Neal Sanders

I’ve recently returned from a vacation in Italy that included five days on the Sorrentine peninsula. Here are some notes for anyone contemplating a trip to that very beautiful part of Italy. <BR> <BR>Why I stayed in Sorrento: Yes, I know that Sorrento is passé and that Positano is the “new Sorrento”, but whatever Sorrento lacks in chic-ness, it more that makes up in convenience and comfort. It is from Sorrento that the ferries to Napoli, Capri and Amalfi depart; Sorrento is the terminus of the Circumversuviana train that links the peninsula with sites such as Pompeii. It’s also a very attractive town in its own right. We spent every evening strolling its narrow streets and shops. “Enchanting” is not too strong a word to use. <BR> <BR>There are two Sorrentos; the old pedestrian-friendly town that is little changed from the early 19th century, and a newer 1980s and 90s Sorrento that stretches up the hills and along the coast. Unless you budget is extremely tight, stay in Sorrento and skip the hotels up in the hills or in nearby towns. You’ll spend too much of your time commuting, otherwise. <BR> <BR>There are three dowager queen hotels right along the 120-foot bluff that towers over the harbor. They are the Grand Vittorio, the Bellevue Syrene, and the Tramontano. All are four-star properties, all are beautifully maintained. And, if you have a sea-view room, you’re in for a wonderful treat. All three of the hotels have Old Sorrento right outside of their front entrances, yet features wonderful gardens that make them oases in an urban setting. <BR> <BR>There are at least a dozen hotels that use the words “Grand Hotel” in their name and have a Sorrento address. Many of them are anything but grand and some of them are so high up in the hills above Sorrento that the “sea view” rooms must be through a telescope. My advice is to choose carefully and to not take the web site photos as gospel. <BR> <BR>(continued in part 2)

Neal Sanders

We chose the Tramontano, which for $225 a night provided an extremely well appointed room (#214) that had a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean that was half the size of our room. With its blue tile floor and bright blue and yellow curtains, the room had the feel of a seaside cottage rather than a hotel. It was a pleasure to spend time in the room. The Tramontano’s downside is the food. The hotel caters to a largely British clientele; there is much better food to be found outside of the hotel’s confines. Our rate included breakfast, which seemed to consist entirely of sweet breads dusted with powdered sugar and a Tang-like drink that was headache-inducing sweet. Our one dinner there was not memorable. <BR> <BR>Restaurants: If Michelin awarded stars for humble seaside trattorias, then Emilia’s, on the Marina Grande, would rank up there in the firmament with Tour d’Argent. Emilia’s serves simple food, superbly prepared, in the open air. The wine list is “red” and “white”. In two visits, we ordered everything on the menu (principally seafood and pasta) and were disappointed by nothing. On our last day in Sorrento, we begged in our broken Italian to be served a little earlier than the restaurant normally served (they open at 12:30 p.m.). They obliged and earned a permanent place in our hearts (and stomachs). <BR> <BR>Panetteria-Pizzeria Franco’s on the Corso Italia is a bright, cheery restaurant with great service and food to match. Yes, it’s pizza, but it comes in a frightening array of sizes and toppings. We regretted we discovered it late in out trip. It, too, was worth a return visit. <BR> <BR>One place we regretted going to even once was La Lanterna on Via San Cesareo. This was a “Brand X” guidebook recommendation. The band alternating “Finiculi Finucula” and “Ritorno a Sorrento” ought to have been a giveaway, but we had spent a long day at Pompeii and weren’t in a mood to be discerning. La Lanterna proved that no matter how tired your feet are, there are certain restaurants that ought to be avoided. Our two supposedly different pasta dishes shared an identical bland tomato sauce and the pasta tasted exactly like what I’ve had in economy class on flights between Denver and Chicago. Our fish had been smothered with enough lemon to completely obliterate any hint of fish taste. And of course, the bill didn’t match the menu prices. <BR> <BR>Davide on Via P.R. Guiliani is Rome- or Firenze-quality gelato plunked down in the middle of the Sorrentine Peninsula. It had a Baskin-Robbins’s-size assortment of flavors on display and lines long enough to ensure that nothing went stale. It was the perfect way to end each evening. <BR> <BR>(concluded in part 3)

