We used Giovanni's service last year and were very pleased with him. He is very punctual and he met us at the Naples train station right on time. He also drove us back from positano to naples airport at 6 am in the morning. His e-mail is [email protected]. He charges about 80 E from naples to Positano. On the way from naples to Positano he showed us all the sights along the way, and he even bought a small lunch for us. He possesses a good command of English language and he made the trip very enjoyable for us in his new Mercedes.

Question for Bugswife1: How did you rent the "little" boat? Was it expensive? Did you try the hotel boat? We finalized the plans for my daughter's wedding in the Positano Church with the reception in the gardens of the Murat. I have seen the outside of the hotel, eaten in the restaurant, but haven't stayed there. I am trying to book the wedding guests there, but was concerned about no pool because it will be in June. Any info you want to share would be appreciated. I thought the restaurant had the best food in Positano.

WanderingTexan,

My wife and I stayed in the Murat's "sister" Hotel Miramare this past June. The Murat and the Miramare share their boat, O Sole Mio, for 2 2-hour cruises a day, AM & PM. I think it was about 9 meters long and with the captain, I would guess the it could hold about 5/6 couples comfortably. And the best part was that it was a free service to the hotel patrons! But, you had to make reservations.

We sailed with 2 other couples around Li Galli, where we stopped to swim and have some fresh fruit snacks.

Otherwise, there were plenty of other boat rentals on the beachfront. From small Gozzi to sailboats. Try this website:

http://www.amalfisails.it/amalfisails-en.htm

Good luck to you and congrats to your daughter. You are both very lucky. Have a great trip!

I must second viaggiatore's recommendations for Da Vincenzo and La Tagliata!

La Tagliata will send a van to come pick you up for dinner .... and then up, up, up you go! It truly was one of the highlights of our trip and an experience we will never forget. When we were there there was a large group of locals celebrating someone's birthday. The atmosphere was lively and the food was great.

For a very romantic night, I would also highly recommend the restaurant at Le Sirenuse. It was magical. The room was filled with thousands of flickering candles and the food was excellent.

Enjoy your trip! I'm so jealous!

by350 -
I am going to Positano in a couple of weeks (leaving 09/02 - yippeee!) I've contacted Giovanni and he quoted us a rate of 150 Euro from naples to positano with a stop at pompeii. This is a little higher than the 80 Euro above but that is due to the stop at Pompeii - enjoy!

We are going to Positano next month and have received several recommendations to La Tagliata. Do we need reservations? Does anybody know the phone number or email?

russk007,

Lucky you. La Tagliata is 089 875 872, but your hotel can make reservations for you, usually the day before is OK, and arrange for a van to pick you up and take you back after you dine. Get a window seat, of course, and you will enjy a stunning view, even to Capri.

The very large grille is located in the dining room. You can't miss it. Enjoy!

Yes, the price of E 150 is quite high, considering that Pompeii is on a way. You can probably bargain with him and bring the price down a bit.

I don't know about Giovanni's price being high. He charged us about $100 two years ago for a pickup from Naples airport to Positano. Plus, you have to factor in waiting time at Pompeii. To me, it sounds quite reasonable, and not just because I'm a big Giovanni fan.

ok, can i ride on the coattails of the procrastinating bride? I planned the first week of our honeymoon at end up september. Staying at san pietro near Positano as our base. it may be a bit off beaten track, but it's a taxi ride away from everything and we want to unwind. any suggestions for Capri? want to stay 4-5 days and unwind there too. Will make a day trip to Ishcia, want to hike and hit all the ruins, swim. So, should we book Hotel Punta Tragara, La Scalinatella, or Capri Palace? I can find a bad review for every option, which makes decision making even harder. Please help. Also, KKF, i booked my flight last week out of Newark to Naples, and got rate of $645, FYI. Booked it on travelocity.

Dnice,

For Capri, have you checked out:

Luna
Casa Morgano
Villa Brunella

We stayed at Luna, had gorgeous rooms with amazing views over the coast. Luna's about a five minute walk from the main piazzetta.

The other three mentioned have gotten very good reviews here on the forum. We had dinner at Villa Brunella, and it looked lovely, although it's a bit of a hike ( fifteen minutes?) from the main piazzetta.

I'll keep my thoughts about San Pietro mostly to myself... Maybe others like it more than we did.

Congratulations, and have a great time!

Thank you all for this helpful info. We have now confirmed our reservation at the Hotel Poseidon and have bought our plane tickets.
Dnice - thanks for the flight info. We ended up booking a flight from DC to Rome, instead of Naples. The only affordable option into Naples for us was with Air France, and it just didn't seem worth it considering I've only heard bad things about their service. We booked a flight on Swiss Air for $578 on Orbitz, and are going to call Giovanni about the ride.

Would still love to hear anyone's ideas on restaurants in Amalfi, Capri, Ravello, near Paestum, etc.?

Not to get off subject, but since we'll be spending our last night in Rome for our 7am flight the next day - any favorite hotels in Rome? Looking for something relatively affordable, but doesn't need to be low budget, and something near a good restaurant area.

Thanks again all!

kkf,

I'm glad all your plans are coming together! I hope you'll love Hotel Poseidon as much as we did.

For Rome, a lot of people here on the forum have raved about ALBERGO DEL SENATO, a 3-star just across the street from the Pantheon. In July, we stayed around the corner from there, at the 4-star Hotel Pantheon, which has lovely rooms, but doesn't offer much by way of views. I have heard that Albergo Del Senato has incredible views of the Pantheon from some of its rooms, and that may be worth checking out for your last night in Rome. Either of these hotels will offer you easy access to Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, half an hour walk to the Colosseum and tons of restaurants.

Good luck, and have a wonderful time.