Restaurant Recs & Things to Do
 

We are leaving for our honeymoon on June 20th and going to the following places. I am looking for restaurant recommendations and must see things to do in the area. I know this is very open ended, but anything and everything would be appreciated!!

Portofino - Hotel Splendido
Fiesole - Villa San Michele
Positano - Hotel Poseidon
Ravello - Palazzo Sasso

Thank you!

Anyone? Please. Anything would be helpful. Most see beautiful spots/gardens, romantic restaurants??

Hi june,

You will be staying at the Villa San Michele. You don't need further restaurant recommendations in Florence.

The Palazzo Sasso is one of the best hotels in Europe. You don't need restaurant recommendations.

Ditto for Portofino.

Please, please give us a trip report when ou get back. So few of us will ever stay at any of these hotels.

Happy honeymoon, and may your married life improve from there.

Thank you very much. That was so sweet. So the restaurants in the hotels are good? I was hoping for local places people recommend. Or gardens to walk through. I remember hearing about Villa Cimbrone?

Your are staying in some of the top hotels in the world, except for the Poseidon, and they have their own great restaurants. Why the Poseidon? It's a charming place, but not in the league of the others.

For Portofino, I'd visit Santa Margherita and enjoy any number of great places to eat there. You can also go to the Cinque Terre by boat or train. For Fiesole, I think the food is just all right at the Villa San Michele, but the view and the entire setting of that restuarant on the terrace overlooking Florence is magical. Near Fiesole is the little village of Maiano and there is a casual trattoria called Cave di Maiano with good food and nice view also. In Fiesole, there are a couple of nice churches and the ruins of a Roman theater. On the road into Florence is a church with works by Fra Angelico.

In Positano, I'd try the restaurant at Le Sirenuse, called La Sponda. It is very romantic. The best restuarants are up in Montepertusso, Donna Rosa, Costantino, Ritrovo. All will come and pick you up at your hotel. In Ravello, the restaurant at the Villa Maria is excellent and you can also try the famous Cumpa di Cosima.

Thank you so, so much! THAT WAS SO HELPFUL! And it made me so excited to go! As for the Poseidon, yes it is no where near the same price point as the others. We picked our areas to splurge on and we are getting the grand suite at Poseidon. A few friends have gone to Positano and stayed there and loved it based on location as opposed to Le Sirenuse per se. We thought we would not go crazy there since we trusted our friends' opinions and are going well beyond crazy elsewhere! :)

Thanks again!

Do I need to make reservations in advance for La Sponda? Or the other top places you mentioned?

Yes, reservations are mandatory at La Sponda. I would also make them at Villa Maria. When you want to go up to Montepertusso, have the Hotel Poseidon call the restaurant in the morning (for lunch) or early afternoon (for dinner) to make the reservations and to arrange for the car to come and pick you up. You will of course need to reserve at the Splendido, Villa San Michele and Sasso.

Thank you. Should I try and reserve in advance now or can I do it when I check in to the hotel?

topping

Thanks to all!

Type in "Restaurants AND Positano" in the search box and you should find literally hundreds of replies. Same with the other cities you are visiting. Restaurant recommendations on the Amalfi coast and Florence area are very poplular on this site. I think the low number of responses is because people tink you can easily do a search on your own.

Dear June bride, Your plans sound wonderful. Don't forget that hotel concierges, in my experience, often have great recommendations for restaurants in their area. Some of our best meals on our last trip to Italy were in places not mentioned in any guidebooks, but recommended by the hotel concierge. Have a great trip!

Thank you all. I definately think I want to go to La Sponda while in Positano. I am just nervous. Should I reserve now or can I have the conceirge do it?

If you will be dining at La Sponda on a weekend, you could reserve now. The Sirenuse has an excellent website and you could email your request for dinner reservations. If you will be going on a weekday, I think you can wait until you arrive in Positano and have the concierge reserve for you.

Dear June, Your honeymoon sounds wonderful. The Splendido is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen. There is nothing more romantic than dinnder on their terrace. In Positano, we enjoyed dinner at Da Vincenzo and lunch at O'Guaracino. Both are a short walk from your hotel. I was not overly impressed with Le Sireneuse. We had only cocktails and then on to Vincenzo.Have fun and give us a reoprt when you return.