tripgirl

Hi all!

I'm back from my annual trip with friends, this time to the Amalfi Coast, May 4-11th. First, thanks to all who answered some of my questions before going; your answers really helped.

I'm going to post in categories versus a day by day blow of accounts ( do you really want to know every minute detail???!)

The Players: As many of you know I plan annual trips for about 15-18 friends each year. This year we were 18, most of us residing in the same neighborhood in Alexandria VA. . We were all couples except for one mother and daughter team. We all get along great, no quibbles or qualms.

I plan everything with no input from anyone. While that might sound harsh, it is the only way to plan a trip with a group larger than 6-8 people. The trips are really planned as if it's just my DH and I going and who wants to join us, but there is a set plan and you have to agree to the pan to come on the trip. So far in 6 years, no beefs about anything that has been planned. Guess I just have very easygoing friends!

The planning: For group trips, I do indeed use a travel agent( not for when DH and I are alone on trips throughout the year). As I stated in other trip reports, my agent is the same for each year. We work together , with me really in the drivers seat as to what I want and how I want it done. With the help of lots of individual research and you guys at Fodors, I can bring to my agent exactly how the trip should go. She in turn arranges the logistics that otherwise would actually prove to be too much for me to do on a large group basis. She makes very helpful suggestions and she has contacts that I simply do not. She also graciously arranges for upgraded rooms for DH and me ( why not: after all I do plan EVERYTHING!) at each hotel ( can't wait to tell you the rooms we had on this trip, oh Mamma Mia!!!!)

After about 1 year of planning, the research is all put into a 75 page Trip Packet given to everyone about 3 months prior to departure. We have a brunch meeting( food that is pertinent to the trip all prepared by me) at my home to go over the entire packet so everyone is set. The packet contains general information( arrival information, accomodations, banking, climate, clothing, drugstores, emergencies, hospitals, language, restrooms, safety, tipping, time, etc); the itinerary which consists of planned activities, lots of free time, some preplanned lunches and dinners; shopping tips, history of each place, layout of town, recommended reading, maps, metric conversions and so much more.

In between lots of group e mails are setn by me, updating the group on new information I pass along ( fun tips on travel, new stores I discover, etc, etc)

Everyone is super clear on what to expect.
We also get together several times before the trip to watch a movie or go to restaurant; just generally continue to bond before the trip.

So on with the trip...!

WE LEAVE!

May 4th departure from IAD and May 5th travel into Naples onwards to Capri:

Completely uneventful on the outbound flights. Flew AF to CDG then onwards to NAP. The AF flight had empty seats from IAD, so some us had more room in our rows for the overnight flight.

From NAP we were met by our escort, Sara, to our private bus that drove us to the Naples port. The traffic in Naples was a nightmare, but a hoot! We had time, so we all got a kick out of how bad the traffic was; makes us actually think Capital Beltway traffic is not so bad after all!!!!

We got on the 2:30 hydrofoil to Capri, no one got seasick; the ride was actually nice.

Arrival in Capri about 3;30 and whisked to a private bus to take us to Casa Morgano. We pass through lemon groves and get sense we are in for a visual treat, as we wind our way up the hills to get to Capri Town. When you look down at the sea, all your stress melts away, you are in paradise!

No hassles with luggage which comes up in separate vehicle. All the transfers were smooth.

PART 1: CAPRI

Hotel:

May 5-7th: Casa Morgano, Capri: WOW!!!!!!
What a hotel. I was slightly concerned about the widely different reviews of CM on Trip Advisor, etc. But the CM was fabulous. The hotel is situated on Via Tragara, a gorgeous flower lined street, just about 6-7 minute walk from the main shopping areas. A wonderful location away from the action, but close enough.

We were greeted very warmly by the manager Roberto, who managed to remember our names whenever we returned back to the hotel.

