dmiclat

Hello

Looking for feedback on the following itinerary and hotel strategy (luxury on Capri and mid-range on Amalfi Coast or vice versa).

In mid-late May or late May-early June:

4 nights Capri at luxury Hotel Caesar Augustus (Anacapri) or mid-range Hotel Luna (outside of Capri)
Activities include: moped, hiking, boat tour/sunset cruise, shopping

4 nights Amalfi Coast at mid-range Hotel Belvedere (Conca dei Marini) or luxury Hotel Belmond Caruso (Ravello)
Activities include: hiking, shopping, touring towns/sights, wine tasting, touring Paestum ruins

3 nights Naples at Renaissance hotel (Marriott points)
Activities include: Private tour Herculaneum, Pompeii, Vesuvius and wine tasting.

I look forward to everyone's responses and tips.

Thank you!
DMICLAT

HappyTrvlr

I can't recommend Hotel Minerva on Capri highly enough. It is small witha superior level of personalized service. Lovely location too.

yorkshire

I have not stayed at any of those, but I suggest you choose based on the locations and the activities you will be doing. On Capri, it's small and you'll be doing outdoor activities primarily, so I'd be inclined to go mid-range there just because you may have extra costs on the mainland.
On the AC, staying in Conca dei Marini or Ravello would require transport logistics, whereas you may prefer staying in Amalfi or Positano for its bus access, etc. Unfortunately, in late May the local buses are quite crowded, but the weather is typically great for hiking.

LouisaH

HappyTrvlr, I agree about Hotel Minerva. We were there in September and it was absolutely wonderful.

Blueeyedcod

The Mediterraneo in Naples is in a good location. The Amalfi Coast choices I would avoid - too inconvenient for the sightseeing you have planned.

kja

You might consider cutting one night in Capri and adding it to either Naples or the Amalfi Coast. Just an idea.

Be sure to visit the Villa St. Michele in Anacapri.

While in Paestum, consider visiting the museum, too -- it's small, but holds some exquisite and unique items.

ekc

I agree with the other posters - your locations on the AC are not convenient for sightseeing.

For a winery visit, I can recommend Vigne di Raito nesr Salerno. If you take the ferry to Salerno, they will arrange transportation to/from the winery.

WWK

I've stayed at Hotel Luna, and while the rooms are beautiful, we found the hotel itself rather pretentious. I'd choose The Minerva instead.

And I agree with the other posts above, that you need to rethink the AC choices. Neither of those will make it easy fo you to access the best of the Amalfi Coast towns.

I would look at choices in Positano ( my personal favorite) or Amalfi, both of which have much better transportation options to other towns/cities along the coast.

dmiclat

Thank you all for your contributions and guidance - especially on the Amalfi Coast.

Please review the AC plan below and provide us your thoughts. We realize there is so much to see and that our time is limited. Our goal is to focus on light tourism activities and enjoy the views through scenic hikes and dining options. Almost all of our beach/pool time on this trip will be in Capri.

Day 1: Late morning/early afternoon hike Ravello to Amalfi via Pontone & Torre dello Zirro. Late lunch, shopping in Amalfi. Dinner in Ravello or Amalfi.

Day 2: Spend the day (lunch and dinner) in Positano.

Day 3: Drive the Amalfi Coast (Positano to Paestum). Paestum ruins, ceramics shopping, vineyards/winery/wine tasting, beaches, sunset dinner, etc...Should we hire a private car/driver or rent our own car?

Day 4: Morning hike Agerola to Nocelle via Path of the Gods Trail. Possibly afternoon hike Ravello to Minori or Atrani. Possibly afternoon hotel pool time. Last dinner in Ravello or Amalfi.

Thank you!
DMICLAT


mostly for dining out and 1/2 day sightseeing.What are your thoughts on renting a car for a day to drive around the Amalfi Coast? Our thought is that we can have our hotel shuttle drop us in Amalfi/Ravello for a day. We would also can - visit Positano, Amalfi, over to Paestum, and Salerno? Is it feasible and worthwhile to

kja

"Late morning/early afternoon hike Ravello to Amalfi"

I did that hike mid-day in late May / early June a few years ago and found parts of it swelteringly hot, with long stretches that offered little or no shade. I was glad I hiked that route and and I enjoyed the views, but be prepared!

"Day 3: ... vineyards/winery/wine tasting ... sunset dinner, etc...Should we hire a private car/driver or rent our own car?"

If you plan to have any wine, then driving yourselves is (of course) not recommended.

"Salerno?"

I'm not sure what your question about Salerno is, but I would say that I considered it quite underrated. There are some absolute gems in its Duomo.

WWK

Just so you know, temps by the end of May/early June can be blazing hot. So be prepared!

