Ira why are you even responding to a query about Spain when you have never been there?


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35182528

Good lord, ek.

I suggest that there is a middle course between hiring a TA and winging it, and because it happens to be about Spain, you jump all over me?

It was a generic question with a generic response.

((I))

Goodness knows why you even responded to a question about a country you do not know, Ira, but given that you often feel the urge to post something, anything, (even if it is just the word "ditto") perhaps you could have written something along these lines:



"I've never been to Spain but there are many posters here who could help you plan your trip."

Or how about recommending Maribel? Isn't she the obvious name when it comes to professional planning
for a trip to Spain?????

ek, I would answer the same question in the same way whether it was about France, Spain, Hawaii, or Timbuktu.

There is nothing there that warrants complaint.

As Dean Rusk wrote J. K. Galbraith
"To the extent that your views have any merit, they have been considered and rejected".

Goodness--what have I done--next thing we know you will be handing out advice about Mali on the Africa board!!!!!

Never mind Ira. As long as I don't have to be at a party with you. There is always one person breaking into conversations and pontificating about things they know nothing about! PLEASE, stick to Europe, and the Lounge!

Simmer down kiddies. This thread has been derailed enough.

luvtotravel - If the ferries are running, catch the ferry from Amalfi to Sorrento and train from there to Pompeii. I wouldn't want to book a car service in advance unless you have a backup plan. If you have bad weather, you won't want to be traipsing around Pompeii.

Beyond all the arguing, I noticed right away that "one family member gets bad car sickness on windy roads"....the LAST thing that someone who gets sick on winding roads wants to do is stay in Praiano where you can only access it by car or bus - and the SITA buses are notoriously bad at making people REALLY sick. My suggestion would be to stay in Sorrento or Amalfi, where you can come and go via ferry and only by car in an emergency, such as you day of arrival or departure if the ferry is not running.

oh - wow. I didn't see that! I TOTALLY agree. Sorrento or Salerno (Vietri sul Mare is very charming) are MUCH better options than Praiano.

I say this from experience unfortunately :-(

My son actually DID get SICK on a bus on the Amalfi coast...he was totally mortified and I think everyone on the bus would have killed us if we didn't jump off ASAP. Nothing else we could do really. Poor thing was in tears and hysterical (he was 6)...had parked the car in Salerno and planned on taking the bus to Amalfi for the day...jumped off at Maiori and were stuck there for the entire day because he was too terrified of getting sick again to get back on a bus to go on to Amalfi OR to go back to Salerno...had to go shopping to get him into clean clothes...the whole thing...took a lot of convincing to even get him back to the car in Salerno later that evening:-( (he was fine, BTW - the way there, we were stuck in the way back and the bus was very hot and jam-packed with school kids...on the way home, I asked the driver in advance before he even opened the bus if he could make sure my kid was seated in the very front seat so he could see out the window and/or we could get right off if there was a problem.

Anyway...sorry to share - but it IS an issue for people who get car sick easily for sure. (happy end though - it seemed to be a car-sick phase...popped his bum right back on the bus last Nov. to head out to Amalfi and had no problems :-) had to promise hot chocolate upon arrival though to get him on!)As I've said, you cannot rely on the ferries in shoulder season. I really would base somewhere easy to get to "just in case"!

I was with a local who grew up in the area and we took the bus back from Salerno having taken the ferry to get there. He turned green and was pretty woozy. It is the buses that swing and sway as they make the turns. If you are in a car it isn't as bad. I don't get car sick at all if I haven't been drinking but a friend does and she was fine all the times we have been in cars on the Amalfi Drive (many many times).

By the way, the orange local bus stops on the street in Positano high above the docks. You do have to walk along the street, walkways and stairways to get down to the dock. You would have to judge how long it would take for your own self to walk it. I can do it pretty fast when I need to.

Is it true that ferries to Capri may not run in April before Easter?

I was planning on staying 4 nights in Sorrento and 2 nights in Capri, the first week of April.

There would be no way to get to Capri?

Also, I shouldn't need to take the bus to Meta to board the train to Pompeii from Sorrento, right?

no, no no - there should be ferries from Sorrento - no problem. The ferry service may not be running from Positano, Praiano, etc. - the Sorrento and Naples ferries are major lines and run year-round.

