Amalfi Coast question
 

My wife and I are going to the Amalfi Coast in July. Our travel agent (my wife made me use one) suggest we spend 3 days at Sorrento and 3 at Ravello rather than my suggestion of 6 days in Sorrento. We will be taking day trips to Naples, Capri, and Pompeii.

As more seasoned travellers, what would you suggest. Thanks for you help.

David

I agree about splitting the time, but are you sure about 3 nights in Ravello? Ravello is wonderful -- quiet and peaceful -- and if that is what you are looking for, ideal. But, it is harder to get to other towns on the coast from way up there.

How about staying in Praiano or Amalfi? Both are more convenient for day trips and there is more to do and see. Then you could take a day trip to Ravello, by bus.
((c))

I agree with Tries. Ravello isn't really very accessible and there isn't much to do for 3 days. I'd shoot for something in the lower elevations, or just stick with Sorrento with transportation options aplenty!

Think of this. You are staying in Sorrento and will basically be taking three side trips from Sorrento in three days. Also, you can most certainly do Pompeii and Vesuvio in one day, but that makes for quite a day (lots of walking and hiking). If Vesuvio is not on your itinerary, I would definately put it on. However, spend the extra money to take a private driver to the volcano instead of the bus - you'll not pay a whole lot more, get the ride of your life and get there much quicker. I would personally add a fourth day in Sorrento and stay either in Positano/Praiano or Capri. Don't forget to take a day or two to relax and hang out - eat, shop, have some wine, eat some ice cream. Ravello is a bit far, but if it is something you want to see, then I would go there. Ask yourself, what do I want to experience and what do I really want to see. Lastly, I would highly recommend using a good travel agent as a resource. Why not?? You are spending a considerable amount of money and they have expertise. You don't have to follow them blindly, though - know what you want.

Hi david,

Where did the TA suggest you stay in Ravello? That could be the clue.

Sorrento is an excellent base for touring the Amalfi coast and getting to Capri. In addition, there is much more to do at night there than most of the other Amalfi coast towns. Sorrento has numerous small shops and restaurants and is very pleasant to just walk around in at night.

Thanks for your suggetsion so fra. The travel agent suggested Villa Sasso as the hotel in Ravello and Bellevue Syrene for Sorrento

Hi David,

That explains the TA's recommendation. The Sasso is one of the best hotels on the AC, if not all of Italy.

You can do a text search for further comments.

As ira says the Sasso isone of the best hotels in Italy and RAVELLO is totally accessible by local bus just,as are all the towns on the AC,the bus just goes up a hill rather than along the coast.Amalfi is a short ride away and has excellent transport connections.
I'm there in July for two weeks with car for some of the time.

The travel agent probably suggested you split your days so you don't spend all 6 days in a large town like Sorrento, in order to give you maybe a little more feel for the coast. Ravello is a tiny village, and Amalfi is quite small. Positano is a little bigger, but not on the scale of Sorrento. I personally would spend all 6 in Amalfi or Priano and go to Sorrento for a day, but nightlife is not that important to me.

I assume your TA recommend the Palazzo Sasso, and not something actually called the Villa Sasso, which may not be the same as the 5 Star hotel the others mention above. Take a look at http://www.palazzosasso.com for the Palazzo Sasso. The Bellevue Sryene is a 4 star and would not be in quite the same class as the Palazzo Sasso, IMO. Hotels in Sorrento in the same class would include the Grand Hotel Cocumella and the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria.Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria

The one drawback to Ravello, IMO, is that it is high up in the mountains and you will not be able to swim in the Med like you could from Positano, or from my personal favourite hotel, the Santa Caterina in Amalfi. Take a look at http://www.hotelsantacaterina.it/eng/home.html

I assume you know that it will be quite crowded along the coast in July and that 90% of your fellow tourists will be from the US.