Sorrento or Positano
 

We are going to be on the Amalfi coast during the middle of October and aren't sure whether it would be better to stay in Sorrento (and where?) or Positano (where?). We want to take a driving tour of the entire coast and see Pompeii so we need to use Sorrento or Positano as a base. Does anyone know which city would be better and have recommendations on places to stay. Le Sireneuse seems wonderful but too pricey as does Il San Pietro. Are there other nice places that might not be so pricey?

Hi win,

Sorrento is much more convenient for Pompeii, and has more parking.

Is there a particular reason why you want to drive the AC?

I found it much more enjoyable to let the bus driver do the work while I took pictures.

Sorrento is much more convenient for Pompeii, and has more parking.

I prefer Sorrento if you are doing a driving tour and want to include Pompeii - and I would also do the Archeological Museum in Naples.

We stayed at the Excelsior Vittoria and really loved it - the rooms are large with great views over the Bay of Naples, the hotel is set in a beautiful garden (but still in the center of town) and there is a private elevator from the hotel terrace down to the dock where you can catch ferries/hydrofoils to Capri or along the coast.

Positano is a good home base if all you want to do is the Amalfi Coast. But if you want to do Pompeii/Herculaneum, Naples, Capri/Ischia, or if you want more infrastructure or transportation connections, go with Sorrento.

I agree that Sorrento is probably a better located base for visiting other places, but in our opinion, Positano is much more beautiful than Sorrento and absolutely magical at night to stay there. We had a day trip out to Pompei from there and it was easy to do. We got the bus to Meta - about 25 minutes- which drops you straight outside the circumvesuviana rail station and you can use the same ticket to hop straight on the train ( take line heading to Naples- only 2 lines) which drops you at the entrance to Pompei.
We stayed at the Villa Franca - lovely hotel. A sea view room is essential to enjoy the real magic of Positano. Nice staff and a great barman - Andy from Bolton. Lovely pool area although not large and the hotel is positioned right at the top of the town. This can involve quite a bit of walking, but the hotel offers a free shuttle bus in and out of town for guests

Agree with annepoulton..Sorrento is a better base, but Positano is far lovelier. I wish I had stayed there instead.

Sorrento isn't on the Amalfi Coast, but it is a good base to visit Pompeii. It is also package tour central for the area--that might not be a big problem in October, but in season, much of the town is overrun with tour groups.

I prefer Positano as a place to stay. It's not all that far from Positano to Pompeii--maybe a 45 minute to 1 hour drive depending on traffic. Sorrento is usually a 35-45 minute drive to Pompeii, again depending on traffic.

However, the area is very nice no matter where you stay.

Positano is a lovely place to stay; Sorrento is more of a city, though a lovely one. Try the Poseidon hotel in Positano; not as $$ as the two you mentioned, but very nice, with pool, etc and great views. Also an excellent pizza place where you get off of the day trip boats. Go to your left and follow the path along there. Great views there, also great pizza. Would recommend dinner at San Pietro, though, or lunch. Also have a look at Amalfi itself; the square there is nice and there is a fantastic church. Only one great restaurant there, but can't remember it, sorry. It's a great area. I love it--have been twice and will go back.

We are staying in Positano in September at Villa La Tartana (a small B&B type hotel with a water view). It was very reasonable and had all excellent reviews.

Winrock, Is it possible to split your stay between Sorrento & Positano?
If possible, I would consider it.

We stayed in Sorrento, loved it. Grand Excelsior Vittoria is a wonderful place.

We plan to go back to this area and will split our time between Sorrento and the AC (Positano & Ravello).

http://www.exvitt.it/ Website for the Excelsior

Hello Winrock7,
My wife and I honeymooned in Sorrento four years ago. We were there in October, and it was quietish.

My personal belief is that its a great place to base yourself, however as one person has already wrote, think about a night or two in Positano, its so beautiful. We took one of the day cruise ships down the coast, and stopped off at Capri, for a swim off the stern of the boat! I would respectfully recommend this, the cruise was a highlight for me.

We stayed in Hotel De La Ville. Its located within a five minute walk to the town centre. I'm not sure if its online.
Hope my ramblings are of some help.
Have a nice time.

I recommend Positano...beautiful! (just came back last month, 2nd time there). We went to Sorrento for a day and found it to be a small city with much traffic and little charm compared to Positano's cliffs, views, streets and relaxed atmosphere.

Enjoy whereever you end up!

John

We stayed in Positano and loved it and then drove all around AC. Then when we left for Rome, we stopped in Pompeii, a very easy drive from Positano. We drive thru Italy unless we're just going to the major cities. It gives us far more flexibility.