Honeymoon Rome/Amalfi OR Florence/Cinque Terre???
Oct 26th, 2006, 05:54 PM
#41
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enroute - definitely DO want to try Venice, just not #1 on our list right now..........as for the Lakes region - yes, we briefly did consider that, but it seems to be further away, geographically. We really want to minimize the time spent there in transit!
Oct 26th, 2006, 05:58 PM
#42
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You can probably find a place in Praiano under $200 per night. I stayed at Da Salvatore in Ravello for 90 euro a night and it's a fantastic deal -- comfy room with a sea view and tiny balcony -- but I think Ravello is too isolated if you want to see Pompeii.
Others will chime in with their suggestions about how to see the Amalfi on a budget.
However, if you start to tote up the costs of getting there, hotels, etc and you begin to think it is too much, think outside the box and do Google searches for Monte Argentario, Porto Santo Stefano, Talamone, Isola del Giglio, Isola Elba -- and re-read the article the Eloise posted. There are places and islands on the coast of Tuscany that are very pretty, very untouristy and not expensive unless you hit the odd 5-star resort. Plus, they are easy and cheap to get to from Roma by train.
(One good way to get an idea of these places is to do a google search for "photos Monte Argentario" or "photos Isola giglio"
Have fun figuring it all out!
Others will chime in with their suggestions about how to see the Amalfi on a budget.
However, if you start to tote up the costs of getting there, hotels, etc and you begin to think it is too much, think outside the box and do Google searches for Monte Argentario, Porto Santo Stefano, Talamone, Isola del Giglio, Isola Elba -- and re-read the article the Eloise posted. There are places and islands on the coast of Tuscany that are very pretty, very untouristy and not expensive unless you hit the odd 5-star resort. Plus, they are easy and cheap to get to from Roma by train.
(One good way to get an idea of these places is to do a google search for "photos Monte Argentario" or "photos Isola giglio"
Have fun figuring it all out!
Oct 26th, 2006, 08:06 PM
#43
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Well, if you have decided on the Amalfi Coast, I would still look into Positano. There are rooms to be had for under $200/nt. I say that with conviction there is nothing more romantic than waking up and the first thing you see is Positano.
I checked tripadvisor, and Villa Rosa seems nice at 160 euro/nt. Here is their website:
www.villarosapositano.it
I checked tripadvisor, and Villa Rosa seems nice at 160 euro/nt. Here is their website:
www.villarosapositano.it
Oct 27th, 2006, 02:06 AM
#44
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Hi L,
>...Amalfi Coast may be a bit too expensive for us. We really wanted to keep hotels to about $200 per night - less would be wonderful, ....<
www.lesirene.com in Praiano.
Room 12 has a large, private terrace with excellent views.
I have some Praiano pix at
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=11knfe8...0&y=1tkcm7
Praiano is 6 km E of Positano and is served by SITA and the Orange bus into Positano.
>...Amalfi Coast may be a bit too expensive for us. We really wanted to keep hotels to about $200 per night - less would be wonderful, ....<
www.lesirene.com in Praiano.
Room 12 has a large, private terrace with excellent views.
I have some Praiano pix at
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=11knfe8...0&y=1tkcm7
Praiano is 6 km E of Positano and is served by SITA and the Orange bus into Positano.
Oct 27th, 2006, 04:19 AM
#45
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Taking a train plus a bus from Roma to get to the Amalfi coast is the affordable way to get there. If you want to see Pompeii (and I hope you do! It's fantastic!) it makes sense to arrange your trip so that you can see it on your way to the Amalfi coast. If you do searches here, you can find detailed instructions about where to leave your luggage and what buses and trains to take. It is not hard, and people do it all the time.
There is very little access to food and water inside ancient Pompeii itself, so you be sure have enough with you before entering the site. Pompeii is vast, and if you are intereseted in history, you will want to spend most of the day there.
There is very little access to food and water inside ancient Pompeii itself, so you be sure have enough with you before entering the site. Pompeii is vast, and if you are intereseted in history, you will want to spend most of the day there.
Oct 27th, 2006, 05:05 AM
#46
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions on how to see Positano affordably. I definitely want my FH to make the final decision, since I "got" my 1st choice, Rome. He just wants to get the most "bang" for our buck, and not stay at a second-rate place just to be in a beautiful area, if there are others, more affordable. THen again, we've never been there, so maybe it is incomparable to anything else?
