hpqlvs

We stayed at Hilton Sorrento Palace recently. Its about less than 10 min walk to Piazza Tasso. My husband is a diamond member, we always get upgraded room, free breakfast for 4 and all day use of the exec lounge which helps when we want a bit of a cold drink before going out and have snack and cold drinks after arriving from wherever we were. Sorrento I would say would be a good base.

I agree with Longhorn55 with regards to Naples. There is a trip report done recently of this area Naples/Amalfi Coast. I think it was a factual report what you will experience in Naples and the Amalfi Coast..but then again, a lot did not agree because the report was done in a negative way...i.e Naples is a dump which is the same as armpit. Maybe the report was worded more nicely and positively in a negative way..I dont even know if that is possible.

re booking with point Hilton. Its too early. I normally book 6 months before the date because the system will open up on availability using points. never had a problem for 15 years booking using points.

Amexcard- cat 5 and 6 for 4 nights are 125,000 and cat 7 ( Hilton Sorrento Palace ) is 145,000.

iris1745

Hi; If you are taking the train to Sorrento, this is one of the most convienent hotels to the station. Perhaps a hundred yards down a grade on the left. Very easy. Plus it's ranked 2nd on TA. www.hotelantichemura.com

kybourbon

>>>I was planning to get a Naples Artecard since that looks like it will be a savings and work logistically (though still trying to work out the logistics for the Roma card and how we can make the 3 days where it will be most useful consecutive). A 4-day card would certainly work better for us both places, especially in Rome.<<<

Only the 3 day Tutta La Regione Artecard includes transport. Depending on what you decide about hotels, it might be beneficial to buy two Artecards if you are doing enough travel on consecutive days and visiting enough sites. The more expensive sites are Pompeii (11€), Herculaneum (11€), the palace in Caserta (12€ - where the early Star Wars filmed). By the time you add in a couple of trips on the Circumvesuviana (4€ from Naples to Sorrento) and a couple of bus trips on the coast (I think a day ticket is now 7.20€), it's easy to get the value of the card. If you scroll down and click on the various sites listed, you will get the entrance fee, hours and it lists the bus #'s, metro, tram, trains to take to reach the site.
http://www.campaniartecard.it/

As for the Roma Pass, the entrance fees are often higher than listed because they will have special exhibits. They usually tack on an extra fee of 3-5€, but it's included with the Roma Pass. Here's a list of fees, but you can count on most having exhibits.
http://www.romapass.it/doc/sitiAdere...lietti_eng.pdf

The most expensive sites are the Colosseum/Forum/Palantine (12€ counts as one entrance off the pass), the Borghese Galleria (10-12€ depending on special exhibits - reservations mandatory by phone to use the pass), the Capitolini Museum is only 8.50, but currently has an exhibit (Lux in Arcana - I hear it's excellent) which brings the entrance fee to 12.00€. The MACRO is also 12€.

It's harder to get the value of the Roma Pass unless you visit the most expensive museums and make use of the transport. There are some little electric bus lines that run through the historic center (from Galleria Borghese to the Vatican and Piazza del Popolo to S.Giovanni Laterano). At 1.50€ a ticket for transport in Rome, it adds up.
http://www.atac.roma.it/files/doc.asp?r=9

polly229

Yes, it did occur to me that I might consider a couple of 2 day passes in Naples/Sorrento. Will just have to add up costs when I come up with a firmer itinerary. Also will check the Omnia Vatican & Rome pass but at 85 Euros for 3 days, it might not be worth it; can get 2 Romas for less than that if worthwhile. But since we usually spend one day just wandering, not doing any museums, we wouldn't need a pass that day anyway. (Likely that would be the 1st day - jet lagged, we try to do things that keep us on our feet and then go to bed early.)

Hpqlvs, I have been following the Naples & Amafi (why I hate scooters) trip report, though I am about to give it up due to excess snark. It looks like Naples lovers (or tolerators) and Naples haters are about even in numbers but the haters are probably more adamant.

Thanks to everybody's help I have come up with an interim decision and booked hotel rooms. I'm going to assume I can stand a couple of nights in Naples (I love Athens, a lot can't get out of there fast enough) and if we take a fast train from Rome and don't have to get from Naples to Sorrento that day, we can probably do the Archeological Museum that afternoon, maybe some of the other things close to the hotel people have suggested. Since I had a day in Naples as one of the five full days, moving it to a half day will give us an extra day to go to Paestum (something I'd never have considered so thanks to those who suggested it). I have booked 2 nights at the Naples Renaissance, night of arrival and night after Paestum. The next day we can leave our bags at the hotel (or I think I read something about a bag check at Pompeii) and go to Pompeii, then go to Sorrento that night for the next four nights. However, I have hedged my bets here. I have reserved nights 1 & 2 in Naples, night 3 in both Naples and Sorrento, and nights 4-6 in Sorrento. When plans are firm next spring, I will cancel one of the hotels for night 3. Because of the decreasing availability of my hotel of choice for free nights in Rome, I was afraid to leave this area too long since I wanted these rooms for award points also and there are no other options for Marriotts and Hiltons in the area. Florence and Tuscany can wait since there are both Hiltons and Marriotts in Florence and the rest of the rooms will be paid.

joannyc

Polly,

The HGI in Florence is probably midwway between the center of Florence and the airport. It is in the city of Florence and close to a Europcar location which I used.

