Some friends just got back from Positano and just raved and raved about it. Not wanting to miss out on anything I've been thinking about planning a brief jaunt over there in September. My only concern is with allllllll the stairs. I have some knee problems that make it fairly painful to navigate large numbers of stairs, particularly going down.

I'm *capable* of going down stairs (we have a 3 story house! but I'm not sure if we would miss out on the coolness of Positano if I looked for a hotel that wasn't up a bunch of steps.

Is it possible to enjoy and get the best out of Positano while walking down a minimum number of stairs? Are any of the other Amalfi coast towns just as beautiful to stay in while being a bit more "knee-friendly"? Am I just being paranoid?

Carrie

Ravello is much more knee friendly, and so is Sorrento. Put aside some money to easily get to and from Positano to see the sunset and have a lovely dinner, but stay elsewhere.

Positano has more of a winding road and passage ways and there are ways to avoid stairs. There are hotels on the road and some have vans to take you as far down as they can. For instance if you stay at Villa Franco you are right on the street but have the beautiful views from your room, the pool, the restaurant, the lobby. They have a van too.

Probably less expensive but still right on the road is:
http://tinyurl.com/jal4v

There are restaurants right on the road too. Don't worry, if you go slowly you should be fine.

Carrie - Your friends are right . Personally I wouldn't stay anywhere other than Positano ...

There are lots of hotels right on the road to avoid most of the stairs stairs - and you can use the local Positano bus to get up and down the hill if you prefer.

Steve

I took my mother to the Amalfi Coast in between her knee replacement surgeries. She did fine, but we avoided Positano specifically for that reason...everywhere else, Sorrento, Amalfi, Capri, Ravello, etc., she was fine, although she did pass on climbing the stairs to the Amalfi cathedral.

bookmarking

Hi Carrie,
I can relate to your concerns about going down stairs. Ravello is worth checking out. Re Positano, we stayed at Hotel Buca de Bacco. It is near the bottom of the winding way to the beach yet it is high enough that you have a wonderful view. The hotel is very nice and once within it there is at least one elevator altho there are also some steps.

I can't advise you which they are but I remember that there are some other properties that have elevators all the way down to the sea level.

In any case, it is a beautiful area, actually an Italian holiday destination, and I'm sure you would enjoy it.