Jen5

Has anyone stayed at Marina del Cantone?
Can you tell me whether we need a car, and distances to Sorrento and anything we should definitely do,please?
2 adults,3 children,15,12,9?

jamikins

Jen5 - while most people here are very helpful, they cant plan your trip for you - especially not knowing your interests. It would be a good idea to get some guide books (online, library etc) and review with your family to see what you are interested in and then we can help you organise your time.

Jen5

I do apologise. This was my first post! I have several very helpful guide books. I have only a week and really wanted to know what were the most fantastic things to do, given our short time stay, and having not been there before. We will obviously do Ischia and Capri and Pompeii, but after that I am relaxed. We want a more authentic "Italian experience",rather than all the tourist spots as we are coming from all of that in Florence and Rome.

We also wonder whether we need a car, or will the bus suffice?

Hope this helps

steviegene

I thought the bus was great. It came regularly and was easy to use. Although with 3 kids I don't know if you'll be dragging a lot of stuff with you.

Its generally a heavily visited area... We stayed in Positano, which was beautiful, but definetly touristy. I think a lot of people on this board have also enjoyed staying in praiano -- which is a much smaller "town".

We loved Capri (we especially loved staying overnight there) and Pompeii is very interesting. I think if you only have a week doing Pompeii, Capri, Ischia and then touring the coast will give you plenty to do.

Jillyperk

We also stayed in Positano with our then, 14 and 11 year old daughters. Their favorite part of the trip was going down to the docks in Positano and taking a small boat to a private, family owned beach. We swam, had lunch and jumped off rocks there. The boat we took had a fish on the mast and was called "DeAdolpho". There is no cost for the short boat ride, but you are expected to rent a couple of chairs on the beach.

We also went to Pompeii. Although it was very interesting, our tour guide was VERY difficult to understand, so it was a bit frustrating for all of us and we felt that we only learned a fraction of what we could have. You definitely need a tour guide to make sense of Pompeii, but be careful in your selection.

hamlet

My husband and I have a place nearby and are familiar with the area.

MdC is a small village and the right place if you want to be away from city life, enjoy the water and view and have a few restaurant choices. You may also go stir crazy if you stayed for 3 days without leaving. If you plan to do these day trips then I think a car would make it easier, but don't know if cost is a factor. It is about a 20 minute drive to Sorrento in optimal driving conditions. From MdC this ride could take an hour by bus. Plus the buses fill quickly in tourist season and there are 5 of you to consider.(and forget taxis, they might charge 75 euro to go to Sorrento.)

From Sorrento you'd still have to get to the marina to get to Capri or Ischia. (Actually I don't know if I'd recommend visiting both islands each for a day trip.). Not sure when you actually plan to see the Amalfi Coast either.

Sorrento is more convenient because of transportation. Would you consider splitting the stay? A few days in Sorrento as a base for the excursions and then MdC just to relax?

About the beach there - some areas are free. Others you need to pay and rent a lounge, probably 5-10 euro. The beach is rocky, smooth rocks, but hard to walk on if you're not used to that. In high season weekends people really pack the place like sardines. You may really only have space per person about the size of your towel, if you're lucky!

Lifeman

Marina del Cantone is about 17kms from Sorrento along a winding road, that takes about 30 minutes to drive. It's not really "on" the Amalfi coast and is about 25kms from Positano which can take around an hour, depending o0n traffic and time of year. It's a very small place with few restaurants and a pebbly beach.

There isn't that much to keep your interest there with 3 children and you'll probably find that your more away from it than in it. This therefore begs the question why you want to stay there if you want to sightsee. There is a SITA bus, but a car will be much more useful. It's a drag from there to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello etc which you'll quickly get fed up with every time you want to go out and I'd seriously rethink my base if I were you.

JoyC

We've always visited Marina del Catone whenever we are in the Amalfi Coast (for one thing, our favorite restaurant is located there). It is quite small and very laid back but has the feel of a "real italian town" when compared to Sorrento or Positano. However, what Lifeman and hamlet said is true...although only 17 kms from Sorrento, with traffic and the winding road, it would actually take you long to get in and out of the village each day,and it can be stressful if you get stuck in traffic with 3 kids. If you are bent on staying there, definitely use a car.

There are many wonderful places to stay in Sorrento with the added bonus that it is a transportation hub to many of the towns/islands you wish to visit, especially if you are using the bus and ferry.

One time we stayed for 10 days and we did not even get to Ischia. Visiting the towns along the coast (and there are many), Pompeii, and Capri will probably eat up your whole week there! Do allow for downtime too...

jamikins

I would highly recommend a daytrip by boat - we took one from Positano and it was the highlight of our trip - it included a fabulous lunch as well!

steviegene

agree about the boat trip. We also took one from Positano (actually came free with our hotel!) and it was absolutely a highlight!

jamikins

This is the company we used - we did the Amalfi Coast trip and the Capri trip!

http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/