Driving on the AC can be difficult. There are tons of tight turns, sometimes bumper to bumper traffic, and limited parking in most of the towns. Get a driver if you can, and if you are prone to car sickness, make sure you take something before you leave.

jamikins

'Late lunch, shopping in Amalfi'

A lot of restaurants close after 2pm and dont reopen until dinner around 7pm. I haven't been to Amalfi, but in general in Italy it can be difficult to find sit-down restaurant lunches after 2 - 2:30pm.

sandralist

Where are you staying on the Amalfi coast? You will find it difficult to have dinner in towns other than the ones in which you are actually sleeping without paying a lot for taxi rides home. In addition, if you drink wine with dinner -- or even if you don't -- a taxi ride back in the dark to another town after dinner can upset your stomach.

Once you are on the Amalfi coast you will be unable to rent a car (I believe) unless you go to Sorrento or Salerno, where the car rental offices are located. Then of courseou would need to do the same to return the car, probably park it overnight in Positano. Rather a hassle, and quite expensive and useless if you rent the car upon your arrival and keep it the whole time parked somewhere just to take a day trip to Paestum. It is really inadvisable to drive yourselves to dinner and back at night, even if you don't drink.

For your day trip to Paestum, you might be able to cut the cost of a private driver from Positano by getting yourselves to Vietri sul Mare (ceramics) or Salerno using public transportation, and then meet up with a driver/tour guide in Salerno who will take you to wineries, Paestum, etc.

Just in general -- and since I don't know where you are staying -- I think you are understimating the difficulties of your itinerary in a foreign place. Hikers either need to get up early in morning or scale back their ambitions and diners need to be prepared to invest time in their meals and abide by the Italian clock or else picnic. Traveling along the crowded Amalfi drive, visiting Paestum, or Salerno, or wineries and or going ceramics shopping are all time consuming aims, each one of them.

I realize you are just tossing out ideas ("Salerno?") and now is definitely the time to do it, but in the end you might enjoy your trip more if you plan to fulfill one important desire per day, and leave the rest of the time to enjoy your meals and have surprises (or deal with traffic jams or other things taking longer than you expected).

laurie23

Just a note- we stayed at the lovely and mid/high end Marina Riviera in Amalfi. Great breakfast and was fully air conditioned. While I wasn't blown away by Amalfi for ahopping, it was very convenient to and less congested than Positano. We were happy with the choice.
We could walk almost anywhere, and our day long boat trip out of Positano (it was scorching mid August) was easily accessed.

dmiclat

Thank you all for another set of super feedback! From what it sounds like, our itinerary of 1 major event per day is the best plan, grabbing ad hoc/planned dining, hiring a private car/driver for our trips to Positano and Salerno/Paestum, and taxis/hotel shuttles for all other needs.

Much appreciated!

DMICLAT

WWK

If you stay in Amalfi, you won't need a private driver for a day trip to Positano. It's only about 30 minutes by boat, which is a much more pleasant experience than the awful SITA buses that connect the coast.

Just a heads-up that even though you're going early in the season, you should consider dinner reservations at the more popular restaurants. Otherwise you may not get in or have to eat dinner very late.

Lastly, one of our "can't miss" restaurant destinations is LA TAGLIATA, in Montepertuso, a mountain village about a 15 min. drive from Positano. Try to go just before dusk, so that you can catch the stunning view of the mountain and town (Positano) below from the dining room. The food is some of the best we've had on the AC.

Blueeyedcod

It's easy to eat in Amalfi. Increasingly, only the areas where tourists don't go still do the closing after lunch thing. You'll find the main strip of Amalfi from the dock to the Paper Museum it's business as usual.

Do your hiking as early as possible to avoid the heat. Be super cautious on the Path of the Gods - a tourist was killed on this path last year. Some parts are pretty rough. Bomerano to Positano offers the best views.

Day 3 - too much going on. Paestum and its museum will take half a day alone. I would hire a driver especially if you want a lunch with wine and/or the vineyards. The beaches further south at Agerola are beautiful and not crowded. Depending where you're from, you may find the water temperature warm enough for a swim.

dmiclat

Blueyedcod and WWK - thank you for the feedback. We will likely stay in Conca dei Marini (Hotel Belvedere) for the duration of our AC stay. Do you have any recommendations on how we should travel from Conca dei Marini to Positano or Conca dei Marini to Amalfi/Ravello?

Any comparable hotels in Amalfi that you would recommend?

Thanks!
DMICLAT

WWK

dmiclat,

Check with other posters/reviews, but if I am remembering correctly, this hotel is beyond gorgeous (!!), but a good 15-20 minutes away by car from Amalfi, etc. And as I remember, very little sidewalk for pedestrians with cars whizzing by.


For me, the beautiful but remote location would be a deal breaker, since I like to be within walking distance of a town. Otherwise, I feel "stuck" at the resort.

IF you are just looking for views and fine food, it's probably ideal. But for exploring the coast, I'd say not so much.

And sorry, but I can't recommend hotels in Amalfi, because we always stay in Positano! I'm sure you will find many other recommendations here.

ekc

"For me, the beautiful but remote location would be a deal breaker, since I like to be within walking distance of a town. Otherwise, I feel "stuck" at the resort."

Ditto. You cannot walk from Conca to Amalfi - well, technically you can but not if you value your life.

So that means you will need to take a taxi to Amalfi to catch the ferry to Positano, to have dinner, to shop, etc. An expensive hassle IMO.