Amalfi Trip....Maiori
 

My husband and I are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary next August 2018. We are bringing our 3 daughters ages 22, 20 and 16. I found a gorgeous home to rent in Maiori. (have not booked it yet) We have never been to the area and Im worried this might be too far out from the popular destinations to visit like Sorrento, Positano all the popular beach towns.(which we want to explore) We are spending a week on the Amalfi coast and a week in Capri. We love food, wine, cooking classes, shopping. We are thinking of renewing our vows with just our kids with us and have not decided whether that will be on Amalfi or Capri? Anyways, would day trips to the popular coastal towns be doable from where we would be staying? We have thought about hiring a driver for those days. We are thinking around 3-4 days out of the 7 to do day trips and the rest to enjoy at our villa. It truly has outstanding views and is super secluded. Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks so much!

What a lovely trip tuleppy! We stayed in Minori, the next door town to Maiori, loved the whole area.

Yes day trips to the other popular towns will be doable from there. You can practically walk from Maiori to Minori and the SITA bus runs between Maiori and Amalfi for sure and probably to Positano as well. You can also take a ferry from Amalfi to Positano and that is nice to do, as you see the town from the sea, very pretty. I think it is about 5km from Maiori to Amalfi.

We had a car but that was October, you will be there in August when it will be very very busy so your idea of hiring a driver is good or take public transport. Just be aware that with public transport there will be crowds of other people using it as well.

We stayed in Sorrento as well and enjoyed it too.

Maiori is about the flattest town on the Amalfi coast and has quite a nice beach so leave yourself a nice beach day there in the schedule.

On Capri I think you can have a really nice day by hiring a boat and driver to take you to a nice cove for swimming etc.

I meant to add that there seem to be plenty of cooking classes on offer and the food there is good especially if you like fish/seafood (and of course the vegetables etc will be fresh and tasty). The type of lemon they grow on the Amalfi is a really delicious one so partake in any lemon desserts etc!
There is a pastry called sfogliatelle that I highly recommend, and Amalfi has a wonderful pastry and coffee place right beside the steps leading up to the cathedral. (Just be aware that it is more expensive to sit at a table to have those as opposed to taking your coffee standing at the bar)

I found good shopping in Sorrento and Positano seemed to have lots of lovely shops also.
Enjoy!

Thanks Rain! We are planning on doing a full day boat trip when we are in Capri! So excited! Im wondering if you can rent a boat in Maiori and cruise down to the coastal towns? Would that be faster? Possibly getting off at different ports? We would be doing a private boat. I just thought of this! Not sure if its possible?

I think the tradeoff of longer bus time would be well worth it in August, for the breathing room you will have!
There are most likely boat rentals on offer in Maiori.
If the bus going toward Amalfi is too miserable, try taking it to Salerno and grabbing ferries there (heading in that direction may be less crowded). I think there may also be high season ferries from Cetara, the next village over.

Especially if you are traveling in August, it would be worth it to stay in one of the larger villages so you do not have to rely on the SITA bus. During the busy season the SITA bus is an absolute misery - packed to the gills and stuck in traffic.

IMO Positano is the most picturesque of the villages on the Amalfi Coast, which is why I rent an apartment there each June. It also has very good ferry service to Capri and the other villages on the AC.

Sorrento is not actually on the Amalfi Coast, is much larger than the villages on the AC, and has limited ferry service to the Amalfi Coast.

We stayed in the large apartment at Villa Le Sirene in Positano on our first trip and loved it. If I had a group of your size I would rent it again in a heartbeat. www.villalesirene.com

Thanks for suggestions! My only worry of being in Positano is it may be too noisy for us? We like a quieter space and away from tourists. But being its our first time to the area I am still undecided on where to stay yet. Haven't ruled it out yet! :) What would you all suggest for time wise to explore these coastal villages? Do you feel some take a whole day? Could we do a couple towns in a day?

I don't think it's the villages that take a whole day to explore, but what eats time is getting around. The SITA buses can be a nightmare and August is very busy. I myself would hesitate to stay in a village on the AC without ferry service.

There was a poster here about a year ago who hired a boat and driver for an entire day for her family. If I recall, they were pleased. If you are handy with boats and docking, I suppose hiring your own boat would be lovely. Not in my skill set, but it sounds like fun.

The trade off exists: accessibility or quiet.

We really have no desire to be on a bus. Is there a lot of traffic on the roads in the Amalfi in August? If we hire a driver will it be just as hard to get around because of traffic? If so, I think the private boat idea may be a great idea to get around quickly!

I considered Maiori as well and wanted to avoid the bus. In the summer, Travelmar runs a ferry between Maiori and Amalfi. Then from Amalfi you could take another ferry to Positano or Capri.

http://www.travelmar.it/en/

And if all else fails, hire a water taxi!

The Travelmar web site says the cost is 3 Euros and takes 15 min. from Maiori to Amalfi.

Also here's info on water taxis from Maiori:

http://www.boatsrentalamalfi.com/wat...lfi-coast.html

I have just been researching again and come upon a little village Tramonti. Looks lovely! Anyone have any feedback on this area? Im thinking some cooking classes here with the famous cheese and pizza they produce!

We were in Positano in 2007 the 2nd week of Sept and the buses were horrendous! During the day sometimes you couldn't even get on and had to stand with a crowd of people waiting for the next one. Even if you get on there were people having to stand in the aisle while the crowded bus drove around the windy road stuck in traffic.

We are planning to go again in 2018 and plan to do the 3rd week of Sept and stay somewhere with ferry service! Will avoid the buses completely if possible.

Brubenow has given you good info on that ferry or water taxi connection between Maiori and Amalfi. I don't see the point in choosing Tramonti where you will once again be stuck with public transit and the whole crowded road situation. Yes, roads in August are going to be very very busy and they are tiny narrow roads with hairpin turns. You can Google to see some footage of driving on the Amalfi.
We had a car while there but it was in October so not so crazy busy.

If you like quiet and not so many tourists...well sorry but the Amalfi in August is going to be very busy and full of tourists. I would definitely choose Maiori over the more well known towns if that is your preference.

Thanks all! August definitely is not my first choice for this vacation but we have 2 daughters in college and one in high school and its the only time we can coordinate a vacation with them all together unfortunately. And its our 25th Anniversary month so we decided to do August. My husband and I normally plan European trips at the end of September which has been perfect! I surely know it will be crazy busy, just trying to figure out a plan. We are going to book the villa in Maiori. It is simply lovely! Very secluded for quiet time! I am so excited! Again thank you all for your suggestions.....very greatly appreciated!

The villa sounds lovely Tuleppy, and I think Maiori is a good choice, don't forget to have a beach day there! The ferry or water taxi or even private boat sounds like the way to alleviate some of that congestion in getting from village to village.
It will be fun and it is so beautiful there, enjoy!