water or strips of grainy sand where you are often squeezed in among all the other tourists and Italian families.

But there's no doubt that the area is one of the most breathtaking and relaxing in all of Italy.

In Positano, COVO DEI SARCENI has a newly renovated pool area overlooking town. I have not stayed at the hotel, so I can't recommend it's other services. You can check it out here and on TRIPADVISOR.com to see what kind of reviews it has.

We really love the POSEIDON, which is a short but uphill walk from town. If you reserve there, try to get at least a superior room with terrace, as some of the other rooms can feel cramped. The Poseidon has an amazing restaurant ( really some of the best food we had in Italy) and a very good health spa, small gym, and bathtub sized pool on a sunning terrace. The views are spectacular, as is the service!

In Capri last July, we stayed at the LUNA HOTEL, which had a gorgeous pool and quite an international clientele. We had beautiful rooms overlooking the coast. The hotel is set in a section of old gardens and lemon groves, and is only a short walk from the main part of town.

If I were splitting up the two destinations, I'd spend most of the time in Positano, since from there it's easier to daytrip to other towns on the coast like Amalfi and Ravello. Pompeii is also a short distance from Positano, but if you won't have a car, you'd need to backtrack to Sorrento, and take the train to Pompeii from there.

When in Positano, make sure you get lunch or dinner at either IL RITROVO or DONNA ROSA, both of which are in Montepertuso, a small mountain village 15 min. by car from Positano. IL RITROVO sent the girlfriend of the chef to pick us up at our hotel and drop us back after dinner! It was one of our most memorable meals.

Have a wonderful time, and if you need further help, just post again!

I too would recommend splitting your time in between Positano and Capri. I was in Positano for 5 nights and Ravello for 4. I only visited Capri on a day trip and I wish I had stayed there over night as there is way too much to see and do in 1 day. I think the suggestion as to 7 nights in Positano and 3 in Capri sounds about right. 6 and 4 might be good too. You may want to look into the night life in both of these places to help you make your decision, if that is important to you. Also, from Positano you can explore other parts of the Amalfi Coast, if you'd like.

The others are right about the "beaches." They aren't big and some are only rocks. I do remember a nice nude beach just a tiny bit north of the main Positano pier. I was nicer than the main Positano "beach." I think lodging with a nice pool would be a good idea.

Have a great time.

How about Sorrento? I stayed there for 2 days and absolutely loved it.

Dear Sindije,

We only day tripped to Capri - but I would definately stay there.

There's a beautiful hike out to overlook the Fragioli 9(sp?)Rocks and down below is a very cool looking beach and bar/cafe. We were too hot to hike down and did not have our suits with us.

3 nights in Capri would be great. I would also like to hear how Ischia compares to Capri if anyone can compare.

What a dream vacation !

Tam