Nessundorma - you have mentioned several different places that might be alternatives on the coast....are there any in particular that you would personally recommend over the others? We would like a little seclusion, and definitely a nice relaxing beach... I am a little overwhelmed with all the choices! (in a very GOOD way - thank you SO much for all of your help!!!)
Nessundorma - you have mentioned several different places that might be alternatives on the coast....are there any in particular that you would personally recommend over the others? We would like a little seclusion, and definitely a nice relaxing beach... I am a little overwhelmed with all the choices! (in a very GOOD way - thank you SO much for all of your help!!!)
Oct 27th, 2006, 05:28 AM
#47
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ira - lesirene looks SO beautiful!!! Thank you - this looks really lovely and amazingly affordable! We definitely are more interested in staying in places with some history, than staying in Americanized luxury big-box hotels. This kind of place looks great!
Oct 27th, 2006, 07:05 AM
#48
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We stayed at the Villa Rosa in Positano last year and loved it. Had a beautiful room and drop dead view. Not second rate in the least. You have to book early to get their best rooms tho. Same people own La Tartana which also gets good reviews. If you tell them it's your honeymoon they will take excellent care of you...
It's a misconception that Positano is expensive, it doesn't have to be. The view & ambience are free. The SITA buses & Circumvesuviana are really cheap transportation, loved riding the SITA buses up and down the coast.
On the other hand our next trip will include Cinque Terre - sounds great too.
It's a misconception that Positano is expensive, it doesn't have to be. The view & ambience are free. The SITA buses & Circumvesuviana are really cheap transportation, loved riding the SITA buses up and down the coast.
On the other hand our next trip will include Cinque Terre - sounds great too.
Oct 27th, 2006, 07:19 AM
#49
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I think if you are going to Roma it makes sense to go to the Amalfi, and like LAWoman said, it doesn't not have to be expensive, and you can find quiet corners in May and early June. If you pick someplace like Ponza or Isola del Giglio, you will find a lot less English and tourist amenities.
Try looking it at it this way: Maybe you know some less touristed spots on the New Hampshire coast where you can have an inexpensive room and it's pretty and secluded, but that's not quite the same as staying in the most beautiful places on the coast of Maine, or like going to Big Sur. The Amalfi coast has been a magnet for lovers of beauty for several thousand years. It used to be only for the rich, but now the rest of us can go too! That means there are often lots of people, and some tacky tourist shops and some overpriced menus. But you have plenty of time between now and then to find out how to avoid those things.
Why not focus on booking an affordable room with the view in the Amalfi? Before you book, read the cancellation policy carefully so, if you or FH have a different idea after you've read more, you know the deadline for cancelling the room without cost.
Try looking it at it this way: Maybe you know some less touristed spots on the New Hampshire coast where you can have an inexpensive room and it's pretty and secluded, but that's not quite the same as staying in the most beautiful places on the coast of Maine, or like going to Big Sur. The Amalfi coast has been a magnet for lovers of beauty for several thousand years. It used to be only for the rich, but now the rest of us can go too! That means there are often lots of people, and some tacky tourist shops and some overpriced menus. But you have plenty of time between now and then to find out how to avoid those things.
Why not focus on booking an affordable room with the view in the Amalfi? Before you book, read the cancellation policy carefully so, if you or FH have a different idea after you've read more, you know the deadline for cancelling the room without cost.
Oct 27th, 2006, 08:03 AM
#50
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Loverofbeauty,
<< He just wants to get the most "bang" for our buck, and not stay at a second-rate place just to be in a beautiful area>>
You know, somehow I have difficulty associating these two concepts: Positano and "second-rate".
I agree with above posters that you can find something in Positano under $200 and still feel you are in paradise. You may choose to have your meals at fancier places with ever more spectacular views...
Praiano, IMO, can be a great alternative. It's very close and accessible from Positano and it is more central to the rest of the AC jewels: Ravello and Amalfi - a shorter bus trip.
PS. So glad your fiance is agreeable to your plans - a "very" promising sign
that you will have a great trip.....
-e
<< He just wants to get the most "bang" for our buck, and not stay at a second-rate place just to be in a beautiful area>>
You know, somehow I have difficulty associating these two concepts: Positano and "second-rate".
