ekscrunchy

Now that I realize that I can spend the night before our mid-day flight from Naples on Capri, I am considering a few days here after our visit to Ischia. (Has anyone had any trouble getting to the airport from Capri?? Our trip will be in late September)

I have been to the island before, but my last visit was many years ago. And so I am seeking advice from those more familiar with the island.

I am assuming that Anacapri would be a better choice for us; we want to take lovely walks and do some sea swimming. Food is also of course, a top priority. We do not care about sitting in the cafes in Capri town.

Am I correct in concentrating my hotel search in Anacapri? Does anyone have a great place to recommend? Our budget is flexible but we do not want to spend in the range charged by the luxury hotels.

We would like to be within walking distance (less than 20 minutes) of the town. Hopefully, the hotel will have good views. Pool is good but not essential; we would like to be able take a bus or walk (best option) to a pretty swimming spot. (I am aware that there are no sandy beaches on the island)

There seem to be many appealing hotels/B&Bs on the island. The Minerva, suggested by another poster on another related thread, looks lovely but I think Anacapri is a better fit for us. So far, I have found these and hope to hear if anyone here has experience. Please comment on their location (they are all in or near Anacapri):

http://www.mulino-capri.com/en/index


http://www.capri-ilgiardino.com/Temp...se%202009.html

http://www.casamariantonia.com/en/rooms

http://www.villailsognocapri.it/casa.html

TPAYT

Capri is on my "bucket list" of our European travels in the near future. The hotels you posted all look great and I've made a note of them.

I do have another for you to check out. It's www.hotelweber.com I have been recommended to this property by 2 separate individuals, and it is where we will probably stay because of the high marks. It just gives you another option.

I'll be watching this post for comments on all of these properties.

ekscrunchy

TPAYT: The Weber looks nice, but it seems to be in the midst of the action and I think we want someplace quieter. It gets really good reviews!

I am trying to figure out the location of the hotels I posted above..the Mariantonia, for example, is right in Anacapri, while the Hotel Mulino, which looks lovely, seems to be a 20-minute walk from town. I am not sure if this is good or bad!

And, just as with hotels in the Vico area, many of the smaller places appear to have many fake reviews on TripAdvisor!!

I hope someone who knows one or more of these hotels will respond!

steviegene

I don't know anything about the hotels on your list - sorry!
But I did stay at La Minerva and thought it was lovely!

JEStraveler

Not cheap, but the Caesar Augustus was beautiful and in Anacapri. We stayed there about five years ago. I don't remember it being at all difficult to get around mostly by foot (with taxis available for dinners out if you wanted) and a little orange jitney that would take you down to Capri for like 1 euro, if you wanted to walk around during the day. I only stayed there one night, but totally remember the views and that it was so beautiful I hung out one morning by the pool just to soak up the views.

ekscrunchy

Yes, StevieGene: La Minerva looks absolutely beautiful and gets such good reviews! But it is near Capri town..and I was concentrating on Anacapri..

Am I making a mistake looking in Anacapri?

In Anacapri, is it better to be near the town, or does it not matter much? I am finding hotelsl In Anacapri and hotels located as much as 20-minutes from the town..

JES; Caesar Augustus looks dreamy! But the least expensive room, throughout the year, is 430 euro on their website and I don't want to spend that much. I would like to keep the price under 250 euro.

ekscrunchy

Anyone else?

travelfan1

Eks - Following this with interest as I'm looking for a place to stay too...I was looking at this bnb in Capri, under your budget however, with balcony, view and great reviews on Trip.
http://www.capri.com/en/c/aiano

I too am thinking maybe we should stay in Anacapri since I want to take the chairlift, visit Villa San Michelle..in addition to the Gardens of Augustus. So....I'll be anxious to hear where you end up!

JEStraveler

Yikes! Caesar Augustus was pricey when I went, but you could still get a room under 300. I don't know the other hotels you were looking at, but again, can say we loved staying in Anacapri away from the harbor and the throngs of day trippers.

ekscrunchy

Yes, that B&B looks good--I did look at it!

I wish I could get an idea of the geography around Anacapri. There are a few B&Bs, and at least one hotel, that look great, or at least get great reviews on TA, but they seem to require a lift or long walk to the town. Like this one:

http://www.capri.com/en/c/la-guardia

And this hotel at 120-220 euro depending on season for a double:

http://www.mulino-capri.com/


Also, Travelfan: I read some very good reports of this hotel, at 90-130 low season and
110-160 high season....besides TA, Venere has many hotel reviews on most of these places.


http://www.senaria.it/en/servizi.html


Who in the world is going to fill all of these high-priced hotels, like Caesar Augustus, these days? And their prices are the same all year round, according to their website!

ekscrunchy

I am surprised at the minimal response to this thread. Has anyone stayed in a hotel in Anacapri other than the Caesar Augustus?

Capri is such a big tourist destination--where are all the Capri-philes?

So far these are at the top of my list and I would love to have some comments on their location. The first one appears to be near the corner of Via Caprile and Via Tomasso:

http://www.casamariantonia.com/en/location



This B&B on Via Vignola is near Piazza Vittoria and allows use of the pool/chairs at the Hotel San Michele:


http://www.villailsognocapri.it/




This hotel is out of the town of Anacapri, a 20-minute uphill walk,according to some reviews, on the route to the Blue Grotto. It gets wonderful reviews but might be too inconvenient for such a short (two-night) stay:

http://www.mulino-capri.com/en/location


Please feel free to offer your opinions! Thanks!