You enter into a gorgeous blue and white color schemed lobby that is very bright and cheery. The lobby has a bar and lots of seating. It overlooks the Bay of Naples. We all had double deluxe roms and DH and I were given a junior suite. WOW again! We had 9 rooms so I got to see a good portion of the rooms ( the hotel has 28). The double deluxe are just a smaller version of the junior suite, so if you cannot spring for the junior suite , you'll be fine with the double.

Our room, room 301( the suites are rooms 201-205, 301-305) had a white couch, a huge bed, a huge bathroom with two sinks, separate shower and tub, all decorated in blue and whie tones. Each of our rooms had a terrace with sunbeds facing the sea. Everyone was happy with their rooms. My only complaint, is that the bed was way too hard for me; my friends loved the hard bed. I found a solution by puttng a comforter I found in the closet over the sheets, so I could rest on the comforter, so it was softer for me.

Breakfast is served on the patio outside
the lobby. Limited selection of cold food items, but perfect for all of us ( yogurt, breads, fruit, juices, cereal).

The hotel has a pool, small but nice. Some of us used it on free time.

All in all we were very satisfied with the CM and would highly recommend it. Popped in next door to the sister hotel, La Scalinetella. And while gorgeous, immediately I got a rather cold feeling from it. We also looked at the other sister hotel, the famous Quisisana, as we took drinks each night at the Quisi Bar( more on the bar later, we loved it). The hotel is extraordinary, but felt I could be anywhere, like Los Angeles or any other city. It just did not feel like the CM did; a perfectly small hotel that fits into the scheme of Capri.

I'll continue next with ACTIVITIES. What till you hear all about Luca, our guide... Ladies, you are in for a visual treat!!!!!

yipper

You must be a very orgaized person. I have organized 2 trips for family for about 12 people and both have been a sucess. One trip was to Greece and the other to the AC and Rome. I am looking forward to the rest of your report. It a good read.

tripgirl

yipper,

Thanks for the compliment; yes organization is my forte( at least I have one talent!!) We had a group trip to Greece last year and also a sucess.

Onto to ACTIVITIES

The first night in Capri we re-group after an afternoon of settling into our rooms and some quick exploration of Capri Town.

We all gather on the terrace outside the lobby for some drinks as we await the arrival of our escort to dinner. Why an escort? I book Le Grottelle for dinner, a magical restaurant right near the Arco Naturale. And while I am confident I can lead the group there myself, with all of us still fatigued I wanted the first night to actually go smoothly with minimal mistakes ( although we love mistakes, we did not want them on the first night, we just want to relax!!!).
As it turns out , the place is not hard to find, but I was glad we were lead there.

But anyway as we are sitting there drinking and waiting for our escort, I notice a very good looking young man is smiling at me, but does not come over. I think he is a guest and actually do not return
the smile; somehow it actually made me uncomfortable.

I go to the desk to inquire whether our escort has arrived, the very good looking man turns out to be him! Not sure why he did not come over to us in the first place, but who cares, by this point I am struck by his charm and how amazing he looks!

Now all of us women in the group are 40 and over, we all reverted to 14 yr olds. Our husbands got a kick out of us. Actually, it was due. All of our past trips seemed to consist of women guides and escorts, so this time, we got ours!!!!

Anyway, Luca is his name and Capri will be forever linked in our minds with the handsome and utterly charming Luca. All of know however, he is must be a player, but besides the stunning vistas on Capri, Luca provided much of the rest of scenery we needed for 2 days!

Anyway, Luca starts his visit with us as our escort to dinner that night and he is also a guide trained in history so he also serves as our guide the next day for a day tour of Capri. We are all thrilled!( at least the ladies are!) He is a native of Anacapri.

Before dinner, we bypass the restaurant and he leads us to Arco Naturale. This is a sight you should not miss. The natural formation sitting high above the sea is so dramatic. Luca tells us this was his make out place when he was 14! ( I think it is still his make out point!)He tells that Caprese mothers let their kids do what they want on the island since it's so safe; he literally ran around the island as a teen with little supervision.

