Amalfi Coast Boat Excursions- Recommendations Please!
Jul 30th, 2009, 07:54 PM
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Amalfi Coast Boat Excursions- Recommendations Please!
Our family of 4 will be in Amalfi for 4 days in late August. Would love to take a half day small group boat excursion that might include some of the smaller beaches and towns with a stop in Positano if possible. Can someone recommend a an operator based in or near Amalfi?
I have read of a few that sound great, but they seem to originate in Positano.
Thanks!
I have read of a few that sound great, but they seem to originate in Positano.
Thanks!
Jul 31st, 2009, 05:15 AM
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We used this company in 2007 and LOVED it.
http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/guestbook_eng.asp
We did the Capri tour and the Amalfi Coast tour and had a great time. Best part of our trip!
http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/guestbook_eng.asp
We did the Capri tour and the Amalfi Coast tour and had a great time. Best part of our trip!
Jul 31st, 2009, 10:39 AM
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Hi Ib - Here are a couple:
http://amalfisails.it/en/home.htm
http://www.amalficoastyacht.it/en/yachts/index.htm
There are more operators from Positano, I think.
Hope this helps ...
Steve
http://amalfisails.it/en/home.htm
http://www.amalficoastyacht.it/en/yachts/index.htm
There are more operators from Positano, I think.
Hope this helps ...
Steve
Aug 1st, 2009, 02:53 AM
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Thanks everyone--- I actually contacted S and G based on some prior posts (probably yours included J) and they do indeed sound great. I'd have to get to Positano by 11:00 but they said it shouldnt be a problem- would likely do the half day Amalfi coast tour. Would love to hear a little more if anyone coould elaborate on it?? It sounds great-
Aug 1st, 2009, 03:02 AM
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It was the best day! They take you up towards Amalfi stopping in little coves for swims, there's lots of time for swimming and having a drink. Then they stop at this restaurant in a cove and you have a huge lunch, with seafood, pasta, wine etc. It was amazing. Then you have time to swim again and its back to Positano. We preferred this much more than the Capri one, although that was great too!
Aug 1st, 2009, 05:54 AM
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We did the gennaro and salvatore boat cruise along the Amalfi Coast. It started around 11am and ended about 6-6:30pm, so basically almost the whole day. The cost is €80/person, (big) lunch included....there were about 12 people in our group + the captain. jamikins described it well. Lots of swimming on various coves and jumping on rocks. Fun. We stopped also in Furore and Minori, although that was not usual, depends on the mood of the captain and time left. I am still in contact with most of the people in our group as we exchanged emails after the cruise.
Aug 1st, 2009, 08:13 AM
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I am planning on going on the Amalfi Coast trip in Sept and have recently received an email regarding '09 prices, which have gone down! The Amalfi excursion is 70 euro, Capri is 40 and the Li Galli is 40. I have taken the boat trips many times and they are always great fun and have provided some of my best vacation memories.
Aug 1st, 2009, 07:37 PM
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Thank you all-- I assume I can get back to Amalfi somehow after the cruise (ferry, car etc) just havent gotten to that point yet, but it sounds like great fun. I'm sold and I thiny my two sons (15 and 18) will love it too.!
Aug 3rd, 2009, 06:41 AM
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Hello, This thread is extremely helpful. We are going to the AC in September and I am sold on the Gennaro and Salvatore boat tour!
My question is - AC or Capri Tour?
What is best?
- See Capri via the G&S Tour
- Do the AC tour with G&S and see Capri another way
Also do we need to reserve in advance or can we schedule when we are there?
Thanks so much! I thought I'd ask here instead of opening a new thread.
My question is - AC or Capri Tour?
What is best?
- See Capri via the G&S Tour
- Do the AC tour with G&S and see Capri another way
Also do we need to reserve in advance or can we schedule when we are there?
Thanks so much! I thought I'd ask here instead of opening a new thread.
