we are 4 women heading to sorrento for a week after a week in florence. We first decided on 5 nights in sorrento and 2 in capri or positano but finding accomodation within our budget and a hotel that will take all 4 of us for 2 nights was difficult. So now we have3 decided on 7 nights in sorrento renting on apartment and doing day trips to capri, positano, pompeii, ischia, etc.
Are we missing out? We will be in sorrento in the first week of August.
Maryann

Maryann, for me, Sorrento was tacky, but a good base for day-trips. We spent 2 nights in Sorrento as a base...I do recommend Hotel Minerva in Sorrento for the great views and fantastic breakfast at a reasonable price. But ask for a room on the upper floors...the lower floor hallway smelled a bit musty.

Praiano, where we stopped for lunch, seemed much more interesting as a place to stay. It is tiny, and has a wonderful local seafood restaurant right on the tiny beach, where the dock is.

That said, I would recommend you skip sorrento entirely and stay in Rome instead! Or have you already been to Rome? Rome was our #1 favorite place in Italy!

Buon viaggio

Seven nights in Sorrento may be fine since you really won't be around much in the day.

If it really bugs you, check out previous posts by IRA, who based in Praiano. It's much cheaper than Positano, and apparently offers magnificent views from the hotel he recommends, LE SIRENE.

In Capri, there's two budget hotels called HOTEL WEBER and VILLA KRUPP.Did you check these two out? I haven't stayed at either, but have friends who stayed at both and said that they are fine and better than missing Capri entirely. Be warned that in the summer months Capri is swamped by daytrippers. That's why most people try to stay overnight if possible, so they can enjoy the beauty of the island without the mass tourist invasion.

Sorrento - tacky ???/
Did we go to the same place ?
Sorrento, as is the rest of Italy was scenic, beautiful where the people were warm and friendly.
I had intended to stay in Salerno but didn't find it very quaint. So I trained it to Sorrento and stayed at a great little hotel near the station called Hotel Nice (as in France but I suppose some can read it as the adjective) and used it as my base for Positano, Capri and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. The prices were extrememly reasonable and if you decide to change your plans and stay in a specific town later during the week, you can decide to that also.
For my part, I loved Sorrento.

Hi Maryann,

Sorrento is a very good base. You can get to Naples, Pompeii, Ercolano, Caserta and Paestum as well as the other towns on the AC.

It also has a goodly number of restaurants and more nightlife than other towns on the AC.

OTOH, if you are looking for quiet, rest and relaxation Praiano would be my choice.

I am going to Sorrento in August for six nights and the reason I choose it was because you could visit so many places from there.

Don't know if it is tacky or not as I have never been there but friends and relatives tell me it is a great place and a good base. The vast majoeity of threads on Fodors would agree.

If you have found affordable accommodation in Sorrento I would stay there and use it as a base for the many other attractions on the Amalfi Coast and Naples .

Enjoy your trip

Helen

My best friend and I also chose Sorrento as a base for exploring the Amalfi Coast. We did not find it tacky (and I can't imagine how someone would think that either). We stayed at the Bellevue Syrene, which was fantastic, but as you've stated you already have reasonably priced accomodations.

We easily visited Capri & took the SITA bus down to Amalfi. We were only on the AC for 3 days as part of a trip that included Rome & Florence as well, but I would probably stay there again for a longer period of time when I eventually have the pleasure of a return trip with my husband.

As Ira mentioned, staying in Sorrento makes for easier access to Pompeii & Herculaneum too.

For a first trip, I think Sorrento is a great home base. Trish

Mariastefnyc: There is a section with many shops that cater to tourists, but even this area is charming, especially at night. The buildings are old, the streets cobbled and pedestrian only and, as Ira suggests, there are many cafes, retaurants and many of the shops are truly interesting. I remember we bought a beautiful hand-made table cloth at one of them.
Certainly, Sorrento is not tacky. The views from the hotels are spectacular. You can see the lights from Naples across the Bay of Naples at night. Fantastic!
We also used Sorrento as a base for day tripping and it is very well located for that purpose. The argument for a night at Capri is valid. Before and after the day-trippers is the best; serene and beautiful. Don't miss Pasteum. After all the Roman Ruins, the Greek Ruins at Pasteum are marvelous.
If you go across to the other side of Sorrento for a day (the non-hotel, townish area), you will get to wander among locals at their shops and stores and it is entirely another experience; one we enjoyed very much. You can do the same at Solerno. These areas have no tourists. Have a great trip.

Ira, I like your classy style, you simply give your opinions without even hinting that someone else's opinion is wrong. Every time I check up on the Italy board, there you are, generously advising travellers.

Grazie mille!

Answers here are opinions unless they are stating facts about schedules and times.

Melissa5: Like the rest of us, Ira is human. That is, he can be wrong, as he was in offering advice (opinion?) to this traveller about secure parking in Sorrento.

As expressed by SeaUrchin, facts and opinions are not one-and-the-same.

Well, Sorrento is package vacation central for the Brits and other groups visiting that part of Italy. The area it is located in is lovely, but the town is very touristy in terms of the types of shops and restaurants catering to tourist tastes--I wouldn't say it's overwhelmingly tacky, but it does appeal more to the dedicated WalMart crowd than the Amalfi Coast does.

Just one couple's opinion--that said, we did spend 3 days there a few years ago and found it a good central location for exploring the area, and the setting is pretty. But 7 days in Sorrento would be a tad much.

Be that as it may, until proved otherwise I will chose to take ira's opinion as (close to it as I can get it) fact.

His advice will be the predominant decision maker as I plan my (first) trip to Italy next year.

We went to the amalfi coast three years ago and after reviewing all the postings on this page, we decided to make Sorrento as our base to visit capri, naples, and Pompei. It was a good decision since the train and boat service from sorrento is great. We also stayed in Positano for two night and loved it. Unless you are beach person, I would not recommend staying longer than 2 nights in Positano or capri.

Thanks for the kind words, Melissa5.

Oh my, starrsville, you are setting a very high standard for me.

I'll wade in and vote for Sorrento. We've been there twice and stayed in a little hotel just off the main square.

Walking distance down to the marina and train station.

Beautiful views, restaurants, shops.

Great connections to Capri, Amalfi Coast, etc

Seven nights in Sorrento is not too much if you are viewing it mainly as a base to visit other places. In addition to the 4 you mentioned (Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Ischia), you could take day trips to Naples and Paestum. I highly recommend both of those. As others have said, Sorrento is the easiest place on the AC from which to travel around the area.

I don't know if I'd exactly call it tacky, but it definitely was extremely tourist-oriented. What we felt about Sorrento was that tourists were its main reason for existence, as opposed to other places we've been in Italy that had more of a life of their own. We heard more English spoken on the streen than Italian. But of course, we are all tourists, and it hardly seems fair to criticize Sorrento for accommodating us!

You can see my trip report on 5 days based in Sorrento, with photos, starting at:
http://www.rozault.com/italy2004/report04.html

nonnafelice, GREAT trip report and pics. I bookmarked your link to use in planning my trip next year.

Ira, actually, it's you who set a high standard for us!

Ira, I'd like to know when you last visited the Amalfi Coast, how many times you have been there, how many places you've stayed in besides Praiano, in order to make inform comparisons about different towns, and whether you have ever stayed in Sorrento itself .

You are considered to be quite an expert here on this subject, which one pster here saying they would use your opinions above all others when actually planning their trip, so now it's made me curious as to how you gained such an extensive expertise-you must be a regular visitor to this wonderful part of Italy. Are you?