After an enjoyable dinner ( DINING to come later), he walks us back and gets us ready for the next day with him. Sweet dreams of Luca!!!!

Sat May 6th: Time with Luca and the Isle of Capri.

Looking gorgeous and bright at 8;30am, Luca comes to the hotel. I swear he either has the best genes or a great othodontist. He had the straightest, perfectly white teeth we've ever seen!

We start out with the Blue Grotto which is indeed open. We have a private boat take us to the Grotto where we are shifted into the small bots, 4 of us to a boat. The experience has been noted many times on this forum. I'm glad we got an early start as we had no wait time. The experience is fun, but if I had to wait for it, I would not thought much of it. The water, yes, it is a beautiful blue, it's historic, but again, the experience is so short and a bit corny. But glad we did it the way we did it.

A private bus awaits us at the top and and we go to Piazza Vittoria in Anacapri. After a bathroom and gelato break we leave to make our way to a place across from he Villa Rosa that is Capri in minature form, so we can get a sense of the whole island. But before we leave the Piazza, a woman from another tour group, asks one of my friends, " Is that your guide ( referring to Luca.) She links arms with my friend and desperately wants to join our group!!!

The Capri Isle in miniature display helps us to orient ourselves to the island. Luca gives an overview history fo the island.

Next up is a visit to Axel Munthe house, Villa San Michele. A beautiful visit with wonderful vistas of the island. I would recommend you read up on the villa by reading at least some of The Story of San Michele, by Axel Munthe so the visit is a little more worthwile.

We visit a limoncello store for a tasting and explanation of the limoncello making process and then make our way back to Capri Town.

We decide to have lunch together for pizza, yummy, and then Luca takes us on a private boat for a round the island tour by boat. This was the highlight for many of us. We get a whole sense of the island from the water and visit other grottoes. We sail right through the Faraglioni rocks , view the Tiberius villa, Villa Jovis from the water. It's a gorgeous day with a gorgeous man so what would be better????

Sadly the day ends about 3pm, we bid farewell to our Adonis, Luca and head off in search of shopping gems, and some sunning and relaxing.

Next up: DINING ON CAPRI

Dayle

Tripgirl,

How interesting to take a large group! It sounds like you do it very well.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the boat tour around Capri. It was my highlight too!

Waiting to hear more...

tripgirl

thanks Dayle!

Next DINING

Our first meal Friday night May 5th was at Le Grotelle as mentioned above. We had preparanged a prepaid meal there and it was wonderful. I should mention ( although some of you know me already) that I am in the food business, so food is very important to me and so I chose carefully.

We started out with a beautiful antipasto plate with cheeses, vegetables and prosciutto. Wonderfully arranged and delicious. Our primi was Ravioli Caprese, delicate ravoili filled with mozzarella in a very fresh tomato sauce. Followed by succulent grilled white fish and choice of dessert; we chose torte caprese, a flourless chocolate and almond tart/cake. Free flowing local wine. The setting however is the real draw, overlooking the sea in a quiet off the beaten track location. I would highly recommend Le Grottelle. Although we prepaid for the meal, I think the prices are fairly good. The owner and wait staff are excellent( one would not quit nicely flirting with me!!)

Our lunch with Luca the next day on Saturday as mentioned before was pizza at a restaurant I forgot, but we each got a pizza margherita. If you don't know this already, most often you are served a pie for yourself, not slices. Although the task of eating a pie by yourself seems daunting, the crust is light and most of us managed to finish our pies off.

I arranged dinner Saturday night as a free time to do whatever you wished. About 8 of us from the group of 18 went to Da Gemma that night and had a ball. We all had seafood and it was delicious. We know its not the very best restuarant on the island, but my DH is fascinated with the history of the writers who inhabited the island and this was a favorite haunt of writer Graham Greene. We had good service and the food was good; no complaints.

The other half of the group ended up at Villa Verde which that said was excellent. I forgot to ask them what each of them had, but all I heard was good things.

