ekscrunchy

Of course there is a difference..we opted to stay in the less expensive place; I was concerned, too, by the bad reports about the Luna on TA. The biggest difference, of course, is that the Luna faces the sea and that they have that glorious courtyard filled with lemon trees. The Floridiana has no public spaces that can compare to those. Their (the Luna's) pool was not open yet, by the way. We also looked at the Santa Caterina which is lovely but very expensive and also quite a bit of a walk from the town. Their pool was open.



For the money, the Floridiana was fantastic. The staff are exceptional and really made us feel as if we were in a private home. Since the Floridiana is not on the sea, you have to walk the 3-4 minutes to the main beach and rent chairs.

Either the Luna or the Floridiana would be a wonderful choice based on my experience. And we were SO pleased that we had chosen Amalfi as our base..

Dayle, thanks! I will get to the report, with lots of food information, very soon!

ekscrunchy

Traveller 1959, I just wanted to give you a thanks for the help you gave me about the hotels... I did not mean to dispute you in any way. The price difference between the superior room at the Floridiana (140) and the LEAST expensive room at the Luna (220) was just too big to ignore..

traveller1959

no, I did not means this as a dispute

These hotels are a nice example that stars, price and quality are in perfect order - and that we have identified the best hotels in their category.

nevertooold

ek - did you have one of the newer suites or the 2-level room with the small balcony?

Can you comment on the difference between the room-types, and how was the beach?

I would be happy to wait for your report, but my wife and I are now trying to choose between Floridiana (and the 2 room types) and Hotel Margherita in Praiano, and any info. that you could provide now would be especially appreciated.

Many thanks.

ekscrunchy

Nevertold, we had Room #1 which is a superior room with a balcony overlooking the street. I did not see any of the other rooms, which are on two floors. I highly recommend Amalfi. Although the Floridiana has no beach or sea view, it is only about 2-3 minutes walk to the largest of two town beaches. The main beach, where we spent one day, is lovely and quite large. There is sand which changes to one band of rocks near the shore (or at least that was the situation last week). You would not need water shoes to enter the sea or to walk on the beach, but you might find these comfortable. The sea is sparkling clean and the water is clear and tinged aqua near the shore.

We rented beach chairs and an umbrella at one of the restaurants..10 Euro for two for the day. There is a shower and changing rooms, too, although you would not really need these since the hotel is so close.

I thought Amalfi ws a stellar choice, with much more to do than in Praiano; it is also a ferry and bus hub.

I am happy to answer any and all questions. As long as you know that the hotel is not on the sea, you cannot go wrong there.

Our room was quite large, with tiled floors and a king sized bed. The bathroom is also large, with a (fairly small)stall shower. There is air conditioning.

The owner will go out of her way to assist in every way.

ekscrunchy

..sorry: Our room was on one level. Also know that there are steps to enter the hotel; if that is a concern I will describe the access in more detail. The staff will meet you in the square and carry your bags; they will carry them on checkout as well.