Amalfi Coast

Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive) is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather (someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go? Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

orland wrote:

What should I expect
for weather (someone thought October better)?

Weather is usually perfect at that time

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent.

Seems about right. I'm a car person myself - go where I want when I want...

Have no idea about train prices or if train

Hard to believe trains run along the coast!

Do the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.


The Amalfi coast is truly wonderful. Some people spend their lives there; as
a tourist I would find 1 week plenty (I spent 3 days as I remember) and
take my car and time and visit something else .... like Rome.

Bernard Higonnet

"orland" wrote in message
...
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want
to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices
plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that
sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather (someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go?
Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

Sounds like a great idea. It's a spectacular area. I'd suggest staying in
Sorrento and doing without a rental car since you can easily get around the
area by bus, train and ferry. The Circumvesuviana rail line connects Naples
and Sorrento, and the SITA buses travel the coast road as well as some
inland routes. There are taxi and limo services from Naples airport to
Sorrento. We drove to our hotel on the coast between Positano and Amalfi,
parked the car, and went everywhere by bus from then on. From Sorrento you
can easily visit Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Capri, Ischia, Ravello,
Positano and Amalfi. There have been several discussions here about this
area recently that you can read at www.groups.google.com . For a long stay
like you're planning, you might want to consider an apartment rental rather
than a hotel. As far as weather goes, at www.weather.com you can find
monthly averages for Sorrento. It looks like the average high at that time
would be in the low 60s, average lows in the mid 40s, with less rain than
September/October. Certainly beats Bangor, and even southern Maine where I
live.
Buon viaggio!
GG

Thanks Lourens, but at my age I'd probably wind up in the water...and that's
quite a dive from the highway!
"Lourens Smak" wrote in message
...
In article , "orland"
wrote:

Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want
to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices
plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions)
and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that
sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather
(someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent.

Rent a Vespa scooter... must be the nicest way to cruise the area, and
lots cheaper than a car.
;-)
Lourens

GG: Most helpful. I'll do some searches on apartments/B&Bs. But if you or
anyone has any favorites let me know...Orland


"GG" wrote in message
...

"orland" wrote in message
...
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want
to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices
plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions)
and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that
sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather
(someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to
go?
Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

Sounds like a great idea. It's a spectacular area. I'd suggest staying
in
Sorrento and doing without a rental car since you can easily get around
the
area by bus, train and ferry. The Circumvesuviana rail line connects
Naples
and Sorrento, and the SITA buses travel the coast road as well as some
inland routes. There are taxi and limo services from Naples airport to
Sorrento. We drove to our hotel on the coast between Positano and Amalfi,
parked the car, and went everywhere by bus from then on. From Sorrento
you
can easily visit Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Capri, Ischia, Ravello,
Positano and Amalfi. There have been several discussions here about this
area recently that you can read at www.groups.google.com . For a long
stay
like you're planning, you might want to consider an apartment rental
rather
than a hotel. As far as weather goes, at www.weather.com you can find
monthly averages for Sorrento. It looks like the average high at that
time
would be in the low 60s, average lows in the mid 40s, with less rain than
September/October. Certainly beats Bangor, and even southern Maine where
I
live.
Buon viaggio!
GG

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 18:41:36 -0500, GG wrote:


"orland" wrote in message
...
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want
to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices
plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that
sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather (someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go?
Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

Sounds like a great idea. It's a spectacular area. I'd suggest staying in
Sorrento and doing without a rental car since you can easily get around the
area by bus, train and ferry. The Circumvesuviana rail line connects Naples
and Sorrento, and the SITA buses travel the coast road as well as some
inland routes. There are taxi and limo services from Naples airport to
Sorrento. We drove to our hotel on the coast between Positano and Amalfi,
parked the car, and went everywhere by bus from then on. From Sorrento you
can easily visit Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Capri, Ischia, Ravello,
Positano and Amalfi. There have been several discussions here about this
area recently that you can read at www.groups.google.com . For a long stay
like you're planning, you might want to consider an apartment rental rather
than a hotel. As far as weather goes, at www.weather.com you can find
monthly averages for Sorrento. It looks like the average high at that time
would be in the low 60s, average lows in the mid 40s, with less rain than
September/October. Certainly beats Bangor, and even southern Maine where I
live.

