Hotels during off season on Amalfi Coast?
 

Im going to Amalfi Jan 08 for 6days/five nights and I want to know what hotels are open during off season. I know most of them are closed duritg that time but I have heard that some are still open Thanks!

Hi P,

Is there a reason that you have to go then.

The weather can be miserable.

((I))

In order to find that out you need to do some research. Take a look at TripAdvisor and pick out a few hotels; go to their websites, and see if they are open. Let us know what you find out...

In January, most restaurants, shops and hotesl are closed. Not beach weather either. Ferries will not always be available so it may be difficult to see Capri and travle about. Cloudy, rain, cold.

Why are you going there then? it is s summer resort.

Princes-personally, I think January would be a great time, precisely because you will MISS the hordes of tourists that so choke the Amalfi Coast in the high season, and you will be able to interact more with the locals then. On the other hand, you won't be able to take the ferries to Positano and Amalfi, but you will be able to take the bus. And as for the weather, I wouldn't say it is miserable-it's not snowy and freezing cold, average temps are in the 50's lows, 40's-it could be much warmer- it certainly was this past winter.

In Sorrento, try HOTEL GARDENIA-they have rooms with balconies that look out on the Gulf and Vesuvius-you should be able to snag one in January, nice rooms, with balcony, friendly staff, located on the main drag into Sorrento, the Corso Italia-you can walk, or take the bus just outside the door. A very pleasant 3 star hotel. I used their services this past September, (their pool) but didn't stay there, last September. My understanding is that the hotel is open in January.

Thanks you for posting that Girlspy. It always amazes me when someone attempts to dissaude another from traveling due to "miserable weather." I can only speak for myself but I would rather face the January elements on the Amalfi coast than here at home in New York!
If my last trip to Rome is any indication, the January weather in southern Italy is not exactly polar!

Yes, I'm not quite comprehending these descriptions of Amalfi in winter, Ek-miserable compared to what? Chicago or the Mid-Plains states in winter? I believe I'd take Amalfi over that, any day-or Amalfi any time of the year, although the high season is tough im Amalfi because it becomes like a little England. I love beach resorts in the winter-I don't go to them generally in the summer precisely because I can't take the hordes.

I am all in favor of off-season travel. Give me a little wind and rain over battalions of sweat-suited gelato-smeared invaders. The OP stated she is going in January for 6 days and the next poster answers with an admonishment about the weather...

I would also like to weigh in on the "miserable weather" debate. We travelled all over Italy last December/January and would have liked to have thrown away our coats the weather was so warm. But not just warm - sunny too. We stayed in Sorrento. I had thoght this might be a btter option as it would be more lively. It was lively, crowded even when Gloria Gaynor played in the Piazza Tasso. We had a lovely day on Capri, visited Pompeii and drove the Amalfi Coast one day where my sons and husband swam. We stayed in Rota Suites in Sorrento (a 2 bedroom appartment). Perfect for our family.

Hi Princess - The Positano Tourist office will provide you with a list a hotels that are open.

http://www.aziendaturismopositano.it

E-Mail: [email protected]

No disrespect to Ira and the nay-sayers, but I suspect they've never been in January. Winter can be a lovely time to travel in Italy for all sorts of reasons. The Amalfi Coast is no exception. I say ... go for it ;)

Steve

>the next poster answers with an admonishment about the weather... <

I merely asked. Not all posters are familiar with the area when they decide to go, and the OP has been on this board only since 05/02.

Amalfi Coast in Winter can be foggy, rainy, cold and windy with heavy seas.

If the OP would be happy sitting on a hotel terrace in oilskins looking out at a grey mist with visibility under 1 km, I have no intention of dissuading her.

I hope that she enjoys her visit.

((I))

Sounds good to me! Thanks, Steve.

Ira you have made one visit to the Amalfi coast and that was in the springtime. Since you have no direct experience with visiting in winter, why speculate? Some of us would prefer to be in Italy in January than at home. Very simple. And none of us appear to have regretted our decision to travel in the off-season.

Before you jump in and correct me..you made your single visit in the fall..not springtime.

Hi ek,

Yes, we were there in Oct.

>Since you have no direct experience with visiting in winter, why speculate?

Why do you accuse me of mere speculation?

I based my response, not on my one visit but on fairly extensive research, not only on the internet, but talking to people who have been there in the winter.

In particular, the owners of the hotel where we stayed. There are reasons why they close down at the end of Oct.

Mainly because the weather is usually not good for tourists - rainy, windy, foggy and chilly.

I note that you were once in Rome in the Winter. I'm pleased that you enjoyed it.

Rome, however, is not Positano. People visit there for different reasons.

Some ploaces are better than others for off-season visits.

You might also find it interesting to look at the OP's previous thread.

It might help you understand why I posted my original question.

((I))

Ira I have been traveling in January for the past 15 years or so; four or five of these trips have been to Italy. Some of us enjoy traveling during that time of year; for many of us the weather is not the primary concern. I disagree completely with your assertion (based on your extensive research) that the weather on the AC is usually not "good for tourists" in January. The hotel that you often mention may close but there are many hotels that remain open, so obviously there are pleasure visitors in winter! However cloudy it may be it is fairly certain that it will be more pleasant there than at home for some of us!! Not to mention the lack of crowds!

To each his own. As I have said before, I think you often make assertions based on second-hand information. When that is the case, you probably should state that this is the case, as you did above.

The poster, in her previous thread asked for.... "great cuisine, nightlife,culture, and plenty to do!"

I dont think you could qualify the Amalfi Coast in January that way.

Uh, what's the big difference? As to cuisine? Some restaurants closing? believe me, there are always restaurants open in the Amalfi Coast all year long-just like there are everywhere else in Italy during low season. People say that about August in Italy too, which is low season, and is a time when many restaurants close for two weeks or a month. Since I usually am in Italy during August, I can advise that I never notice ANY difference throughout the country in terms of being able to find excellent local restaurants open during this time. So yes, there will be some restaurants closed, not enough to make a difference.

Culture? Does that somehow change in the off-season? Do the historic churches and other sites like Pompeii or Herculaneum close up shop then? Don't THINK so! Pompeii and the other ancient sites which can be reached on a non crowded Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento are open every day during January in the daylight hours. In fact, you might find that in the off-season, since you DON'T have to deal with the hordes of tourists, that the experience might just be 100 percent better!

As far as nightlife, that's not really going to change that much, if you want to go to bars, they will be there, and open. Discos? I know Sorrento has a few, and they might not be open, but then again, they might. I don't know what the big difference will be frankly. "Nightlife" is what you make of it, and is subjective; when I'm in the Amalfi Coast what I like to do doesn't really change from low to high season.

Quit trying to make it sound like some cold gray hell in the off season-that's nutty.

Forgive me but didn't the OP say that she "is going to Amalfi in Jan 08". That means that for her own reasons she has decided to go there. What she wants to know is what hotels might be open. I for one am astounded at the nay-sayers on this board telling people not to go in winter. Not everyone has a choice when to travel and many people do choose to travel to Amalfi in winter. Amalfi Coast is beautiful and although I saw it in sunshine I would also love to see it in rain, and in blazing heat and snow....
For the OP here is where I started looking in researching my Jan 07 trip to Amalfi Coast.
www.amilficoast.com

Shame I don't know how to paste links - sorry

Very well said. Thank you!