So this was all of the dining we did on Capri. There are so many nice places to eat, I would just stick with as much seafood as you can stomach and try to have a view whenver you can; you'll never tire of THAT view!!!!

Next up.. DRINKING AT THE QUISI BAR AND FUNNY STORIES

E_M

I live in suburban MD...can I be your friend???

tripgirl

E_M;

We can be Fodor's friends!

If you move into my neighborhood, you are welcome on our trips!!!

I'm going to take a nap now and I'll be back tomorrow with Quisi bar and Funny stories!

LoveItaly

tripgirl, I am sure your friends know how very forturante they are to have you as a friend. You obviously do an outstanding job arranging these trips, and even though you go through a TA I can only imagine the many hours you spend researching and planning these trips.

And your extra reward was getting to enjoy looking at the Capri hunk Luca how nice! Well deserved!

SeaUrchin

Funny enough I thought of you while you were over there, wondering how it all finally turned out. I remember you asking for specific weather conditions. So now it is interesting to read your report, glad you all had a great time.

Have you read:
Greene on Capri by Shirley Hazzard and apri and No Longer Capri by La Capria.

tripgirl

Love Italy; thanks for the compliments!

SeaUrchin: All the worry for nothing, absolute great weather! The only day it rained is the day we left!!!!

Now for Drinking at the Quisi and Funny Stories

Since we were there in not yet quite high season, the nightlife consisted mostly of sitting at the Piazzetta or going to Quisi Bar , of which we did the latter. Funny, we actually never sat at any of the four bars on the Piazzetta!

Anyway, drinking at the Quisi Bar was a ton of fun, we went both nights. The outdoor patio is a parade and its heated at night. Drinks are pricey, but what the hell. The staff were acccomodating and the place reeks of $, but we found it intriguing, not off putting. Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously whiling the evening away at the Quisi.

a few funny things happenend on the trip ( although you might have to been there to appreciate). During touring with Luca, his mother calls him on his cell! Since I speak and understand some Italian, I could understand the gist of the conversation. Evidently she called to say " How come you have not called me??!!", he replied "Mama, I'm with a group right now, I'll call you later!" Ahh... Italian men and their mothers!

On the way back from drinking at the Quisi the first night, it was just me and DH and our best friends onthe trip walking back tot he hotel. We stumbled upon a pack of teens singing loudly. Jay, our friend, immediately got up on the wall where they were and joined them. Then he began to direct them in singing American songs. He taught them the Redskins football cheer and they went along!!! We have a picture of these kids with all their heads turned deeply concentrating on Jay! It was a riot. The next night, we ran into them again and as we approached they gave a rousing applause for Jay!

I have to recall even more funny things, but for now, I'm still tired from the trip, so I will continue later today

Next up.. Shopping "Rodeo Drive"

tripgirl

SHOPPING ON "RODEO DRIVE"

As mentioned numerous times on this forum, Capri is filled with upscale shopping. I know it's not what alot of people on this forum like to do, but it was fun for us. 4 of my girlfriends from the group set out after our time with Luca for a few hours to shop around.

I tried to shop at more locally produced stores, but did splurge for a pair of Tod's loafers and I love them. Checked out Hogan's too but eventually settled on the loafers of which I wore at the Kennedy Center last night and they are soooo comfortable, worth the $.

I also shopped at La Parisienne and bought a pair of capris. The store is right on the Piazzetta and the salespeople are super nice. The clothes are designed by a local Capri native, Livio de Simone and her designs are really nice.

Do stop at Buonocore for delicious gelato and lemon cookies, the place is right beyond The La Palma hotel on Vittorio Emanuele. there is quite the assortment of pastries, savories and gelato.

I think if you had lots of money to spend, the stores on Capri will provide endless hours of entertainment. I'm glad I bought a few things, but did not need to spend hours and hours doing so.

If you want to know about a particular store, let me know as I made a mental note of so many of them.