Zerlina

I think you're running into two problems: 1. Most of the people who post here day-trip to Capri; 2. Most of the ones who overnight on Capri do so in places like the Caesar Augustus (of which, incidentally, I have seen horrendous reviews).

Steve_James

Eks - I used to stay in Anacapri (- a budget B&B 20 mins walk down the hill) whenever I stayed over in Capri - but that's years ago (- my more recent visits have all been day-trips).

'I wish I could get an idea of the geography around Anacapri.'
What would you like to know? If I were you I'd just choose your favourite hotel - there are always taxis if you don't want to walk ...

Steve

Dayle

Eks,

My last trip I stayed in Anacapri at the Bella Vista. I would not recommend it. The staff was nice, but the hotel had seen much better days. The food (?) was horrendous.

I seemed to me that many of the non-touristy activities such as hiking actually started out of Capri town, more than Anacapri. I liked walking around Anacapri and going up the chairlift, but the hike I did out to the Acro Naturale and up to Villa Jovis required a bus ride down to town.

I felt like if I ever did return to Capri, I would like to take a boat directly to Marina Piccola and stay in a private villa on that side of the island. Don't care to ever repeat the rest due to hoards of daytrippers, over priced shops and tour groups!

Just my opinion! Buon viaggio

Masterphil

ekscrunchy...Sorry I can't be of any help (you have been very helpful to me!). I am going in early September, and have chosen to stay at the Hotel Mamela sea view is 310 euros, city view 210 (sorry not in Anacapri).

Reading some threads today, I didn't realize there was no morning ferry service to Positano from Capri. I decided to stay on Capri for 5 nights thinking there was. Oh well!

Enjoy!

Steve_James

Ahh ... Marina Piccola - my favourite spot! Are there any hotels down there?

steviegene

Masterphil -- there was a pretty in-depth conversation about this on one of the other threads. The consensus was that although there aren't morning ferries to Positano, there are to Sorrento where you can then catch another ferry to Positano.

Masterphil

Yeah...I believe that's what I was reading. I'm sure I'll find something to do on Capri for 5 days

ekscrunchy

Well it certainly sounds as if there are man options on Capri! The Weber is at Marina Piccola and actually seems to get good reviews; the views look beautiful and the rates are reasonable for my dates: 160 Deluxe double with Faraglioni rocks view. (less for non-sea-view)

So with this new info, and Dayle's comments, I am of course more confused than ever!

Seriously, it is only for two (or maybe 3 nights) so I have to think of it as a kind of reconnaissance trip. If we fall in love with the island someday we may be fortunate enough to be able to return! Having said that, I will now return to my maps and TripAdvisor, trying to keep in mind that there is no one"right" answer!

Steve: I suppose the geography question was really about whether or not it would be good to stay near the center of town (Anacapri). In thinking about that further, and since we have such a short time, it would probably be best to choose someplace within an easy walk of town, which will eliminate the Hotel Mullino even though it looks lovely.

The B&B Villa Il Sogno offers courtesy transfers to the port, included in their 150 euro sea view room price, which is a plus.

Phil: The Mamela looks glorious! And with a pool, too! I forget--when is your trip?

julia1

Anacapri is a beautiful spot and I love it there, I've visited at least a dozen times, but I can't imagine staying there myself because, although it is truly delightful, it is also quite small. Here are some images of Anacapri, Capri, Villa San Michele, if you're interested: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/c812668.html

The center of the town is relatively flat, with Piazza Vittoria, where the bus stops and the taxis park, as the center. From the Piazza there are steps up to where you catch the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro. The steps also lead to the small street to Villa San Michele, and there are some tourist shops and restaurants.

There is also a street leading off the Piazza through the town proper. Here is a photo: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/p57594760.html From this 'main street' of sorts, there are other small streets leading off, where you will find Chiesa San Michele, well worth a visit for its majolica floor, and Santa Sofia, a couple of small piazzettas, shops and restaurants. But it all peters out rather quickly and you soon find yourself in an area of private homes and secluded gardens.

There are several wonderful walks from Anacapri, out to the Belvedere Migliara, which takes about 2 hours round-trip, and to Torre Damecuta, which takes about 90 minutes round-trip. You can also walk down from the top of Monte Solaro, through masses of wildflowers if you're there at the right time. But all of these are daytime activities, of course.

The thing about Anacapri, however, is that you're somewhat stuck there. Sure, you can take a (very expensive) taxi or a (very crowded) bus down to Capri town. But you can't simply walk out of your hotel and join the evening <i>passegiatta</i>, which is much more an event in Capri town than in Anacapri.

I have stayed on Capri twice, once at La Tosca, which is a great place to stay because it's pretty inexpensive (esp. for Capri), comfortable and well-located: http://www.capri.net/en/c/la-tosca-2 I've also stayed at la Floridiana, which is more expensive, but the room was especially lovely with great views to the south, over the Certosa, and the location was perfect: http://www.venere.com/hotels/capri/h...na/?ref=850993

Both these hotels, and many others here, like to say they're just 5 minutes from the center of Capri, right in the middle of the action. Don't be fooled by this. Once you get away from the tourist spots and shopping streets, it gets very quiet very quickly. Actually La Floridiana was a good 10 minutes walk from the funicular, on a quiet street that loops off one of the main streets, and I never saw a daytripper anywhere nearby. There are also some great walks from Capri town that will take you out away from the crowds during the day. And when you return, you will find that many of them have disappeared on the last boats of the day.

I hope this might help somewhat. I know how difficult it is to get the 'lay of the land.' Here's a link that will give you a map which can be zoomed way in, with hotels plotted on it: http://www.capri.net/en/hotels

I'm returning to Capri in less than 2 weeks now - can't wait!