I agree with above posters that you can find something in Positano under $200 and still feel you are in paradise. You may choose to have your meals at fancier places with ever more spectacular views...
Praiano, IMO, can be a great alternative. It's very close and accessible from Positano and it is more central to the rest of the AC jewels: Ravello and Amalfi - a shorter bus trip.
PS. So glad your fiance is agreeable to your plans - a "very" promising sign
that you will have a great trip.....-e
Oct 27th, 2006, 08:14 AM
#51
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Loverofbeauty,
On Ira's suggestion, I stayed at Le Sirene last year, Sept. LOVED it! I had a nice, comfortable double room with a private terrace, awesome view, large bathroom, great breakfasts (blood orange juice), 90E/night. I booked about 8 months out.
Maria and Giancarlo are lovely hosts and the hotel is in a great location. Quite a few steps down from the road, but that makes it dead quiet at night.
Also recommend Ristorante La Brace in Praiano for dinner. Family run, excellent service and seafood.
On Ira's suggestion, I stayed at Le Sirene last year, Sept. LOVED it! I had a nice, comfortable double room with a private terrace, awesome view, large bathroom, great breakfasts (blood orange juice), 90E/night. I booked about 8 months out.
Maria and Giancarlo are lovely hosts and the hotel is in a great location. Quite a few steps down from the road, but that makes it dead quiet at night.
Also recommend Ristorante La Brace in Praiano for dinner. Family run, excellent service and seafood.
Oct 27th, 2006, 08:20 AM
#52
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enroute - My fiance IS absolutely an amazing man, and I am SO lucky. He really is wonderful. He wants to make me happy more than anything, but I also want him to be as blown away by Italy as I know I will be, so it really IS important that we compromise. Thanks to this board, he is getting very excited about Rome AND Amalfi Coast. I showed him ira's links to Praiano, and he thought that looked wonderful, and a little more "off the beaten path". So, now we just have to find hotels in Rome and Positano/Praiano, that we can afford (about 200 euro a night - or less) but still romantic, and definitely looking for historic... (we have a lot of requirements!!) I see there is much info on other threads about hotels all over Italy, so we will peruse them. THANK YOU ALL!!!!
Oct 27th, 2006, 09:03 AM
#54
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Here is another reason to consider Positano--there is hydrofoil service to Capri and Ischia from Positano's beach. Capri, aside from being beautiful, has Tiberius's villa, Villa Jovis.
I am unsure if Praiano has hydrofoil service.
Also, Positano is that BEAUTIFUL. Pictures cannot convey its magic. I showed pictures of Positano to my husband before we went there, and he was unimpressed. After staying in Positano, he cannot stop raving about the place.
There are some places that cannot be adequately captured in a snapshot--Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, etc. I would add Positano to this list.
I am unsure if Praiano has hydrofoil service.
Also, Positano is that BEAUTIFUL. Pictures cannot convey its magic. I showed pictures of Positano to my husband before we went there, and he was unimpressed. After staying in Positano, he cannot stop raving about the place.
There are some places that cannot be adequately captured in a snapshot--Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, etc. I would add Positano to this list.
Oct 27th, 2006, 05:56 PM
#55
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Loverofbeauty,
Maybe this will help. Just my opinion. I found Positano beautiful, but completely Resort/Tourist oriented. Lots of high end shops, loads of tourists. Extremely expensive.
Praiano, more of a locals, working town. Very little nightlife, a handful of hotels and restaurants, almost no shops at all. Very, very Italian! Lovely people who treat you like familia. Yes, you must take the SITA bus, no harbor for public trans, just fishing boats. Definitely more off the beaten track.
Maybe this will help. Just my opinion. I found Positano beautiful, but completely Resort/Tourist oriented. Lots of high end shops, loads of tourists. Extremely expensive.
Praiano, more of a locals, working town. Very little nightlife, a handful of hotels and restaurants, almost no shops at all. Very, very Italian! Lovely people who treat you like familia. Yes, you must take the SITA bus, no harbor for public trans, just fishing boats. Definitely more off the beaten track.
Oct 27th, 2006, 06:58 PM
#56
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Florence is an easy day trip from Rome and vice versa. Don't rule out one for the sake of the other. You should see both. Keep in mind that after your trip, you will definitely want to return to Italy again and most flights go in and out of Rome so you will have another opportunity to see things you missed the first time
Oct 27th, 2006, 06:59 PM
#57
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Positana was magical to me. I suggest Rome, Positana (you may be able to squeeze in a night or two in Naples to see the great museum with many Pompeii finds. Also a day trip to Herculenum. is easy from Naples and we enjoyed it more than Pompeii. Don't worry about where you pick, any of the places will be wonderful and you'll have a lifetime to return!