I thought it was OK for a free stay. They have sleep-number beds but there wasn't any view of any sort from my room... overlooking a construction site where there didn't seem to be any construction so, good, no noise. The bathroom and shower were fantastic. The bedroom a bit small... but it is Europe so maybe I'm being picky. Although I thought I would, I really didn't mind the bus ride... I actually met quite a number of people on the trip (lol, why do these young foreign transfer students want to talk to a 50+ yo woman???)

And, there is a grocery store close by for bottles of wine and snacks.

But, compared to the full-service Hilton in Venice? No comparison whatsoever!!! That place was fantastic!!! And, the perks for a Diamond member were fabulous!

polly229

Rats! I think I'm so smart, then get jerked back to earth. Things worked out so that our second Monday we'd be going from Sorrento to Florence and our last Monday we'd be going back to Rome. Monday - a good day to travel since museums are closed, right? And our trip from Rome to Naples is on Tues., so we could do the Archeological Museum that afternoon and free up a day for Paestum. Foiled again! Found out last night that the Arch. Mus. is closed on Tues. (as is Cappella Sansevero and maybe other things). Guess this means that doing Villa Oplontis (Poppea) in combination with Herculaneum is out, will have to do separately, one the day we arrive in Naples) and see the museum on morning before the other, meaning more transportation time.

kybourbon

FYI - They wanted cash only for the ArteCard in Naples train station. Also, last time I was at Herculaneum, they wanted cash only.

I've never seen how the Omnia pass could break even. It does offer a few perks not available to most tourists (Vatican gardens mini bus tour), but that might not interest most people.

Sassafrass

Your time changes will work out fine. Herculaneum the afternoon you arrive in Naples will be really nice. It is a very short trip, less than 30 minutes, so you are spending only a hour extra time getting there and back.

matera2019

Consider leaving your luggage at the Naples train station and simply continuing on to Ercolanum/Oplontis without it. Retrieve your luggage afterwards and check into your Naples hotel.

A_Brit_In_Ischia

If it's any help with the staggered closing days of sites etc here in Campania, I've compiled this "what's open when" list...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._Campania.html

(Check again before leaving, as April's a way off yet!)

... and you'll find a list of things to be seen in the immediate vicinity of the Naples Marriott on:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop..._Campania.html

...........................

If you do go to Paestum, watch for the odd pattern of train times on that line.... as with many of our local services, there's a big gap in the mornings!

Indeed, after the one which arrives there around 10AM (having left Naples at 08:30), you'd need to either go as far as Salerno by rail and then swap to the hourly CSTP #34 bus... or wait until midday for the next connection - which takes over 2 hours, despite using the dearer IC train! (All that, again, give or take any changes!)

...........................

One's spoilt for choice here but, for a few of the other places and things that you might enjoy, try having a look through these:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/tele

Peter

polly229

Good idea about leaving the luggage at the train station. Not something I've had the need to do before, so I didn't think of it.

Thanks for the closing list, Peter. (And just when I thought I'd write a travel book called <I>What to Do on Monday</I>.) Also thanks for the warning about the train to Paestum - not great news for us since we're not good at getting out early but I guess we'd better try to on the day we go there. (I feel the need to whine already.) I will have more questions in a few months and I think you might be the best person to answer some of them.

I've got to stop reading about Italy since it's 7 1/2 mo. away but a 3 wk. trip to Colorado that still needs some research starts 4 wks. from today and another driving trip to the NC Mts. and some zoos in Ohio starts 2 wks. after we get back from Colorado. Sometime in Nov. I'll go back to Italian research and start refining plans - and posting more questions.

I'm starting to feel that we might want to consider a day trip to Ischia instead of Capri, though. (Especially after looking at your Ischia photos.) From the map, it seems like that might be better to do from Naples than from Sorrento. So I'll hang on to the overlapping hotels for night 3 and maybe keep the Naples hotel and cancel the Sorrento one if we decide to go to Ischia.

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful information.

A_Brit_In_Ischia

For the back-burner then.....

One big drawback to not visiting Capri at all - you'll forever have people asking why you didn't!

The season for the daily hydrofoil that comes here from Sorrento usually starts at the beginning of April, providing time for a decent day's visit...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/131364851

Otherwise, there are perhaps a couple of dozen crossings each way between Naples and Ischia. Although slower, try to take the ferry at least one way, for some lovely views and photo-ops:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/i_to_n

... but maybe stop a night or two, and see more of the island as well as our cute neighbour, tiny Procida - where their Good Friday procession floats should still be on display in the new museum there:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/procida1

Peter