Positano location question
 

I will be spending a week in Positano at the end of June next year with some girlfriends (5 of us total) and I am starting to look for an apartment or villa to rent. My main issue (other than the horrid exchange rate) is what is a good location in Positano? There are a couple of houses that fit our criteria, but they are WAY up high and I am thinking that it would be difficult to get around town (we won't have a car) and to the beach. There are a couple of other villas that state they are in the Fornillo section of Positano. Would that also require a long walk to get to the "action"?

On the off-chance someone has a suggestion, we are looking for a 3 bedroom with air-conditioning, a large terrace where we can lay in the sun (if we don't feel like paying for a chair on the beach) and plenty of room inside for us to lounge around and cook big dinners!

All advice and comments are appreciated!

ekc,

For starters, you do know that everything (very nearly) on the Amalfi Coast is either UP or DOWN. Lots of stairs to go anywhere at all.

Once you know that, then you can look for villas/other that are closer distance-wise to beaches, etc. Also beaches are mostly rocky coves, but there are a couple small sandy beaches in Positano. You may end up enjoying that villa terrace more than you think, so make that a must have.

We counted the stairs down to the beach (cove) in Praiano and it was over 400! :-)

Buon viaggio!

You need help from the good people at www.summerinitaly.com
Look at their site but also talk to them--very helpful.
I would rather be in fornillo than all the way up the hill.

You also need my sons trip report and pics:

http://www.onelittleworld.com/campania_1.html

Thanks Dayle - I had heard that I should hit the stairmaster before this trip! Praiano looks lovely and it is definitely on my list of places to stay when we return!

BTN, thanks so much for the link to your son's report, and for the comment about Fornillo. Having never been to the AC, I am having a difficult time knowing what the walk from Fornillo into the center of Pos will be like - too treacherous to do at night? Will I be walking on the busy road? Is there another path? Thanks not only for your reply to this post, but for your many replies to questions on this forum - more often than not I agree with you 100%!

This is not an apartment but we stayed at Villa Rosa in Positano in the family room. It advertised 2 rooms for 4 but there was an extra cot in one of the rooms. The large patio off the bedroom was wonderful for lunches that we bought at the deli and also for the breakfast included every morning.

We stayed fairly high up the hill, and it would have been a bit of a problem if we hadn't been located so close to the bus stop up there (i.e. the one near Bar Internazionale). It was actually pretty convenient for catching the local buses to and from the lower part of town, and for catching the regional buses as well. And the view from our balcony was spectacular... one of the best we've ever had.

But without that proximity to the bus stop, it would have been a less enjoyable experience.

Thanks everyone! Has anyone actually walked from Fornillo into the center of Pos?

It depends where in Fornillo---you need to plot the specific location on Google maps. There is a pleasant walkway I have taken for perhaps 300 meters around the corner into Fornillo, but you need to pinpoint the exact location.

There is a beachside walkway from Fornillo Beach to the main beach and main part of the town. It is very scenic and a lovely little walk.

Thanks - good to know I won't be risking life and limb if we decide to rent in the Fornillo area and I want to walk back to the rental after a late dinner!

Fornillo beach wasn't too bad of a walk (I can't picture where rentals would be near there, however). We were there on our honeymoon last summer. We also stayed at Villa Rosa - I wouldn't have wanted to stay much higher up on the hill than there. It was a lot of walking but we managed to explore the entire area from Villa Rosa without ever having to rely on the bus. Positano was such a great city to visit.

ekc, where did you end up staying?

Flygirl, on that trip we ended up renting the large apartment at Villa Le Sirene and couldn't have been happier. The views and the terrace were fantastic and there were *only* 60 steps to get up to Via Pasitea, which afforded an easy walk to/from the center of town. If we were in a hurry, or feeling particularly fit, we could also use the large staircase to/from the beach (but that involved 157 steps!).