Hey Everyone,

I am planning a trip to Amalfi for my 15th Wedding Anniversary. My husband and I have been to Italy several times, but never to Amalfi. I am seeking assistance with planning a really romantic trip for the cause.
We will be arriving on the 11th of July in Rome to overnight and go to Amalfi the following day. We will depart Rome again on the 22nd of July. We are not very interested in sightseeing. We would like to be able to soak up the Lovely Italian culture and ambiance. We want to stay in a really nice place with a stunning, sea view and a balcony. We would like to be able to walk to a deli and purchase; meats, cheeses, breads, fruit wine etc for some evening picnics on the balcony. We would like to be able to walk to lovely cafes and restaurants for meals when desired. We want to be able to go for walks, relax, read, perhaps listen to some nice music, and look at fabulous scenery.

I would love to hear some suggestions on extra special, romantic accommodations. What area we should plant ourselves to be able to accomplish our goals? And any Cafe, Restaurant, deli shops etc. reccommendations? We are in our late 40's and have not been on a holiday without our children for nearly a decade. And when we do travel with our children we are going from early morning to late evening sightseeing and rushing about!!! I would sincerely appreciate any assistance you have to offer to help me design a FABULOUS,ROMANTIC holiday! So please get spilling....tell me, how do we drench ourselves in the Romance of Amalfi???

Thanks, Reggs

Hi Reggs - You might want to check out the Ravello Concert Festival programme -

http://tinyurl.com/73cntu

Hope this helps ...


Steve

You need to state your budget.

If swimming and sightseeing are really not high on your agenda, I highly recommend Ravello. It's a very special perch.

My second inclination is to recommend you search for a corner of Capri that is away from the tourist throngs.

Finally, the most Italian part of Positano I encountered is quite high up, at the highest point of town. There are shops up there. If you decide on Positano, I would look in its uppermost reaches, in order to avoid being away from the milling crowds hanging around the souvenir shops below.

Reggs - DH and I had a fabulous romantic vacation like that in 2007 for my 40th birthday. We rented the honeymoon suite from Villa Fiorentino. It isn't cheap, but when we looked back on the cost of a hotel, plus meals if we hadn't been in a rental, we were actually under budget. I did cook a couple of real meals (picking lemons right of the trees on our terrace), but a lot of meals were simply meat, cheese, bread, tomatoes and olives. Oh and pastries from town too! There are lots of great restaurant options in and around Positano. We just loved the suite so much we barely left. http://villafiorentino.com/en/suite_..._honeymoon.php

There are several other apartments to rent and there is a pool on the property too. The suite is at the very top of the villa (and fairly high up in Positano), so the steps will work off all the pasta and gelato. At the bottom of the villa is a nice store with all the fixings of great and easy meals, including good, cheap wine and huge bottles of Limoncello. You could rent an apartment for a week and still have a couple nights to try somewhere else.

Positano isn't cheap, but there are many less expensive rental options too. Balconies with a view is a specialty of Positano. We've also stayed at Villa Rosa and enjoyed it. Not the same experience as the Villa Fiorentino, but still wonderful.

We fell in love with Positano on our first trip there several years ago, but Ravello is another amazing option. We only visited Ravello, so I can't help on places to stay there. We stayed in Capri too and loved it. So much nicer after boatloads of daytrippers leave. I wouldn't recommend where we stayed as they were notorious for overbooking and sticking you in a little 2* hotel down the street. I don't think you can go wrong in either place finding a romantic heaven for the two of you.

Hi R,

It might not be "romantic" in the sense of "charmingly decorated", but room 12 at www.lesirene.com has a large private balcony and excellent views out toward the islands.

You can take the Orange bus to Positano (ferry docks) and the SITA bus between Sorrento and Salerno.

See my trip report for details.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Enjoy your second honeymoon.

Thanks so far everyone! Let me go research all of your leads thus far and I will get back to you. Keep it coming....

Thanks, Reggs