On the car vs. train thing: I personally like to have a car. But a
warning: if you are not familiar with the Naples area, you should be aware
that driving around there is not for the faint of heart. Lots of fun,
actually :-).

Personally I would stay in Sorrento and use local transport. Even
hiring a driver & car for a couple of the days would be cheaper than the
rental. And driving in that area I would not wish on anyone. If you
want Tuscany get a car but not this coast.

For a hotel I liked La Tonarella in Sorrento. Very nice & enough out of
town for quiet yet close enough to walk. If you can book a room with a
terrace. FFM

orland wrote:
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive) is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather (someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go? Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

the road on the coast is very narrow and sometimes it will not allow two
cars at the same time.
you will have hard times in parking yr car too.
I would stay in an apartment in sorrento and enjoy a bus ride very day.-
distances are not very big.-
amalfi itself is not very big and you will hardly enter the town with a car.
I think yr vacation will be perfect if you forget about cars traffic and so
on.

traffic is not as terrible as in the Naples area..
still you will have to pay a lot of attention.-
part of the town of Sorrento is also closed to cars and only for
pedestrians.

so... what will yr car be good for ??

the moeny you might save on hiring a car..might be needed to take a taxi if
you are late sometimes.-

do not forget that all the villages around the coast are worth a stop.. so
just plan carefully all yr stay.
in ocotber weather should be very mild. and the water warm enough to swim
in a deep blue sea.
from sorrento or amalfi you can reach capri and Ischia by boat. again you
will need no car there.
I was in capri in december. and we had to wear short sleeves..
"orland" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...

Got a quote of $540 for RT from Bangor to Naples, March 23-April 7. Want
to
spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel prices
plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus. How does that
sound
to your well-seasoned travelers? What should I expect for weather (someone
thought October better)?

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go?
Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

Thanks...orland

"orland" wrote in message
...
Would like some feedback on a trip I'm planning - or is a mid-Winter
reaction to Maine...
Want to spend two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and after looking at hotel
prices plus
cost of car rental, thinking the best way to do it (and least expensive)
is
plant myself in some town like Amalfi - Sorrento (open to suggestions) and
find a good B&B (reasonable?) and make day trips by bus.

I despise, hate and otherwise reject the idea of driving that coast after
one experience. It is horrid driving. I tore a chest muscle doing it. I
swore not to go back without a boat.
Anyway, Sorrento seems the most varied base to me, with more choices
available. The high season is May 1 to Nov 1, and much is closed other than
then, but that can work for you. Sorrento is also highly Anglicised, so if
you don't speak Italian you can get along a bit easier.
From that area you can see Pompei, Herculaneum, Naples, Paestum, Ischia,
Vesuvius, Capri. The area itself is mostly hanging out, holiday kind of
atmosphere.
I consider Rome too far for a day trip. I'd rather spend the whole time in
Rome, actually, but then I no longer live in Maine and I do understand your
point.

On Fri, 6 Feb 2004 17:28:23 -0500, "orland" wrote:

Car rental for two weeks would be ~$650-$750 according to local travel
agent. Have no idea about train prices or if train is the best way to go? Do
the buses travel the coast road? Any suggestions for reasonable
accommodations would be much appreciated.

There is good local transport in this area. I would actually prefer
not to drive. If you drive along the coast road, you will miss a lot
of the spectacular scenery as you won't be able to take your eyes off
the road very often.

Also check whether the car rental includes insurance. In Italy you
must buy insurance, which can add a lot to the cost.
-----------
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup