kleinjk

Hi,
My husband and I are trying to decide between a villa/apartment rental for our early June 2007 trip to the Amalfi Coast.

We have narrowed it down to two possible villa choices. One is located in Positano "town center" and the other is in the town of Amalfi but 2 miles outside of the town center. Both villas seem to have beautiful views (from pics and description) and both villas are very close to public bus transportation. We would like to use the bus system for day trips to various other towns on the AC...Sorrento, Ravallo, Praiano etc.

Here is my dilemma/question...Is it better to base ourselves in Positano where we can walk to restaurants for dinner in the evenings? Or would it be OK to be in Amalfi (2 miles outside the center) and then have to rely on buses and taxis to go to dinner? By the way...I am not even sure how far or expensive it would be to take a taxi to Positano from Amalfi for an evening out.

And..the villa in Positano is more expensive. It has a private pool vs. a shared pool, but either is fine for us.


I hope this make sense.

Thanks for the advice.

K

Weadles

I think you'll be much happier in Positano where you have easy access to town, restaurants, shopping. Also, if you stay in Positano, you won't necessarily have to rely on the bus schedule since you could opt for boat transportation during the day between towns.

Something else to consider is that the buses may not run all that frequently at night.

nessundorma

Weadles is absolutely right. You don't want to be checking a bus schedule over a romantic dinner, and every dinner on the Amalfi coast is romantic.

I would budget $10 - $15 dollars for every taxi trip. So if you end up spending that every night to get home from dinner, the more expensive villa begins to look less expensive.

Also, I found bus trips along the Amalfi coast not congenial to my digestion. It makes perfect sense to rely on them to get to another town, but after dinner ------

It was hard enough two hours after lunch.

kleinjk

Thanks for the info....We are leaning towards the Positano location.

I have another question. What are the crowds like at the beginning of June?
I have heard that the AC is packed in July and August?

Thanks

nessundorma

Early June is usually before most schools let out in America, and well before the July/August European vacation months. That said, as soon as the weather is reliably nice, the Amalfi attracts many tour buses and tour groups plus a lot of independent day trippers. They tend to congregate in the typical places and I've always found that in any crowded tourist attraction in Italy, if you walk uphill, you'll find fewer people.

From Positano, you will need to connect with a bus in Amalfi that takes you up to Ravello. Even in June, you might find when you get there that you're seeing enough crowds to decide it's prudent to plan to visit Ravello early or late to avoid a long line for that bus. (Likewise, a boat to Capri if you're so inclined.)

By the way, I'd like to suggest that you consider a visit to the tiny fishing cove of Atrani, which is just between Amalfi and the road up to Ravello. (You can walk from Amalfi.) Because it's right at sea level, it doesn't have any views and gets a fraction of the tourists, but it has charming restaurants and a few shops with excellent limoncello. It's just a place to take a break.