You get right on the train at Sorrento to go to Pompeii - you don't need a bus at all (Sorrento is not that big - very walkable. Some people like to take a bus up from the port/dock because it is uphill but I've always just walked).

scrb, where are you staying? If on the Amalfi Coast, the bus will come over ss 163 from there, you can stay on it to Sorrento, to the train station, get on the train and go to Pompeii. If you are staying in Sorrento just walk over to the train station and hop on.

The ferries they are talking about here are the ones that go along the coast, the ones to Capri and also the hydroplanes go to Capri year around, depending on weather for the day.

If I am wrong, someone correct me, lol.

Although sorry for the confusion that this must have cost AmoreItalia, I am very glad that a few of us were able to "say" some things that needed to be said and to correct a few errors in the meantime.

Obviously I am a bit shaken by the veiled threat that Ira will come over to the Africa board and start handing out advice.

And now, back to the more cheerful subject of car sickness in Praiano! (I agree that Amalfi would be a much better bet, both for that reason and because more businesses will likely be open so early in the season.)

Thinking of staying in Sorrento, because it seems more centrally located for going both to the AC as well as Pompeii/Naples.

Haven't booked anything yet.

Well, I liked Sorrento and thought it a pretty town. It's perched on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples, around the corner from the Amalfi coast. Sorrento's bigger than the towns on the AC and is a transportation nexus for Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi coast. The SITA bus from Sorrento to the Amalfi coast shouldn't fill up in early April.

It is easy to get around from Sorrento, but when I stay there, I stay outside of town up in the hills. Many hotels in Sorrento don't have views unless you are on a top floor. The hotel I use has free shuttle to and from town/train station except during mid-day and is on the busline. Many hotels in the area offer free shuttles.
http://www.ilnido.it/index.php

Bellastar- wondering about those branches for brunch ;-)

Wow, this has been a true Italian conversation! Grazie, grazie!! Love the spirited talk, all that's missing is a juice glass filled with red wine and my Nonna!

Thanks for all the tips, we've settled on Amalfi as a base on the AC.

We have 5 nights and then need to get back to Rome. Do you think this sounds sensible:
Rome to Naples (train)
Naples to Amalfi (car service)
Amalfi 3 nites
Amalfi to Capri 2 nites (ferry)
Back to Naples (ferry from Capri)
Naples to Rome (train)

One last quest -- do you think ferries will be running from Amalfi to Capri on April 5-7?

Hi Amor,

>Rome to Naples (train)
Naples to Amalfi (car service)<

You might wish to consider taking the train from Rome to Salerno.

The ferry to Amalfi is about 3 blks from the train station.

It is a very pretty ride.

For Ferry schedules Positano – Amalfi - Salerno (P.zza della Concordia), and for Amalfi to Capri:
See http://tinyurl.com/3cbhkb

Also check http://www.capritourism.com/ for ferry schedules.

You can also take the SITA bus (stop is near the station) to Amalfi.

Enjoy your visit,

((I))

Another option for Rome to Amalfi (assuming you aren't spending the night in Naples on the way) is the bus from Rome to Sorrento. From Sorrento you could take the private driver and it will be much cheaper than from Naples. The Curreri bus leaves Rome at 2 pm and arrives at 5:30. It leaves from Rome Tibutina station (no Sunday bus though), doesn't involve any changes, costs 16E and your luggage is stored under the bus.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

There is also the Marozzi bus which leaves Tiburtina at 3 and arrives Sorrento at 7. At some times of the year this bus goes all the way to Amalfi. 17.5E.
http://www.marozzivt.it/

A third option is the Buono Tourist bus which departs from Rome's FCO airport (you can catch it at the metro stop in Eur at 3:50) and goes to Salerno (arrives 7:15 and makes several stops in Salerno). This bus might not be year round. The website is in Italian so perhaps someone with Italian can figure out if it's year round.
http://www.buonotourist.it/

FYI - Anyone needing to get to and from Naples airport from Salerno, Buono Tourist has this run several times a day.

AFAIK there aren't any hydroplanes on the coast, but there are hydrofoils. :)

'I am very glad that a few of us were able to "say" some things that needed to be said and to correct a few errors in the meantime.'

Eks - You, Bella and several others make a number of valid points which needed to be said. What's worrying is when he posts about places he's never heard of/ been to.


'You both seem to have an obsession with requiring that anything that anyone says has to come from personal experience, and personal experience only.'

Ira - Your posts on this forum would have more credibility if you posted from your personal experience only. That's what people come here for, I think ...

Steve