Oct 28th, 2006, 07:29 AM
#58
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Hi L,
>and definitely looking for historic.
Try this for a day trip.
We took the Orange bus from Praiano to Positano. Took the ferry to Salerno. Walked about 3 blocks to the train station and took the train to Paestum.
Oldest Greek ruins outside of Greece.
Return trip: Train to Salerno, SITA bus from train station to Amalfi. SITA bus along the moon-lit coast road back to Praiano.
>and definitely looking for historic.
Try this for a day trip.
We took the Orange bus from Praiano to Positano. Took the ferry to Salerno. Walked about 3 blocks to the train station and took the train to Paestum.
Oldest Greek ruins outside of Greece.
Return trip: Train to Salerno, SITA bus from train station to Amalfi. SITA bus along the moon-lit coast road back to Praiano.
Nov 3rd, 2006, 01:05 PM
#59
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What wonderful choices! For what it's worth, if you have not been to Italy before, I definitely would do Rome/Amalfi, among your choices. We flew into Rome this past March & had a very pleasant drive down to Amalfi & back. We stayed in Praiano, which is a charming little village between Amalfi & Positano, very quiet, but very convenient, with just the most outstanding views of the sea.
Nov 4th, 2006, 06:57 PM
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LOB--
Just in from 5 days in Positano, 5 days in Tuscany and 2 days in Rome.
You've gotten tons of feedback, but figured I'd throw my 2 cents in anyway: Stay in Positano. Surely with advanced planning you can get a reasonable hotel. Positano is the perfect place to be (cutest town in Amalfi Coast-- and personally, the nicest because the tour buses can't get in.) From there you can bus/ferry/drive to Amalfi and beyond---(DO NOT MISS RAVELLO. Next to Positano, it was my favorite. Do some research beforehand and see if you can catch an afternoon/evening concert up there... the views are breathtaking.) You can also get to Capri for a day trip (definitely worth a visit--- the Blue Grotto is a touristy ripoff... if you're set on seeing that sort of thing, the grotto in Praiano was recommended (our hotel owner said it was better-- and much less expensive.)
Anyway, if you're really cost conscious, I'd definitely skimp on the hotel a bit in order to be in Positano... and it doesn't have to be super expensive.... we found very nice, moderately priced meals, wines, etc.
PS: If you end up there, be sure to have a drink at the beach bar at Hotel Pupetto on Fornillo Beach.... perfect (super casual) setting for sunset cocktails and the nicest staff around.
PPS: I live in NYC and didn't feel Rome was all that similar... aside from the clear fact that people from around the world flock to visit. We all liked Rome over Florence. The Vatican is hugely impressive.
Just in from 5 days in Positano, 5 days in Tuscany and 2 days in Rome.
You've gotten tons of feedback, but figured I'd throw my 2 cents in anyway: Stay in Positano. Surely with advanced planning you can get a reasonable hotel. Positano is the perfect place to be (cutest town in Amalfi Coast-- and personally, the nicest because the tour buses can't get in.) From there you can bus/ferry/drive to Amalfi and beyond---(DO NOT MISS RAVELLO. Next to Positano, it was my favorite. Do some research beforehand and see if you can catch an afternoon/evening concert up there... the views are breathtaking.) You can also get to Capri for a day trip (definitely worth a visit--- the Blue Grotto is a touristy ripoff... if you're set on seeing that sort of thing, the grotto in Praiano was recommended (our hotel owner said it was better-- and much less expensive.)
Anyway, if you're really cost conscious, I'd definitely skimp on the hotel a bit in order to be in Positano... and it doesn't have to be super expensive.... we found very nice, moderately priced meals, wines, etc.
PS: If you end up there, be sure to have a drink at the beach bar at Hotel Pupetto on Fornillo Beach.... perfect (super casual) setting for sunset cocktails and the nicest staff around.
PPS: I live in NYC and didn't feel Rome was all that similar... aside from the clear fact that people from around the world flock to visit. We all liked Rome over Florence. The Vatican is hugely impressive.
