Okay, everyone has been so helpful, (even politely explaining to me that Florence is in Tuscany!). So, I have a few more questions. What is the difference between the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Ravello, etc? We are taking the train from Naples and were then going to hire a driver to take us to one of these places. We will be there for four days. A few questions.
1. Do people usually switch around or stay at one place for the whole time. Everyone is telling us Capri (or AnaCapri) and then day trips.
2. Hotels? Any good recs?
3. Is the Amalfi Coast different from Capri?
4. Can any tell us the name of a driver that is reliable? I got one good idea already, (nello), just wanted to see what else was out there
5. I read Ira's posts, very helpful, just wanted a little more clarification.

Thank you! I promise detail postings when we get back. We are going from 06/22/06-7/10/06 (starting in Venice, ending in Rome). with Florence and Capri? In between.
In terms of hotels in Capri/Amalfi/Positano area we would spend abour $500 EURO per night. thank you in advance!

Collectively, Capri, Positano, Sorrento and Ravello ARE the Amalfi Coast.

I should also have included the town of Amalfi.

You might want to check out my trip report, which included two nights in Positano (at La Tartana) and two nights in Capri (at La Minerva), although the hotels we stayed at were significantly less expensive than you're thinking about. You can find the trip report by clicking on my screen name for all my posts.

KC

Hi J,

Go to www.viamichelin.com or www.mappy.com

Sorrento sits on the Sorrentine Peninsula, facing the Bay of Naples.

The Amalfi Coast is that part of the shoreline facing the Gulf of Salerno, from roughly Salerno west to Marina de Cantone.

Capri and Ischia are islands off the Sorrentine Peninsula.

I would not recommend 4 days on Capri, since you have to take the ferry to and fro. Last ferry is about 18:00.

An overnight on Capri is better than a daytrip.

>Do people usually switch around or stay at one place for the whole time?

Some do, some don't.

We stayed at the Le Sirene hotel in Praiano for a week. www.lesirene.com
However, they are much, much less than your $500/nite.

>...a driver that is reliable?

We were pleased with Limousine Service Sorrento (Renato Cuomo)
www.cuomonet.it

Also consider Francesco. He has started his own business. He might give you a better price. http://www.francescomarrapese.com/

However, there is very good bus service between Sorrento and Salerno and all of the towns in between; ferries between Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Ischia, Amalfi and Salerno.

JenniBrk,

Since you only have 4 days to spend in the area, I'd recommend basing in one spot and doing day trips from there. The place that makes the most sense for that is Sorrento because it has excellent transportation options to the Amalfi Coast towns by bus or boat, to Capri by hydrofoil or regular ferry, and to Pompeii by local train.

Sorrento can be overrun with tourists in the summer ( although this is pretty much true of the entire coast and Capri, too!) and it's not as pretty or romantic as Positano or Capri, but for someone with limited time, it's probably the best destination.

Now if you could add a couple days onto your itinerary, I'd be tempted to recommend a few days in Positano or Capri,both of which deserve more than a day visit, but maybe that's your next trip?

As for driver recommendations, two to recommend are:

Giovanni Gargiulo of Tourofitaly.com who is delightful, reliable, and a very good driver/guide for the area

and

Franceso Marrapese, who used to be a regular contributor here on the forum, and who can be reached at: [email protected]

Good luck, and have a wonderful time!

I feel that Positano gives the most bang on the AC. The views are so incredible and the selection of rooms in your range is good. We loved the Hotel Poseidon. Loved it. We had a lesser room, but there were plenty in the higher price range.

How about 1 night on Capri, and three in Positano in a really nice hotel? That would suit me. By the way, the food at the Poseidon, and the outdoor dining were spectacular. I've eaten all over Italy and I thought this was some of the best food I've had.

Great pool, terrific service.

As others have explained, the Amalfi coast is a bunch of towns strung along the coast. The whole area is a mountain spine that juts out of the sea & points at the island of Capri. The towns are - mostly - in coves & climb up the mountain. The connecting road is very scenic & follows the winding coast through the towns. Ravello is above it all in the mountain above the town of Amalfi.

A lot of this board seems to favor Sorrento, which is on the north side of the spine. Easy public transportation is the advantage. Positano, Praiano, Conca dei Marini, Amalfi, & Ravello are all possible places to stay on the south coast.

Everybody will have a personal preference for locale. Do some research. We drove in & out & used buses, boats & our car when visiting the different towns.

Ian

Hmmm.... Tuscanlifeedit has me re-thinking my advice. I've been lucky enough to stay at Hotel Poseidon in Positano a couple times, and I totally agree with everything that was said about it. Maybe you do want to consider 3 nights in Positano and 1 in Capri, although it's a lot of moving around in a short time.

I'd second the recommendation of Francesco Marrapese as a driver; we used him for a day trip from Positano to "do" the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii and he's fabulous, particularly for the ladies apparently. And I'd definitely spend at least one night on Capri - the isle is totally different after the day-trippers leave, as you'll learn from others on this board (and as we learned last summer).

KC

I would stay on the mainland and if you want to go to Capri, make a day of it. We always stay in Praiano, a little town halfway between Positano and Amalfi. Hotel Onda Verde, check it out www.ondaverde.it/hoteli.htm
Salvatore at Drive Amalfi [email protected] is really great, speaks good English, has nice vehicles, and is reasonable.
[email protected]

There is quite a good "destinations" section here on Fodors
http://fodors.com/miniguides/mgresul...amalfi_capri@9

From there, you can link to a "Best in 5 Days Itinerary" and adapt that to your time and interests.

Frommers also has good destination info on-line: http://frommers.com/destinations/campania/

You will also want a good guidebook or two!

My boyfriend and I have a whole week planned for the Amalfi coast, and will be spending 4 nights near Ravello, 1 in Amalfi, and 2 on Capri. Our moderately priced hotels are listed on this thread:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34768644