Neal Sanders

We had a car for our stay and used it to drive to Pompeii (roughly 45 minutes away), Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. The coast road is every bit as spectacular as promoted. The charm of Positano was somewhat lost on me; it is one long, steep, traffic-choked street; and two-thirds of the people on the street are Americans (the balance are French, German, or British). There are better, and less expensive, ceramics in Ravello. <BR> <BR>The crowning disappointment of the region, at least to me, had to be Capri, which is 20 minutes away from Sorrento via jet ferry ( $15 round trip). Capri is pretty enough; bougainvillea cascades over every balcony and subtropical, flowering trees shade the narrow, picturesque streets. But Capri is essentially an outdoor, very upscale shopping mall. Under every canopy is a boutique, each displaying some oh-so-tasteful item in its window. After an hour the shops all look numbingly alike. Capri, in the end, is a scenic bore. <BR>

DJ

Neal, <BR>what an excellent synopsis of the Sorrentine peninsula. My husband & I choose t stay in Sorrento for logistical reasons for our first time on the coast and we are glad that we did. we share your opinion of Capri. Our favorite spot on Capri was marina Piccolo. We fond hardly anyone there, as there are not many shops (perhpas 3-5)and it is as the bottom of the Hotel Weber. We sat and enjoyed a marvelous view with our drinks and the sound of the surf. That was our favorite part of Capri.

Neal Sanders

DJ, I followed your postings over the past several days and had wondered if there was anything I could even add to what you provided. Apparently we were neighbors for several days, as you were at the Grand Vittorio and we were next door at the Tramontano.

Santa Chiara

Neal, how dare you. Your report is informative, concise and well informed. You must have this site confused with a travel forum.

DJ

Neal, <BR> <BR>Is that the hotel that was up the drive on a hill? Across the drive it sounded like there was a party going on in the evenings.

Neal Sanders

DJ, at the risk of boring anyone reading this (and thank you, Santa Chiara for doing so), your hotel, the Grand Vittoria, was at the eastern end of "old Sorrento", on the bluff, and with a ravine as the hotel's western border. On the west side of the ravine was a small park with stairs descending down to the Marina Piccolo. The western border of that park was the Hotel Tramontano.

DJ

That is the hotel then that I thought, which was very stately. I wish we did get over to it. The old hotels (I'm sure ours was not the only one), were absolutely beautiful inside. My husband & I were in awe. <BR> <BR>PS, I don't think you are boring anyone, but actually providing a refreshing change. Just think of those folks that have never been to the area that are planning on going. Now they can make an even more informed choice. Thanks again.

Capo

And a fine opinion at that, Neal; thanks for a nice write-up. We were only on the peninsula for a weekend, and one night, this past spring, but chose to stay in Sorrento and were very glad that we did. We loved the the narrow streets of the old town and stayed right in the middle of it, at the inexpensive, but nice, Hotel Astoria. (I have to confess a personal fondness for Sorrento due to the fact that one of its main streets is Via Capo :~) The night we were there, I walked from our hotel down to the Tramontano, and it looked like a wonderful place. There was another wonderful-looking hotel right next to the "gorge" that runs through town, but I forget the name of it; do you know which one that is? <BR> <BR>We didn't have enough time to make it to Capri, but we took the SITA bus to Positano and Amalfi and, although we had very little time in both of them, we enjoyed both places quite a bit. I can certainly understand why you, or others, may not find Positano charming, but that wasn't the case with us, although I'd say that I found the old town of Sorrento to be more charming. What we loved about Positano was its spectacular setting, and I wish we could've seen it at night. <BR> <BR>You're absolutely right about the Amalfi Coast road, every bit as spectacular as promoted. The Amalfi Coast is one of National Geographic Traveler's "50 Places of a Lifetime", in the "Paradise Found" category (see http://www.nationalgeographic.com/me...er/amalfi.html)

Capo

Neal, just read your post. That hotel I was thinking of, next to the ravine, must be the Grand Vittoria.

Sherry

Hi Neal. Thanks for the great report. You said five days. Was that four nights and five days or six nights? Also, I am trying to budget the time I want to allow for this part of the trip I plan to take next April. Did you feel comfortable with the amount of time you spent in the area? I realize that if you really like a place, this is not a lot of time. I would like to be there long enough to get the flavor of the area without being rushed and hope maybe to be able to return someday. Thanks!