LAST IMPRESSIONS OF CAPRI

Woudl I go back? You betcha!! As stated numerous times on this forum, I think the only way to experience Capri is by staying there. I could easily see that all the posters over the years here who posted they disliked Capri was because they went on a day trip. There is nothing like staying overnight. We all loved Capri alot. I could see staying there for much longer.

Once you see some of the sights, it's all about relaxing, sunning and eating, not bad!! It was meant to be seen day AND night.

Maybe Luca will be there when I return??!!!

NEXT UP: SORRENTO SUNSETS AND THE EXTRAORDINARY AMALFI COAST

see you later....

I do hope to return again.

tripgirl

seaurchin,

forgive me for not answering your ? about the reads. Yes, I read parts of Greene on Capri, DH read the whole book.

I also read parts of The Story of San Michele and read a novel called the Apprentice Lover, set in the 1970's Vietman era about a young man who goes to Capri to work for a crusty writer and his adventures with this writer, his wife and two research assistants. The villa he stayed on was on Via Tragara, so when I arrived to Casa Morgano on V Tragara, I closed my eyes and tried to envision this young man and the villa he lived in on V Tragara.

Doesn't it help to read at least one book with lots of visuals so when you arrive you have some frame of reference; makes the trip more delectable!

annabelle2

This is a fun report, tripgirl; it was just about a year ago that I was celebrating a great birthday in Italy and Spain with some dear friends...fun to read of your adventures, esp. since I am craving Italy right now!

Re: Visuals. I agree; I like to read and also to watch movies set in or near the locations I am going to. Helps set the mood.

And I am so enjoying the "visual" of the lovely Luca as well, thank you!

tripgirl

annabelle,

As soon as we sort out our pictures, I'll try and post a picture of Luca.

He's got light brown hair with some blond in it, tan, fabulous smile with perfect white straight teeth, good bod, but not tall, maybe 5"9.

Ok... I'm reverting to 14 again.....

knoxvillecouple

Hey TripGirl -

Very nice report. We loved Capri last year, but in our case the wives enjoyed the company of Francesco (Marrapese) as our guide on the Amalfi Coast. There must be something about Italian men???

I agree that a couple of nights on Capri CAN make a trip, but a day trip only could unmake one. We stayed at La Minerva and walked up and back to the piazzeta frequently, had grappa there, had some wonderful meals, and loved the scenery everywhere.

Thanks for the read,

KC

annabelle2

ohh nice! No need to apologize, it was part of the fun of your trip. We sort of obsessed over our favorite and most charming waiter, Fabio, in Rome ourselves. (Good thing we really liked the restaurant, since we ate there a lot!)

tripgirl

It is fun to "see" the sights in Italy , isn't it!!!

Anyway, here we go with PART 2

PART 2: Sorrento Sunsets and the Amazing Amalfi Coast

Transport: We left Capri around 9:30am on Sunday May 7th and made our way down to the port. Our escort was a woman this time, Mary Lou and she was just precious. As we were waiting for the hydrofoil to Sorrento, who should pass by with a group.. Luca... I waved my hands shouting Luca, Luca like a crazed teen. Everyone thought I might fall into the water I was so crazy in getting his attention. That's the end of Luca sightings...

Anyway, the hydrofoil is a short lovely ride right into the Marina Piccolo in Sorrento. A private bus is waiting to take us to the Bellevue Syrene, which all of us have now seen from the hydrofoil as we pull in and everyone is excited.

Now, let me set up the Bellevue Syrene for you....

HOTEL: Bellevue Syrene

First, my agent has a personal relationship with the manager, Simona Guida. Then I began a relationship with her last year as she sent me limoncello to serve at our Trip Meeting and then we began exchanging e mails just to chat, etc. She always ended with " Can't wait to see you". Her e mails were definetely not "form e mails". Anyway, I knew we going to be treated right, but little did I know, how right......

Oh.. gotta go, celebrating Mother's Day with my Mom and DH is calling me to get in the car so we can pick her up..

