ksnow

I am going to Italy with my entire family (8 adults and 5 young kids) in August and we are looking for a quaint, not too crowded beach town. Ideally, we wanted to be somewhere right on the beach as opposed to up on cliffs, etc. Is Baia Domizia well suited for this type of trip? Is it easy to take side trips to some bigger areas of interest (Rome, etc.)? Also, is there anything to do in Baia Domizia aside from the beach, like restaurants in town, shops, etc.

Finally, we are deciding between 3 hotels, but wanted to get input on which was in the best location...right on the beach and close to town, yet nice enough to enjoy it. The three hotels are Della Baia, Park and Aurhotel.

Thanks!!

Waldo

I have a home (apartment) in Gaeta. Baia Domizia is close by, and my wife and I go there often to visit friends who live nearby. I would rather live in Calcutta than Baia Domizia. It was a great place many years ago, but it now is a pure unadulterated dump! The beach is filthy and gross, as is the rest of the place. If I were you, I would stay away from that area altogether. The main road there, the Domiziana, which goes roughly from Naples to Rome, is full of prostitutes and drug dealers, as well as other very undesireable people. STAY AWAY!!!

ksnow

Do you know of an area better suited for our trip? As I said, we are looking for a beach town where we can be right on the beach versus on a cliff overlooking a beach. Also, we would love to have reasonable access to other main cities via train, ferry, etc.

Waldo

If I were you, I would opt for the SERAPO section of Gaeta. There is a great beach, which is very clean and shallow, which makes it ideal for children. I can't say how much it would cost for rental, but you can look up Gaeta on Google, I guess, and get some idea. Also VRBO.com might be good (Vacation Rentals By Owner). Gaeta is a real pretty town, and has much to do. Another place I could recommend with no trouble, is Sperlonga. I'm positive you would also love it.
If you would like to go further south, almost to Calabria, there's a place called Palinuro. Last time I spent a couple of weeks there (about 5 years ago), there was a place called ETTORE. He had cabins right on the great beach, and his rates were very reasonable, and they included breakfast and dinner, both very fantastic meals. Every night he had entertainment, mostly provided by the guests. Surprisingly, it was easy to participate, once you got into the mood. My wife and I loved it.

Waldo

The aforementioned places are all on the west side of Italy. There are several great places on the east side, like the San Giovanni Rotundo area. There is Capo I FORGET THE NAME, which is a fantastic area. Look up San Giovanni Rotundo on a map, and you will see the name of the cape there.
Rimini is also a place of interest, although it is very crowded and has a circus atmosphere. There are loads of young people there, if you like a carnival environment. The rates there are very reasonable.
The best place of all, is a town called GOLFO ARANCI, in Sardinia. Look up Golfoaranci.com

StCirq

I agree that Gaeta and Sperlonga are both lovely beach towns. You do realize how crowded the beaches will be in August, though, I hope. Really, really crowded.

The nice thing about Gaeta and Sperlonga is there are lots of nice little inland trips you can make to hilltowns and such (if you have a car). And Anzio makes for a great daytrip. Also, google the Island of Ponza - that would make a fun daytrip as well.

We loved our trip to this area a few years ago. We had a car and drove into Rome a few times as well. Despite all warnings to the contrary, it wasn't that intimidating - the "chicken lane" on the coastal road was worse than navigating into Rome (we parked in a huge parking lot outside the city and took the metro in).

Waldo

I gotta admit that ALL of Italy go to the beaches in August. For my money, September is better than August. The beaches are much less populated and services are much better. The weather is also better, inasmuch as you don't have the blistering temperatures which you would have in August, but yet have the fabulous beach weather.