Hotel location for Amalfi Coast
 

Hello, I'm planning a trip for 2 to the Amalfi Coast for the end of May. We will be there for 8 nights and I'm trying to figure out the best place to stay. My initial thought is Sorrento but I am open to ideas. These are my thoughts.
1. I know about the traffic situation in the area and so we are not renting a car. We will rely on the ferries and buses to get around. I've read that sometimes the buses are full in Positano and Amalfi and you end up waiting an hour or more to get on a bus. For that reason, I think it may be wiser to stay at either end of the bus route which is why I think Sorrento may be a good option.
2. We plan on visiting Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, hiking Path of the Gods, Pompei, Herculaneum, hiking Vesuvius, maybe a day trip to Capri.

If you have any advice please let me know!

Thank you in advance.

Amy

Are you open to more than one base, or do you prefer to stay in the same place all week?
Also, where/when do you arrive/depart? Sometimes you need to be in Naples the last night before a flight out, and you can work your stop at Pompeii into that transport.
A lot of people like the convenience of one base and don't mind long day trips. I prefer to be in a smaller village, and I am not averse to changing bases to make everything I want convenient. Once you settle on what you would prefer knowing the transport logistics, it's easy to sort it all out.
Most tend to agree a stay on Capri is preferable to a day trip if you have the time to include it.
This is the ferry service on the Amalfi Coast: https://www.travelmar.it/en/index
Any town on the ferry line is a safe bet, and you can also include Atrani since it is a short walk from Amalfi.
For Sorrento, there are multiple ferry companies, but this website seems to be a safe bet for schedules and links: https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/ferry-schedule

Hi we stayed in Sorrento in 2014 and really enjoyed it. You can use it as a base for the whole area, take the local train to Pompei, Herculaneum, into Naples ( the Archeological museum there has all the treasures from Pompeii); take the ferry from Sorrento to Capri, to Positano, then there's a ferry between Positano and Amalfi town, so you are not only dependant on the bus. The ferries are a lovely way to see the towns as you approach them as well.

I don't know what your hotel budget is but we loved staying at Hotel Mediterraneo which is just on the outskirts of Sorrento and an easy walk into the town plus the hotel runs a shuttle. We had a view from our room of the Bay of Naples and it was divine to open the shutters every morning and see that. Breakfast was included, they have a pool with snack bar, free parking if you did have a car, an elevator takes you down to the sea where they have platforms to swim off and lounger chairs etc. Hotel has a lovely top floor restaurant (where breakfast is served) with great views, we ate dinner there a couple of times too, plus there are some restaurants near the hotel or plenty to choose from in Sorrento.
www.mediterraneosorrento.com


Food was good in the area, lots of nice fresh fish, the lemons there are like no other lemons so Limoncello is delicious and the lemon desserts they make are as well.
I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Meant to add if you are flying home from Naples there is an airport shuttle coach that leaves from the train station in Sorrento which isn't far from the hotel I mentioned. It is a direct trip Sorrento to Naples airport.

Thanks for the comments so far. All very helpful! A little more about our trip. We are flying in and out of Naples. Arrive on May 22nd around noon and will then head to AC. Stay there 7 nights ( I originally said 8, but my public school math didn't help apparently). On the 29th we will head back to Naples in the afternoon/evening and stay near the airport to catch our flight out the next morning.

Yorkshire, I would prefer to stay in the same place the whole time because I don't want to pack up and move around, however I am not totally opposed to the idea if it means I can see more and make it a better experience. I thought about doing Pompei on the way back to Naples, but am not sure where to store our luggage.

Raincitygirl, Thank you for the hotel information. I will check it out!

If you stay in Sorento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples are easily reached on the Circumvesuviana commuter train. We did both Pompeii and Herculaneum on the same day. Doing either on the way to Naples is feasible but will just cut short your time in Naples.

I guess I would first decide about Capri, day trip or overnights, then perhaps looks at some online pics of the AC villages and Sorrento and peruse some accommodations to see if something stands out. I like longer stays in general, but I also like different options at night (taxis are very expensive, and dinner ends after the ferries)--so it's quite a conundrum! (I ended up choosing Cetara, which is close enough to the mainland to do a day trip to Pompeii, but also closer to the AC--but I wanted small. There are tradeoffs with each choice, but we did not find getting to Amalfi and its trailheads difficult--did not do path of the gods. We also spent a night in Naples, which we'll have to get back to for a proper visit one day.)
I am pretty sure there is bag storage at the Circumvesuviana station.

Another vote for Sorrento. I like the town very much & found it quite convenient, as well, for visiting the area.

Stayed here, lovely people: https://www.casastarita.com/en/

Sorento is a real place. Plenty of hotels, restaurants, shops, a supermarket, a pharmacy when I had need for it, even, I think, a hospital. It is a transportation hub for the coast, ferries, busses, and a commuter train. Yet it is on the coast, so if desired there are rooms with a view. And everything lemon, from lemons as big as your head.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2e309f5474.jpg
Sorento center
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d19651d4e3.jpg
View from our hotel (10 years ago)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...39ca12381b.jpg
Sorento lemons

I took a tour from Rome and we were based in Sorrento. I very much like it and have been thinking of going back. We did a day trip to Capri and took a half day trip to Amalfi. I would have like to have stayed at each place longer as we just skimmed the surface, but I would still consider staying in Sorrento as a base if you don't have a lot of time. It was a 2-night 3-day tour and we did stop at Pompeii on the way to Sorrento and had plenty of spare time in Sorrento.

In Sorrento we stayed at Grand Hotel La Favorita. It is in the city centre, which is great to walk around and have dinner in the evening. Up on the top floor where the pool is located is the view is great. So nice to have a swim and look at the view. It is also really close walk to where the ferries to Capri are. From memory breakfast was very good.

Thank you everyone for the ideas and suggestions! We decided to stay in Sorrento.

If you do want to tour Pompeii on the day you return to Naples, it is easy. There is luggage storage right at the entrance to Pompeii.

Try to see Herculaneum as well. It is very different from Pompeii with more intact buildings, some even with painting still visible. It is smaller, really beautiful.

You do not need to stay near the airport in Naples. It is a short bus or taxi ride from city center to the airport. OTOH, there are hotels actually close enough to walk to the airport if you wish.

Staying in Sorrento will mean more time traveling to get places for day trips, but it is one place that we never mind because the area is all so beautiful, especially views from the ferries. From the busses also, but they leave me quaking from the winding, cliff top roads, so we avoid them.

That’s good to know about luggage storage. As for Naples, our flight departs 6am so we want to be as close as possible. I found a great rate at a hotel next to the airport.
I know we will have a lot of day trips by staying in Sorrento but I figured it would be the best location for what we want to do. I’m really looking forward to this trip! I’ve been all over Italy but this is the first time to this area.

I'd encourage you to head over to Ravello during your stay; a lovely up-in-the-hills town with views to die for, gorgeous gardens, and (if you consider an evening there) a classical music festival. Fewer tourists, nice restaurants, a well-scaled piazza used by locals and visitors alike.

We've stayed elsewhere on the AC as well and only once had a car; we take the SITA buses, ferries, and taxis (have to taxi or bus (or walk) from Ravello to other locations). ​​​​​​​
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fedceefba0.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...437524fcf5.jpg

I agree that to have a good experience on Capri at least one overnight is better than a day trip. Two or three nights is even better.

Yes, that’s what I’ve gathered from other comments and doing some research. Thanks for the input.

Wow, what a view! I’m finding a way to add this to our itinerary!