Where to stay on the Amalfi Coast
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Rome, AC and Tuscany Oct. 8-24th and are getting conflicting opinions on where to stay on the Amalfi Coast. Leaving Rome afternoon of 10/11, we have 3-4 days to see AC, Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri. Any suggestions as to where to stay (town and hotels)that would give us the most memorable experience and still allow us to see & do the most? We will need a car in Tuscany to get around, but don't know whether to rent when leaving Rome or in Naples after AC, I've read so many differing opinions on driving the AC, but if we need a car anyway should we just go ahead and get it?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Lori

Hi L,

Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri are all easily reached from Naples.

You can also easily reach Paestum by train.

They are not quite as convenient to Sorrento.

How much tome do you want to devote to just the AC?

In Oct, I suggest the bus. The driver doesn't get to see much driving the AC.

((I))

This past July, we spent 4 nights of our 3 weeks trip in Sorrento. One day we went to Pompeii (had a car but used the train--very easy), hydrofoil to Capri another day and took a bus to Positano and the boat back to Sorrento. Sorrento has excellent transportation connections. We stayed at Hotel Settimo Cielo (www.hotelsettimocielo.com) on Via Capo and had a room with a balcony and a beautiful view of the bay of Naples.

I am sure my husband would not have had a problem driving the Amalfi Coast, but then probably couldn't have enjoyed the scenery as much.

Hi Lori - If you want a truly memorable experience there's really only one place to stay on the Amalfi Coast IMO - Positano :)

Have a look:

www.pbase.com/mightyone/amalfi_coast_

Steve

Hey, thanks for the compliment Steve.

Hey Sea Urchin - Are they your photos? Sorry - I didn't realise. If so, they are some of the best I've seen of the Amalfi Coast. Complimenti!

Steve :)

The Luna Convento in Amalfi is breath taking, it's at the end of the town perched on a clift. It was an old monastery they converted into a hotel...

www.linahotel.it

typo...

www.lunahotel.it

I suggest you keep your car rental and use it to visit Pompeii and Vesuvius (don't forget Ercolanum). Either spend the night in Pompeii or spend the night in Salerno. In either event, drop off your car in Salerno and then take a bus or ferry to Positano or Capri (although October may not be the best time to base yourself on Capri).

Steve, I opened the link and then thought, hey, these look familiar! I had forgotton about that pbase account. Thanks, I really appreciate your praise!!

Thanks all for your input. The Italian Tourist Bureau also suggests Positano as THE place to stay. Sea Urchin your pictures are indeed beautiful and I can't wait to see it for myself. Both hotels looks beautiful and thus my dilema, which to choose. Oh, we haven't looked into the car yet, is it easy to pick-up and drop off cars in different locations without added charges? Thanks again for your input.

Sorrento is the best base for getting to Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri. But Positano is definitely the most magical! If you decide on Positano, we've stayed many times at the Hotel Poseidon, which still ranks as one of our all-time favorites for service, food, and views.

Regarding drop-off charges, only a few rentals charge a premium for an airport pick up or drop off, but your itinerary eliminates that problem.

However, as you can imagine, not every Italian town has a car rental office. For your itinerary I think Sorrento and Salerno are probably the only options.

Sorry, I didn't realize before that you are doing Rome/AC/Tuscany. In October, I would probably rent a car in Roma to get to the AC. If I wanted to see Paestum, I would see Pompei directly after Roma and spend the night in Salerno, then see Paestum, then drive to Positano. At that point you'd pretty much be parking the car until you left for Tuscany. If the driver feels at all cheated on scenery, then when you take your day trip to Capri, return to the town of Amalfi instead of Positano. From there, take the bus back to Positano.

sorrento was good for getting to naples, pommpeii, and capri. i liked sorrento.

nessundorma, my husband has driven all over Northern Italy and feels he can handle the AC, so we will be renting in Rome and driving down the coast. I think your itinerary suggestions are perfect. My only question is whether we should stay in Salerno one night and Positano 1 night or go on to Positano for 2 nights? Would we be cheating ourselves out of time? Also, what about Priano hotels?

Does anyone know if Paestum is still undergoing renovations and covered with scaffolding?

We drove from Rome to the Amalfi Coast a couple of years ago coming in from the Salerno side. It put the car on the hillside instead of the cliffside which I found more comforting. We stayed at a lovely hotel in Praiano but if I had it to do over, I think the town is just too small. Part of the pleasure for us is strolling and exploring in the evening. One pass and you've pretty much seen all there is to see. Amalfi and Positano seem so much larger. And, although we had a car, we pretty much parked it for our three days there. It was ferry or bus for us. We saw Pompeii on the way north after leaving AC through Sorrento. There's a parking garage just outside the historical site. And if you're looking for another stop between Roma and the AC, consider Caserta and the Royal Palace and Gardens. All I can say is - Wow! This site has links and pictures if you're curious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caserta

If you are arriving in Positano late in the day, I would say that you would want 2 nights there. An afternoon and a full day will give you a nice experience. Hopefully you will have more sun than clouds, but it's beautiful regardless!

Wine and travel,

It's really up to you. I personally don't mind a sort of slow motion travel (one night here, the next night 30 miles away) but if you hate packing and unpacking, 2 nights in Positano will be more fun. Just be sure you are on the road in plenty of time to reach Positano before dark. You want to be there for the sunset.

Have a nice trip!

nessundorma or ira
do you know is paestum is still in scaffolding?