Need Help with trip to the Amalfi Coast
 

My husband and I will be going to Croatia and then on to the Amalfi Coast. We like to travel very nicely and stay in higher end hotels so we need some advice.We are just about to book our hotel for the Amalfi Coast. We are deciding on Hotel Caruso or Palazzo Sasso both in Ruvello or Casa Angelina in Positano. We are not sure if we should stay in Ruvello or Positano. We will also want to rent a boat and hire a driver if anyone has recommendations. We would also want recommendations on excursions as well as restaurants and shopping. I was told to book a cooking class with Mama Agata??? Any thoughts/recommendations on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

Hello rjbriskin,

I was there last year. And yes, you absolutely have to see Ravello, it is strinkingly beautiful. However, as you probably know, it is high up up up the mountain, with only one (cliffy, narrow, two-ways)road to communicate with everything else. It will take you more or less 40 minutes to get to sea level (the road can get very crowded sometimes).

We stayed in Positano for a week. From there we visited:

Pompeii: we drove.
Sorrento: we drove
Amalfi: went there with a bus, came back with a boat,
Capri: endless boat possibilities from Positano beach,
Praiano: bus
Ravello: bus

All of them were really worth it, although I must say the best was Capri. If you go do not miss to go up to Anacapri as well.

Our choice of hotel in Positano was Villa Franca, which I picked because: it is 4 stars, it is at the very top of Positano village (incredible views)and has a complimentary van that goes up and down the town every 20 minutes.

As for my opinion of the hotel, it is pretty, especially the common areas, but the bathrooms are sort of stuck in the 70's. We changed rooms 3 times because we had ants (diminute, black, annoying creatures), but later discovered no matter were you move you still see some.

If I was to go again I will probably pick Palazzo Murat, as the location is the best, in the middle of everything and yet so very quiet. Bucca di Bacco is right on the beach and therefore far too noisy for me and La Sireneuse was a bit too removed from the centre.

Casa Angelina is not in Positano, but in Praiano.

It is not in the same league as the two RAvello hotels in price or in level of luxury. (Rates at the Caruso begin at the equivalent of US$900 per night in summer).

Before you pick your hotel you should chose a location. The hotel can help with car/driver and boat hire.

So it sounds like we should stay in Positano as the trip to and from Ravello seems lengthy??? I will look into Palazzo Murat as you have recommended.I hope to know where we will stay by tomorrow and then I will continue planning the trip. Thanks for the input so far.

Hello again rjbriskin,

I think the main difference between Positano and all the other towns is not only that it is a lot more beautiful, it is also a lot more tourist-oriented:

- there is a 1st class tourism information centre

- you'll have a big choice of tours, boats, cruises, buses, car-hire, etc

- shopping is great (clothing and art galleries) although very expensive.

The reason we all go to the Amalfi coast is mostly the glorious coastal drive. The towns themselves are sort of poor, sort of scruffy looking. Even Amalfi (which is the biggest), after you have lunch, see the pottery and visit the Cathedral...well... not much more to do really.

Ravello is different, you can Visit Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo and/or stay until late in the evening and attend one of their legendary outdoor classical music concerts.

My final advice would be to stay in Positano and drive or take a bus/boat to Amalfi for the day. In the afternoon go up to Ravello for dinner or a concert.

Another day you could take a bot from Positano beach and go to Capri. When you get there you could take the funicular and visit the Capri shopping/restaurant area. Then take a bus (an exhilarating drive) and go up to Anacapri and perhaps visit Villa Jovis. When you come back to sea level DO NOT forget to take a local boat to go around the island and visit the Blue Grotto. The boat comes back to Positano at around 6 pm.

Those were my personal highlights, but of course it all depends on how many days you are planning to spend there.

Have a great trip!

Le Sirenuse Hotel in Positano might be one that you want to look into, according to your description of hotels that you like.

Silvia_B and packed thank you so much. We looked into Le Sirenuse but unfortunately they are booked for the days we want to go. Since we will be there for 5-6 nights we can certainly do all that Silvia_B recommended to do. I will be back to you both after we book the room so that I can arrange reservations for meals and excursions too.

I have to admit that I am a little shocked to read the comment above that the towns on the Amalfi coast are "poor and scruffy looking."

I also totally disagree with the comment above about the towns on the Amalfi Coast being "poor and scruffy looking." Are we talking about the same places? The gardens of Ravello? The gorgeous views from Positano? Even Amalfi, which probably is the least naturally beautiful to me, has its own flair with a beautiful cathedral/square, a lively harbor, and lovely hikes into the hills above town.

Anyway, now that I'm off my rant,, here's another hotel for you to consider in Positano: The Hotel Poseidon, a four-star uphill from Le Sirenuse. The jr. suites are simple but elegant, and some have astounding views from the terraces all the way down the hill to town. The hotel is one of my favorites anywhere especially for its food (!) which is some of the best we've ever had in Italy.

I too was under the impression that the Amalfi Coast was beautiful??? Anyway- We definately want to stay in Positano. Since Le Seirnuse is booked any other hotels you would recommend. We looked at The Hotel Posedion and didn't love the looks??? Weadies should I really consider it? Is that amazing?

