Italy Help
 

We will be traveling to Italy for our honeymoon in July and we need some help. Here's what we have so far:

Flying into Rome - Then traveling to the Amalfi Coast once we arrive ( and we fully understand this will be a grueling day, but we would like to get it out of the way ):

5 nights in the Amalfi Coast ( haven't booked a hotel yet, $650 per night is our budget, looking for a nice pool, and a great view ) Looking at Amalfi, Positano, Praiano, and maybe Sorrento. We will be doing a day trip to Capri. Suggestions?

From there we will head to Tuscany for 4 nights - We would like to stay in either a castle or farmhouse for a night, or throughout the stay. Here are the options ( budget is $350 per night ):

A) Stay in the center of Florence, see the sights, and travel out to the countryside for a day or two ( we'd like to do a winery / castle )

B) Stay in the countryside and travel into Florence city center to visit the sites

From Florence we will be heading to Rome for 3 nights. We have already booked our hotel and we are staying at the Marriott Grand Flora. How is this hotel?

The high level itenerary is planned, just need to figure out logistics? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks is advance, Dan.

Hey dt,

>Flying into Rome - Then traveling to the Amalfi Coast ....<

Can't fly into Naples?

((I))

If staying just on the Amalfi then any of those towns would be sweet sojourns. But if also wanting to go to the likes of Capri, Ischia (a real charmer island too) or Pompeii or Heraculeanum (sp?) or to do the stunning ascent via mini-bus up Mt Vesuvius or day trip to Naples, a fascinating old old city well worth a day then Sorrento makes the best base - not only for buses along the Amalfi - the infamous buses plying the sinuous coastal road - but lots of ferries to the islands, trains to Pompeii and Heraculaneum and Naples - and also a bit quicker to get to from Rome (or Naples) than the Amalfi coast towns.

Depending on which Amalfi town you chose if that it could be better taking a train to Salerno from Rome and not Naples - then take the Amalfi buses or even a hydorfoil from there to your Amalfi town. - one less change of train and could be quicker.

The Grand Flora is OK - just a little bit of a hike to the real center of town.

For Sorrento look at the Grand Hotel Vittoria Excelsior. It is situated in the center of town so an easy walk to shops and restaurants - but is located in a beautiful private garden with pool so it's quiet. The hotel is on a cliff overlooking the bay of Naples so the rooms on that side have either a view, a balconey or a terace overlooking the water. Also on grouns level large terrces overlooking the sea and the harbor to pick up the hydrofoil to Capri. And the hotel has a private elevator from the terrace down to the dock at the base of the cliff. One caveat: breakfast is infe - but don;t plan on eating at the hotel - restaurants in town are much better.

Our flights were gifted to us so we are in and out of Rome. From the sounds of it, Sorrento seems like a better location. Centrally located with access to all the places we want to see. Day trips to the towns on the amalfi coast as well as Capri and Naples. A little bummed about the Marriott comment but I guess it is what it is? When you say a bit of a hike to the city center, is it walkable?

Florence suggestions?

Thanks, Dan.

The Grand Flora is located near on the Via Veneto next to the Villa Borghese; I think that some popular sites are walkable from there i.e the Pantheon, Trevi, Spanish Steps; other parts such as Campo dei Fiori , Via Gulia would be a hike. You can easily reach the Vatican and the Colesseo by metro. The Via Veneto would not be my choice of area in Rome, but it does appeal to many visitors, especially Americans

Given your wishes for a great view and a pool, I can highly recommend the Palazzo Sasso in Ravello. The pool is long enough to swim laps and is one of the few heated pools on the Amalfi Coast. The view from the pool area, and from the hotel itself, has been the subject of countless postcards and magazine covers. I think it is far more romantic than Sorrento, although I have not stayed at the hotel mentioned above in that city. I think you can squeak by under your limit, although you will not have a sea view room. They have a beach club that is also divine. And the hotel shuttle can bring you to bus stop so you can take your day trips.

It is true that Ravello is not as well placed for daytrips as a hotel in Positano or Sorrento but for the extra wow factor of the Sasso, I think you might want to consider it as an option.


http://www.palazzosasso.com/en/palaz...lazzosasso.php

SAB - Thank you for the information. I booked on points so at the rate of saving some $$, that's where we are staying. As long as we can walk to most places ( under 30 minutes ) I'm fine with the location, and according to goole maps we should be ok.
So I went ahead and booked the Vittoria Exelsior. Now looking for peoples thoughts on where to stay in or outside Florence? Like I said in a previous post we would like a castle, winery, or B&B in the city center. Budget of about $350 a night.

After I figure out Florence I will look for suggestions traveling to and from these cities and towns. Much appreciated help, Dan.

We have friends that stayed at Sasso and absolutely LOVED it, and it is beautiful, and realistically within our range, but for that price no rooms with a sea view. To me, a room with a sea view is part of the experience. Plus, with what we are planning to do, I agree, not an ideal location. Thanks again, Dan.

If you would like to know time/distance for walking from your hotel to various spots in Rome, go to www.en.mappy.com, choose Itinerary then enter your hotel address by the green flag: 191 via Vittorio Veneto, Roma. Enter a destination by the red flag, e.g. Pantheon or Piazza Navona then click on Pedestrian. You will see that the 1.8km /1.1mi walk to the Pantheon, would take 26 minutes. You are only a 3 minute walk to the Galleria Borghese and a 15 minute walk to the Piazza di Spagna/Spanish Steps.

So even if your Marriott is not in the historic center, you are not too far from many areas of interest. Just get a good city map, plan your sightseeing and perhaps figure out how to use buses or metro where appropriate.

Dan: I had a very good experience in this luxury B&B in an ideal location in central Florence. some of the rooms overlook the Piazza della Signoria, one of the most famous squares in Italy.


This is the room we had; each room is different:




http://www.inpiazzadellasignoria.com...chelangelo.php

My sister stayed at this castle hotel just outside the city and loved it:

http://www.torrebellosguardo.com/



I had one of the less pricey rooms at P.Sasso a few months ago, and while I was very pleased, I understand your desire for a sea view on your honeymoon!

I too would second Ravello in Amalfi coast, this seemed to have the most luxurious hotels and loacation. We only visited during the day from amalfi but expect very nice at night too.

Getting to Amalfi town is simple little bus down the hill from which you can travel to positano etc etc. I wouldn't pick Sorrento- its nice but i would view as gateway to amalfi coast rather than amalfi coast proper. you can get a boat from Positano to Capri quite easily and then from Capri back directly to Naples. We did this (i think we had 3 night amalfi, 2 positano and 3 Capri) and it was nice to move about a bit. I'm sure there will be some lovely hotels on capri

Have a great trip

Your trip sounds quite similar to the one I took a couple years back...stayed @ the Marriott because we could get an employee rate at the time...we did not walk anywhere hardly except to the park & grocery store. Restaurants around there were not that appealing. I would not stay there again if I were to return to Rome. You may end up eating up your savings in cab fares....Hotel is nice enough; enjoyed the rooftop breakfasts & a view over the city.

From Rome, we took the train to Salerno & Ferry to Positano. Absolute LOVED Positano...picture perfect! Easy day jaunt to Capri; wonderful restaurants & shops. Not sure if Le Sirenese would fit your budget, but it is top notch...we stayed across from it as it was out of our budget! But there are several WONDERFUL hotels in Positano...it is a perfect place to enjoy a honeymoon!

www.sirenuse.it

When we left Positano, we took a cab to Sorrento & picked up a rental car & drove to Tuscany (stayed in Montalcino) & on to Venice...didn't make it to Florence on this trip.

Have a wonderful Honeymoon!