Aug 3rd, 2009, 06:45 AM
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Hi there,
We booked in advance, but there were 7 of us. I think you can arrange a few days before, or maybe even walk up if you want to chance it. They accepted our reservation via email.
I prefered the AC tour. The Capri was good as well, we did Blue Grotto and went swimming etc. You do have some time on Capri as well, but its not the whole day on the Island...you are mostly cruising around the Island. Capri was SUPER busy when we were there and we only had a few hours to see it and get back to the boat so maybe that's why I didnt enjoy it as much. But it was still a fun day!
I would do the AC tour with G&S and do Capri on your own.
We booked in advance, but there were 7 of us. I think you can arrange a few days before, or maybe even walk up if you want to chance it. They accepted our reservation via email.
I prefered the AC tour. The Capri was good as well, we did Blue Grotto and went swimming etc. You do have some time on Capri as well, but its not the whole day on the Island...you are mostly cruising around the Island. Capri was SUPER busy when we were there and we only had a few hours to see it and get back to the boat so maybe that's why I didnt enjoy it as much. But it was still a fun day!
I would do the AC tour with G&S and do Capri on your own.
Aug 3rd, 2009, 07:00 AM
#16
I copied and pasted below my review from 2004 of the G&S Tour -- our group included me, my husband, our (then) 14 year old son and my sister-in-law:
L'UOMO E IL MARE:
At the dock, I noticed a small booth for the Gennaro e Salvatore tour (L'uomo e il mare). I had communicated with them by email before leaving, and Gennaro was prompt with his replies, and even gave me his home number, saying just go to the booth when we arrived to book. I went to the booth and met Lara, Gennaro and Valerie's daughter. Her mother (Valerie) is English, so it's no surprise she spoke English better than I do, and was as nice as can be. The Amalfi Coast tour was booked the following day, but there was a party of four that had not yet confirmed. I gave her the name of our hotel and room number, and she said she'd call after she found out whether the party would go or not. We hoped they'd cancel, because the next Amalfi Coast tour would not take place until the day we left. We were in luck: upon our return from dinner, we had a message from Lara that we were confirmed.
My husband wasn't happy about wasting a day on a boat with people he didn't know. The rest of us insisted, and he finally caved (and grudgingly admitted later that it was one of the highlights of the trip).We arrived at 10:30 a.m. the next day for the 11 a.m. tour. Salvatore, our guide, was running late, because he'd been on the boat that morning fishing for our lunch, and had to go change. Already the day was heating up. 70 euro per person, which before the tour we thought was pretty steep, but after the tour we realized was pretty darned cheap. It is a 6 hour cruise, with an almost 3 hour lunch. Before going on the boat, we wanted to get water goggles, and found them at Bigi on Via del Sapacino for 10 euro each. I call them contact lens savers.
Salvatore was assisted by Gloria (an Ohio transplant). We were in a small group of about 10 people, including Susan from New York, a few Italians, Canadians, and Americans. A good group that blended well, always a plus. Salvatore is a character! The day was spent motoring down the coast, stopping periodically to jump into the sea, swimming in the sometimes crystal blue and sometimes crystal green water, passing through natural arches, enjoying wonderful conversation and stories, listening to Salvatore sing and just enjoying the views, along with the history of the coast. This was the summer jelly fish proliferated along the Amalfi Coast; small orange looking creatures that sting. We had to move from place to place to find a place where the jellies weren't congregating. Not an easy task, but Salvatore knew the coastline like the back of his hand.
In Santa Croce, we stopped for a very long lunch at Restaurant Teresa on the beach. We sat at a long table with all of our new friends from the boat, talking, listening, eating, and just enjoying the surroundings. The fish had been caught by Salvatore that morning, and we were treated to non-stop wine, local dishes that kept coming and coming, and more stories. After lunch, we were given fruit -- the watermelon is incredible! This was followed by limoncello (delicious!), pastille, grappa, and other "digestives". Salvatore's views on life were poetic, even philosophical. We really felt as if we got to experience a different view on life, and all of the stress bottled up inside just drained out that day. When Salvatore learned we were from L.A., he commented that people from L.A. were always worried about their looks; how the ladies had all this surgery, and looked like they were wearing masks. Maybe it was the number of digestives he had drunk, but he exclaimed to everyone "take off your masks and enjoy!", and we did.