We stayed one night at the Casa Angelina. We neither cared for it or the location as we preferred to walk to many locations.
You're making a wise choice with Positano.
I must admit, although we enjoyed Positano it was our time in Capri we really loved.

The San Pietro, right outside of Positano, is quite spectacular. They run cars into Positano whenever you want.
http://www.ilsanpietro.it/

What was wrong with Casa Angelina as it was recommended to me by a travel agent??? Just curious???

We would love to stay at the San Pietro but they are booked too. That was my first choice. I am pretty bummed about it.

I was just reading my last post again and I admit it is not quite clear.

When I said that "the towns on the Amalfi coast are "poor and scruffy looking." I meant with the excepcion of Positano and Ravello. I did love them both.

About the Casa Angelina, it was just trying too hard!
The hotel as a whole had a very odd vibe. It was a very strange lay-out and the rooms were small and not nearly as attractive as they appeared on the website.
We felt very much the captive audience as the hotel is neither in Praiano proper or Positano. You have to take transportation everywhere. I suppose a hike into town was possible but, believe me, the road was not one you wanted to mess with! The hotel appears to have been designed as a "resort" of sorts.
We ate dinner here for lack of any other option and it was pretty awful. That was enough!
We checked out and moved to another hotel we weren't crazy about in Positano as it was mid-August, but that was less an issue as we could walk everywhere.

I'll go out on a limb here and say that I found San Pietro very stuffy and snobby. Full disclosure: We didn't stay there, but visited friends who were and had many dinners and a lunch there. The staff left me cold.So did the food. The lobby was full of clients who looked like Ivana Trump wannabees, and although the hotel offers free shuttle service into town, I think it's a major PIA not to be able to walk to restaurants/shops, LIFE, etc.

About Hotel Poseidon: Really a matter of taste, but if you like small hotels with personal service, exceptional food, astounding views, and some lovely rooms ( admittedly they aren't all of the same calibre), it's hard to go wrong. Only fault I can find with the place is that you have to be in decent shape to walk back and forth to town since it's at the top of Positano.

Did you look at Palazzo Murat? That also gets typically favorable reviews here and on tripadvisor. Maybe that will suit your taste more?

I woll defiantely look into Palazzo Murat. Does anyone think staying in Capri makes more sense vs. Positano???

Don't know your tastes well enough to say. BUT... much easier to visit other towns when you are based on the coast. Sometimes boats from/to Capri are cancelled even on beautiful sunny days if the "water conditions" are not exactly right.

So that would make the case then to stay in Positano over Capri???

How are you getting from Croatia to Amalfi Coast?

I certainly agree about the San Pietro being stuffy and snobby. It's been 14 years ago since we last stayed there and the guests were quite amusing to watch even then. It wouldn't surprise me at all if even stranger people stay there now that the rates are stratospheric. We're low maintenance so it didn't bother us.

We loved Capri so much we didn't want to leave it!
That said we found the easiest way to visit the cities along the Amalfi coast from Positano to be by boat (and the most fun).
We took a boat to Amalfi and then a bus up to Ravello. The bus was terrifying, but fun. I don't know how many of those bus rides I would have wanted to take.
There are a number of upscale properties on Capri. I love the look of JK Place.
We stayed at Villa La Scale. Do a search under my name for my opinion of that property.

Marija: Read Mario Batali's comments about the San Pietro; we can probably now add rich Russians to the mix:


http://www.babbonyc.com/travel-campania.html

We are flying into Rome from Croatia and then we will have to get picked up and taken to Positano. The restaurant recommendations from Mario Batali were very interesting. Thanks for that. San Pietro is out of the question anyway as they are booked. Still dealing with selecting a hotel. From all that I have now read I am thinking should we stay in Ruvello for a acouple of days and them move to another hotel in Positano???

Please note that the town is Ravello, not Ruvello. If I were you, I would either spend all my time at one of the hotels in Ravello, or split between the Santa Caterina in Amalfi and Ravello. Have you checked them for availability?

Do you plan to hire a private driver during your trip, for sightseeing the various towns? If so, you can see all of Positano in less than an hour, plus more for shopping, and then go back to your hotel. The town will be overrun with tourists in summer and your hotel will probably be the best place to relax.

ekscrkunchy:

Thank you so much for the link! I really enjoyed it!

rjbriskin: Ravello is a lovely destination for a few days if you don't mind a rather quiet location. It has gorgeous gardens and a well-known music festival during the summer months, but other than that, not too much going on. Only you can decide if that suits your tastes.

Positano is more of a tourist destination, but also offers easy access to most of the towns along the coast plus Capri. I loved being able to walk into town, down to the beach, and sample many of the restaurants/shops in the area. But that's my style. It may not be yours.

The towns are so close together that you can easily travel amongst them during the day. Seems like a big hassle to change hotels. Amalfi is a good central location to stay in.

OK so I will plan on staying in one hotel in Ravello. I now have to check the avaiability for all the hotels that everyone has recommended.I am actually waiting to hear from my husbands business associate if we can get into Hotel Caruso . They have an in there I will also check into Hotel Catarina tonight . We do plan on hiring a driver when we are there. After I book the hotel I will need some recommendations for restaurants, drivers, boat trips, etc...