Neal Sanders

Sherry, we had five days and four nights, two days of which were somewhat truncated by travel (our trip started and ended in Rome; we drove down on a Monday morning and back Friday afternoon). We had time enough to see all of the sights I commented on and, had my feet held out, I would gone on to Herculaneum (six days in Rome to start the vacation left me, so I am told, crying out in my sleep for someone called "Dr. Scholls"). <BR> <BR>We kept up a hectic schedule and crossed off only one thing from our "to see" list, which was the Archeological Museum in Naples. First, the museum earns universal scorn for its poor display and erratic closings; second, there are enough artifacts at Pompeii, including villas with intact murals, that they made a sole-purpose visit to Naples unneccessary (there are also some wonderful wall frescoes at the Museo Nazionale di Roma, where we spent half a day). <BR> <BR>Had we enjoyed Capri and spent a full day there, we would have truncated something else; visited fewer ceramic shops, etc. All in all, five days was adequate for an overview.

Jim

Neil, <BR>What a wonderful concise and to the point account of the Sorrentine peninsula. Great job, will be in Sorrento middle of June.

michele

Thanks for the lovely and informative report , Neal. We will be in Sorrento or Amalfi ( still can't decide) for a few days in March. Even if we don't stay in Sorrento, your restaurant tips will be used. <BR> <BR>Grazie, <BR>Michele

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Neal, I enjoyed your report. We only did a day trip to Sorrento, from Praiano, this past June and didn't care for it at all so am glad to read what you had to say as it will entice me to try again. We did really like Positano tho - but too many stairs for my husband. And agree with you about Capri - even our private driver was encouraging us to shop! Really pretty though. Thanks again for posting such delightful report.

Joanne

Neal: <BR> <BR>Thank you for taking me back to one of my favorite places, Sorrento. We are going to Italy next May, but not south this time so will have to settle with reading posts like yours and going through my albums of past trips. We find it ideally located for day trips in the area, but that aside just enjoy being there. Have wonderful memories of our visits there and, as I have mentioned in other posts, I would love to live there, at least part of the year. Thanks again. <BR> <BR>j

Kay

Neal, <BR>Loved your report. We are headed to Italy in March and intend to have 5 days in Sorrento and do some day trips. We have stayed in Sorrento before on a tour but it was all too brief. <BR>Are there are any inexpensive hotels or pensione in Sorrento you could recommend? We are coming from Australia where our exchange rate is pitiful. I was considering the Loreley et Londres or Hotel Rota. Do you know them? <BR>Thanks for any help. Kay

Neal Sanders

Kay, I sympathize with you regarding exchange rates; I feel the same shock when I go to the UK. Loreley et Londres got a number of very good writeups in various guides we perused and, if I recall correctly, their rates were in the US$115 range inclusive of VAT and breakfast. But our budget was not that tight and, overall, we were surprised by how inexpensive things were (especially relative to Rome). <BR> <BR>As I noted, the 4-star Hotel Tramontano was US$225 inclusive of VAT and beakfast. Our "everything-on-the-menu" dinners at Trattoria di Emilia came to a whopping 70,000 lira for two, which translates to US$33.81. I would be hard pressed to eat at any restaurant in the US for that price. So, your Australian dollar budget may stretch further than you think. <BR> <BR>And a final note for anyone interested: if you don't use your bank's ATM card for cash withdrawals from your checking account, you're paying too much. "No fee" currency exchanges were offering 1900 lire to the dollar; those with a 5,000 lire fee were offering 2000 to 2010. Conversely, my tiny, three-branch savings bank linked to the Cirrus network provided an exchange rate, inclusive of whatever fees and expenses were imposed by the network, of 2087 lire per dollar. Virtually every bank ATM we encountered in Italy was connected to Cirrus.

Joe

Sorrento and environs are, simply, delightful. I cringe at terms like "passe" used to describe places to travel. A place, a town, a country (etc.), is either charming, historical, fun, beautiful or has some characteristic for which we travel or it does not. Terms like "passe" are vague appeals to be super chic; to be in the know; in fact, to be trendy. I have no time for trendy. <BR> <BR>To wake up in the morning and look from your bed across the Bay of Naples is nothing short of enchanting. The lights from Naples at night are equally alluring. There are two towns in Sorrento. The more touristy section is fun at night, just because of all the activity and the opportunity for people watching. The old town is a