Back later, but all I can tell you is that if you've previously stayed at the BS or have seen the website or brochure or heard from others, hold onto your seat; the hotel has changed...ALOT!!!!!! I'll keep you in suspense.. but it's all fabulous!!!!!!

wyatt92

Can't wait to hear the rest! Bookmarking....

fun4all4

Hi tripgirl,

I always love to read about your trips. You really plan and go on some fabulous ones! Thanks for sharing this great report. I still hope we will meet one of these days at a DC GTG.

tripgirl

thanks all!

Back from dinner with Mom; Italian food , what else is there?

Anyway, back to the Bellevue Syrene.

So we arrive and the entrance to the hotel is exquisite, just like the photos I've seen,. A beautiful long terrace bar overlooking the Bay of Naples, majolica benches , plants extra, line the walkway. We enter the registration lobby and it too looks like the photos I've seen, with floor to ceiling windos with that view. But then beyond reception, things change....

While waiting to get checked in ( remember there are 18 of us, so this takes a bit of time), I go look around on the main floor and to my utter surpise, the hotel decor is now all modern, light and airy. The public rooms have changed from ducal to hip and modern! The old heavy chanderliers have been replaced with funky new ones, artwork is on the funky side, art pieces are funky and somehow it all works in a hotel from 1820!!! For instance holding up a glass contemporary table is a column base looking like it came from Pompeii. The designer did a great job in mixing the pieces up and I think the interpretation came out great!

The main bar area is all bright purple and green colors, but not garish; it works!

The downstairs area, below reception however is not changed. The Don Giovanni restaurant where you have your breakfast is the same and the Villa Pompeiana is the same.

But on to the rooms.....

We took 4 suites and 5 sea view rooms. DH and I had their best suite, #501. But I thought the suite was going to be ornate and old fashioned ( which was fine me with too)as the pictures dictated. My agent also knew the rooms she selected for us and I was expecting what she described.
Evidently Simona did not tell her about the changes

well....

First, our suite is only accessed by a private elevator which dumps you right into our room! And with keeping with this renovation of which I only now know about upon arrival, the room is a cross between New York and South beach and again, it works!!! It probably is one of the best hotel rooms we've ever had ( and i've stayed in so many places!)

As soon as you come off our elevator you are in our foyer which consists of two roomy leather chairs, a flat screen TV, large mini bar and shelves filled with books. Art pieces including busts, inlaid wood music box, modern sculpture and more. There are two floor to ceiling doors that open to the sea.

Next you enter the bedroom area that has a long couch set in front of another flat screen TV and long bureau with pieces of art work, a fake fireplace ( tasteful) with glass pieces set on top and the huge bed with tall headboad.

Then comes the bathroom! The bathroom has a huge shower with a rainfall showerhead, a bathtub that faces the sea and the toilet and bidet are only covered by a screen ( so not much privacy). this bathroom was the most unusual( but we like it!) we've ever had. And then our terrace is huge and faces the sea and the coastline. We could have lived in there, just needed a kitchen!

The 3 other suites are fantastic too, although not as large or as exclusive as ours. But they are all in the modern NY/South Beach style. They were rooms 305, 306( these 2 rooms are on the reception floor, floor 0) and 511( on the 2nd floor, 2 floors above the reception).

All the other five rooms are in the original decor of the hotel and are nice. 3 of our friends rooms were also on the 2 floor ( 500 room series)and 2 were on the 3rd floor ( 600 room series). The floors were Italian tile wiht frescoes on the wall and all with terrace sea view. These rooms are considerably smaller than the suites naturally, but all 5 couples really liked their rooms.

Simona told me that each floor will be renovated into this modern style and it will take about 1 year per floor.

Even if you don't care for modern ( we love it) , i think you'll love the style of how they are putting this together. Again, for such an old hotel, it somehow really works and the hotel is really beautiful.

I'll tell you more about the hotel tomorrow... time to get ready for the Sopranos... ( yes I watch the Sopranos....)

Ciao, buono notte......