Capri: two nights, where to stay?
 

Hi everyone,
Still working on our itinerary for this upcoming May, thanks for all the input so far. Here's the next question: Capri. We're spending two nights there and don't know where the best areas to stay are. I understand that the island is not that big but how easy is it to get around? We want a lot of swimming time but if it's trivial to get from one end of the island to another then it doesn't matter where we stay right? Can we rent a moped there? is it advisable? any thoughts :)

i dont remember where i stayed, it was a quiet little hotel i found in "rough guide" i have the book at my parents house, and can take a look next time i go home, or you could pick up the book and take a look.

a friend and i rented a vespa one day while we were there. it was wort it! it wasn't too expensive (maybe 25 euros in 2001?) and it's simple to ride with 2 people on it. it was fun to just ride around the windy roads on the vespa. i recommend it but don't have any details, it was so long ago i barely remember. if i can access my credit card statements from 2001, i might be able to get you the name of the hotel. i have an excellent restaurant that i brought a bottle of wine home from, but the bottle is also at my parents.

We spent two nights on Capri late last September - at La Minerva and we loved it. Price was about 270 Euros/night, but well worth it in our opinion. The view was incredible. One important piece of advice is not to stay by Marina Grande - the port where all the ferries take you. It's noisy and does NOT represent what Capri is. Anacapri is a more sedate and rural part of the island - and there are buses going between Capri and Anacapri all the time. Capri itself is best reached from Marina Grande by way of the funicular.

Don't expect much in the way of beaches for swimming - at least not as compared to what one finds in the US (Hawaii, California, Florida, etc). Other than Ischia (so I've read), beaches in all of Italy, including Capri, are made up of pebbles, not sand.

Good luck.

KC

Quisisana, very high end, recommend

thanks everyone for the great feedback!
How is Marina Piccola? So is Anacapri recommended over Capri town? Thanks for the Vespa info Brady, We will definitely go for it!!! In terms of hotel we would like to keep it well below 150 euros / night. How long would it take to get from Marina Piccola to Anacapri? or Capri town? or to the blue grotto at the other end of the island? thanks again

We never made it down to Marina Piccola. I think your best bet regarding accommodations would be to check venere.com or tripadvisor.com. You might also check capri-island.com/. We didn't actually make it to Anacapri - but Capri is the more "touristy" and more flamboyant part of the island, with fancy hotels, gardens, restaurants, shops (Prada, Gucci, Pucci - you get the idea), but also some that are reasonably priced. Don't know if one really better than the other. Just different.

KC

We stayed in a junior suite at Caesar Augustus in Anacapri -- FANTASTIC!! Check out their pool photos on their web site. The junior suite balconies literally hang 1000 ft over the water -- this was a little scary! But the view from the bed was just spectacular.

I preferred staying in Anacapri over Capri Town, although it was still fun to
spend an evening in Capri Town -- you can take a complimentary shuttle through the hotel.

The jet set stays at Quisisana. The pool area is (was--how I miss the Concorde) like being on the Concorde between New York and London. Quisisana is just steps from Piazza Umberto, which is the living room of Capri. You will be close to shoe shopping at Tod's.

Ciao, darling.

wow, it's making want to go NOW :)
thanks everyone, i'll look into these hotels. Are the roads to anacapri too steep for a moped/vespa? I heard that buses have a bit of trouble getting up there is that true?

Hi Knox,
We're starting to look at La Minerva more seriously. Was it close enough to Capri town?
thanks

Capri is fantastic!! My husband and I spent 2 nights there for our honeymoon and absolutely loved loved loved it! It was honestly the best part of our trip! Capri has some of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen and fabulous people-watching in the square at night. Capri town is fabulous - with shops and restaurants and very overdressed people in the evening. We also stayed at the Minerva and it was wonderful (though I dont remember it being as expensive as another poster had mentioned). The views were beautiful (from room 11), they gave us geat recommendations for dinner, and took good care of us. The only complaint I had was that it was a LONG walk to get to it when lugging baggage (there are no cars allowed in capri town).Be sure to take the tram up the mountain...we overpayed for a taxi because we didnt know about the tram. Dont worry about getting from capri town to Marina Grande, because the tram is easy to figure out.