The boat returned at about 5:30 p.m., and I don't think any of us were the same people we were when we had gotten on the boat that morning.
L'UOMO E IL MARE:
At the dock, I noticed a small booth for the Gennaro e Salvatore tour (L'uomo e il mare). I had communicated with them by email before leaving, and Gennaro was prompt with his replies, and even gave me his home number, saying just go to the booth when we arrived to book. I went to the booth and met Lara, Gennaro and Valerie's daughter. Her mother (Valerie) is English, so it's no surprise she spoke English better than I do, and was as nice as can be. The Amalfi Coast tour was booked the following day, but there was a party of four that had not yet confirmed. I gave her the name of our hotel and room number, and she said she'd call after she found out whether the party would go or not. We hoped they'd cancel, because the next Amalfi Coast tour would not take place until the day we left. We were in luck: upon our return from dinner, we had a message from Lara that we were confirmed.
My husband wasn't happy about wasting a day on a boat with people he didn't know. The rest of us insisted, and he finally caved (and grudgingly admitted later that it was one of the highlights of the trip).We arrived at 10:30 a.m. the next day for the 11 a.m. tour. Salvatore, our guide, was running late, because he'd been on the boat that morning fishing for our lunch, and had to go change. Already the day was heating up. 70 euro per person, which before the tour we thought was pretty steep, but after the tour we realized was pretty darned cheap. It is a 6 hour cruise, with an almost 3 hour lunch. Before going on the boat, we wanted to get water goggles, and found them at Bigi on Via del Sapacino for 10 euro each. I call them contact lens savers.
Salvatore was assisted by Gloria (an Ohio transplant). We were in a small group of about 10 people, including Susan from New York, a few Italians, Canadians, and Americans. A good group that blended well, always a plus. Salvatore is a character! The day was spent motoring down the coast, stopping periodically to jump into the sea, swimming in the sometimes crystal blue and sometimes crystal green water, passing through natural arches, enjoying wonderful conversation and stories, listening to Salvatore sing and just enjoying the views, along with the history of the coast. This was the summer jelly fish proliferated along the Amalfi Coast; small orange looking creatures that sting. We had to move from place to place to find a place where the jellies weren't congregating. Not an easy task, but Salvatore knew the coastline like the back of his hand.
In Santa Croce, we stopped for a very long lunch at Restaurant Teresa on the beach. We sat at a long table with all of our new friends from the boat, talking, listening, eating, and just enjoying the surroundings. The fish had been caught by Salvatore that morning, and we were treated to non-stop wine, local dishes that kept coming and coming, and more stories. After lunch, we were given fruit -- the watermelon is incredible! This was followed by limoncello (delicious!), pastille, grappa, and other "digestives". Salvatore's views on life were poetic, even philosophical. We really felt as if we got to experience a different view on life, and all of the stress bottled up inside just drained out that day. When Salvatore learned we were from L.A., he commented that people from L.A. were always worried about their looks; how the ladies had all this surgery, and looked like they were wearing masks. Maybe it was the number of digestives he had drunk, but he exclaimed to everyone "take off your masks and enjoy!", and we did.
The boat returned at about 5:30 p.m., and I don't think any of us were the same people we were when we had gotten on the boat that morning.
Aug 4th, 2009, 10:56 AM
#18
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Thank you all and thanks so much for the detailed account. I just booked the AC tour for late August. We will have to catch an early ferry from Amalfi to get there on time. ANy suggestions about what to bring with us? I am hoping to walk around Positano a little bit after the trip as it will likely be our only opportunity during our 4 day stay.
