AprilFoolsBride

Hey Fodor Travelers!

We are a young American couple taking our first trip to Europe on our Honeymoon! We are also pretty clueless in the planning process. Would love some advice, tips, ideas for our "ITALY PORTION" of the trip.

We start in Paris & Southern France (St.Remy) for 8 days. Then we fly EasyJet from NICE to ROME on September 8th, arriving in Rome around 6pm. We have 7 more days to enjoy Italy before we fly back to the USA from Rome on September 16th.

So I thought the night we arrive in Rome that we stay in a hotel there and either leave to the Amalfi Coast in the morning or a day later. At some point of this trip we would like to spend 3 nights in Amalfi Coast and also 3 or 4 nights in Rome. I am all for the easiest way of getting to Amalfi Coast since we will have luggage. It appears that the train from ROME to SALERNO is the fastest and easiest way to get to the coast (or am I wrong)? From SALERNO we can either take a bus or ferry to one of the towns on the Amalfi Coast (Amalfi, Ravello, Positano etc)?

Any suggestions on a better or easier way to get to the Coast from Rome? Or is Salerno a good plan? I also heard the buses from Salerno to the coastal towns are not as crazy packed as the ones from Sorrento etc. Any tips or suggestions of towns we should stay in at the Amalfi Coast or Hotels/B&B's? Or are most of the smaller towns just great places to visit and we should maybe use Amalfi or Sorrento as a base? Again, we are only planning on being there for 3 nights. We are looking to stay somewhere with a pool and balcony with ocean views.

As far as ROME goes. Any suggestions on great Hotels/B&B's would be extremely helpful as well along with good area's to stay in.

When it comes to us as a couple. I (the Bride) am a bit more adventurous, laid back and not into touristy stuff, I am a huge foodie and love cooking. My man (The Groom) is a bit of a luxury snob but also loves a good deal, he is more about comfort and the higher quality of things. Just so you get a better idea of who we are. We are opposites but that's why we love each other, haha.

I love FODOR and I hope to find more info on Italy (ROME & AMALFI COAST) on these forums! Thanks!

AprilFoolsBride

Also, if any other couples or travelers had or have similar plans (Rome & Amalfi Coast) I would love to hear about or see your itinerary!

DRJ

My wife and I fly into Rome 3 September, train to Salerno 7th for a week in Priano, return to Rome 14th and fly back to USA 17th. Having dealt with Naples, your Salerno choice is the right one.

AprilFoolsBride

DRJ would you happen to know how the crowds are in Amalfi Coast in September? I'm assuming it is still a busy season?

Nice to hear that you chose Priano, I might have to look into that town. I'm also glad you agree that Salerno is a better choice for Travel from Rome than Naples. Especially since it's summer time and I'm sure everything is crowded.

Elizabeth_S

It would be helpful if you could define a budget for accommodation per night.......

mamcalice

We were on the Amalfi Coast the last week of September last year and it was crazy crowded. We made hotel reservations in May and had a hard time getting our first few choices. After 3 days on AC, we spent 4 days on Capri which we much preferred. Although Capri town was crowded with day trippers during the late morning and afternoon, the rest of the time was extremely pleasant.

AprilFoolsBride

No problem Elizabeth!

As far as Accommodation, since we are looking for something a bit more romantic with a pool or balcony in Amalfi Coast are budget is about 200-350 Euro's a night there.

As far as Rome, we were looking for maybe a nice cute B&B or comfy Hotel in a good location but would like to keep it under 200 Euros a night.

AprilFoolsBride

Thanks Mamcalice for that tip! I was worried Amalfi coast might be pretty crazy in September. I would prefer to stay away from the crowds but at the same time have access to restaurants I can walk to from our Hotel.

kybourbon

>>>It appears that the train from ROME to SALERNO is the fastest and easiest way to get to the coast (or am I wrong)?<<<

That depends on where you plan to stay.

AprilFoolsBride

Good point Kybourbon. At the moment we are trying to figure out what town would be a good place to stay for 3 nights in Amalfi Coast as well as easier transportation to and from Rome.

AprilFoolsBride

I'm going to be doing tons of reading and research this week. It seems like things book up FAST on Amalfi Coast in September.

DRJ

AFB: I'm sure the coast will be crowded, but, so what? We have found the Sita busses along the coast road to be quite dependable, also. You might look into Hotel Onda Verde in Priano.

suec1

A good website for searching availablity is www.venere.com - you can specify price and the area of Rome you want to be in too - I'd start there to narrow down what is going to be available. For the night you fly into Rome you might consider Hotel Sonya - it would be convenient (in the area near the train station) - nothing special but a decent place for a night and then easy to get out of town in the morning.

Here is my other 2 cents - I have never been as far south as Salerno. We have stayed in Sorrento and on Capri. Sorrento was good for sightseeing, on Capri it was more of a chill out. But there is plenty to do if you enjoy hiking. We stayed at Hotel Mamela - nice pool with a view.

Sounds like a wonderful honeymoon and you seem to be pacing yourselves well.

AprilFoolsBride

Thank you DRJ! Great suggestions

Suic1, your information is very helpful! Especially the Rome hotel information thank you!

AprilFoolsBride

I was also curious if anyone knew anything about LA FENICE in POSITANO? It's a small B&B, about a 10 minute walk into town.

It looks lovely and comes with a pool. But there is NO AC... is that a huge problem in September??

AprilFoolsBride

We booked PUNTACIVITA! http://www.puntacivita.it/

Finally after being up till 4am the past month researching, stressing & emailing!

The owner of PuntaCivita is just an amazing guy and super friendly. He replied to all my emails right away as well as provided so much information and help. He even is going to help book a private cooking class for us in Ravello and we are going to make Pizza with a friend of his! I'm beyond thrilled... I just got an overall good feeling about him and decided to book.

So it's PuntaCivita with day trips to Minori, Maiori Atrani & Amalfi. Depending on how much time we have we might check out Positano, if not..another time.

We'll be taking the express train from Rome on the morning of the 9th of September to Salerno and then a ferry to Amalfi and either hire a car to drive us to PuntaCivita or grab the Sita bus (Stop is right outside of PuntaCivita).


P.s. - I found this video and article about "Two Greedy Italian" men amazingly funny and interesting. It's about local boys returning home to Minori and Food! A must see!

http://bellavventura.blogspot.com/20...st-minori.html

AprilFoolsBride

Now it's time to book and plan for Rome. UGH. Haha