Our fist day in Capri we went on a boat ride around the island...which included the blue grotto. The ride around the island was gorgeous - with beautiful views of the coast, although the blue grotto was so-so. In the afternoon we had beers at one of the bars at marina grande and watched all the tourists come and go....and we were so glad we were spending the night! That night we went to dinner, and everyone is out late! We are only 25 and went back to our hotel at midnight and felt like old people.

We rented a moped our second day in Capri. Though we were calling it the slowped by the time our ride was over (we got passed by everyoone!) But moped-ing was great - definetly do it! There are only about 3 roads, but we were able to go up to Anacapri (beautiful with gorgeous views but definetly much much quieter at night-we prefered Capri town)...then to the lighthouse at the end of the island (good for a swim), the blue grotto and Marina Piccolo which is a beautiful spot to swim but hard to get to without a vehicle. (have lunch when you are at marina piccolo-it is such a sweet little town).That night we took a walk (famous walk I cant remember the name of) past villas covered in bouganvilla. We took the best pictures.
Our last day there-we were expecting to leave early. but the ferry to Positano (our next destination) didnt leave until late in the afternoon. So, we hiked up to the ruins of the emporers palace. Again, beautiful views of the amalfi coast.

We had a wonderful time in capri....I could go on and on and on about our time there. I am jealous!

Hi Wannabe -

La Minerva is very close but not too close to the main square (Piazzeta) - perhaps a few hundred meters. I think if you go to the hotel's web site you can see approximately where it is on a map. In U.S. "city" terms, it's down one pretty quiet "block" from a "street" that leads to Via Cammerele, which leads to the Quisisana Hotel ("the" plush" palace) that leads to the Piazzeta.

Steviegene is right about the price - we splurged and got a deluxe double room, since we wanted a jacuzzi for 2 with a picture window looking at the Mediterranean, and a huge terrace to boot. If you want to see pictures from our terrace, go to our trip photo album - http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/samand...cytn/my_photos

And incidentally, instead of taking a cab to your hotel and instead of lugging your bags to the hotel, simply pay a porter at dockside to take them to your hotel - perfectly safe - and then take the funicular/tram up to the main square and walk leisurely to your hotel. If you really are tired (wink), have a grappa or a gelato on the way.

Have fun! I know we did.

KC

P.S. You can also go to our trip report here - http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34730887

I'd like to ditto those who said to stay in Anacapri. We were there in July a number of years ago... actually spent the 4th of July in a restaurant up high on the cliff overlooking the sea. Gorgeous! We definitely preferred Anacapri as it's less crowded and just seemed prettier to us. Buses are easy to use and get around with so being up on the top of the island in Anacapri was not a problem. Capri is gorgeous! You'll love it.

We stayed in Casa Morgana, in easy walking distance to the main square but not right in the middle so as to be too crowded. We really liked it, the room had a lovely terrace and view. Highly recommend it.

thanks everyone for the great input. Thanks Knox for the trip report and the pics I will go through them in much detail ;)

DC do you have a website for Casa Morgana?

www.casamorgano.com
(sorry, it is morgano not morgana).

We stayed at Hotel Punta Tragara and had a huge two room suite with a blacony literally over looking Punta Tragara. We'd be on the balcony sunbathing or having a cocktail and the tourists would be below us taking a picture of those famous rocks! Simply gorgeous view! Also, we ate at a lot of lovely restaurants, but our fave mom and pop place was Da Giorgio on the waterfront. Scrumptious pasta di mare!

Another vote for Ceasar Augustus - it will take your breath away. The pool is beautiful and the view you will not believe. It's a short walk into Anacapri where you can get the chairlift to the top of the island. Had a great meal at family-run Rondanella.