Life takes an interesting turn sometimes and I find myself a) planning to get married at age 47(!) and b) thinking about a honeymoon in Rome in June of 2004. I've been there before but did the corporate thing: stayed at the Hilton, did the sites with tours,etc. Now I want a new approach: ROMANCE! Any very romantic suggestions about places to stay, restaurants, things to do, daytrips?

Hi wee,

Congratulations.

May I suggest Venice, instead of Rome, as your honeymoon venue.

To me, there's nothing more romantic than the Amalfi Coast. Positano and Ravello in particular have got to be two of the most beautiful and romantic places on Earth. If you decide to go there, just post again. FYI, Positano is about a two and a half to three hour drive from Rome.

Good luck, and congratulations!

splendido hotel, portofino. www.lhw.com

Hi wee,

I guess we have a unanimous opinion.

Hmmm. I would definitely agree with the Venice suggestion but there is, shall we say, some personal baggage associated with Venice that precludes that. But Positano is a great idea. Perhaps we could fly in and out of Rome (his choice) and mosey down to Positano.

Hi wee,

Why not fly into Naples?

Fly into Naples and drive down the Amalfi Coast==definitely Positano!!

IF future hubs wants ROME airport for some reason, you can always get a car service to do the driving from Rome to Sorrento ( and enjoy the view with someone else driving) ==then pick up a rental car in Sorrento and continue the drive to Positano...

Good Car service that does this from Rome:

[email protected]

Congrats!

you can get an open jaw ticket- fly into Rome and out of Naples. This way you won't have to backtrack to Rome at the end of your trip.

The hotel you select in Rome can set the mood for romance and make your trip unforgetable. I LOVE the Hotel de Russie with their beautiful courtyard and gardens plus the small spa. Also, the Intercontinental De la Ville has been completely refurbished and I find it to be very romantic. We had a Junior Suite with terrace overlooking the city...absolutely perfect!

He's got Rome on his mind so flying into Rome then out of Naples might just be the ticket. I'll check out Hotel de Russie and Intercontinental, I love the idea of the terrace. Any dinner suggestions in Rome? Hotel suggestions in Positano?

We did Amalfi coast, Rome and Venice for our honeymoon a few years ago. A week in each. Our whole trip was wonderful, but I really think Positano is the most romantic place of all. Venice is perhaps a place to go for lovers who need some reminders about why they are in love, and Rome has too many distractions to be utterly romantic for newlyweds. But the Amalfi coast was gorgeous and perfect. FYI, we flew into Naples and had a driver take us to Positano. From there, it was pretty easy to go up and down the coast by boat or bus or car. We also stayed in Ravello at the Villa Cimbrone - amazing!

If you are committed to Rome, I can second the Intercontinental. It was quite romantic, though mainly for its location and because we had a terrace with stunning views of the city. Be warned: the regular rooms are quite tiny.

In Positano, if your budget allows, there's probably no better or more romantic a hotel than Le Sirenuse. If you can't quite afford that, we stayed at the 4-star Hotel Poseidon in a jr. suite with a beautiful terrace overlooking town. The Poseidon is much smaller than Sirenuse and also offers excellent service. It's restaurant has some of the best food I've had in Italy.
I can also recommend an excellent driver who I found through this board two years ago. He is: Giovanni Gargiulo, based in Sorrento. He's available for pickups at FCO, and can be reached either through e-mail at: tourofitaly. com, or on his cell at:
3387306575. We just used him for the second time this July. He is really a character, great driver, charming, and reliable. I've sent lots of my friends his way.
If you decide to go, make sure to go to Montpertuso, a mountain village 15 minutes away from Positano for either lunch or dinner at IL RITROVO or DONNA ROSA. You won't believe the food!

Have a great time!

I've just emailed my intended, mentioned Positano, and he is psyched. Thanks for steering us in a new direction.

Wee,

I think you'll really love it. I'm already scheming to go back, and I've only been home from there 3 weeks!

Best of luck, and if you need more help just post again. This board is a wonderful source of information.

I've enjoyed your comments Weadles. I'm just getting back into the forum since about 3 years ago while planning a trip to Venice and Switzerland. I actually have a Fodors pin! Is anyone still talking about those? Anyway this forum is totally addicting and fun and a great diversion from the ho-hum of life. Ahh, travel fantasy!