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Amalfi Coast region
Plan to go to the Catania region for about 6 days, first timer.
Was thinking that Sorrento seemed to be the most central, not just for day trips to places like Positano and Ravello, but also back up to Pompeii, maybe even Naples. This is in the first week of April. Sorrento seems to offer better lodging values than Positano. Obviously not as scenic but better located (I will be arriving from Rome to Naples by train and going back at the end to fly out of FCO). The other idea was to spend a couple of nights on Capri. Capri.com lists a lot of choices. Lot of small B&Bs which have maybe 3 rooms and gets raves for personal service. Versus hotels, which still get good reviews but not the same level of personal attention. Main good thing about the latter is that they seem more likely to offer transfer or porterage services from Marina Grande, whereas with the B&Bs, you would probably have to take a taxi up if you're bringing luggage for a 2-week trip (no I don't pack light). Any experiences in the lodging choices in the area? Not just on Capri but also on the mainland? |
#2
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Amalfi Coast region
"poldy" wrote in message news Plan to go to the Catania region for about 6 days, first timer. Was thinking that Sorrento seemed to be the most central, not just for day trips to places like Positano and Ravello, but also back up to Pompeii, maybe even Naples. This is in the first week of April. Sorrento seems to offer better lodging values than Positano. Obviously not as scenic but better located (I will be arriving from Rome to Naples by train and going back at the end to fly out of FCO). Yup - it's the ideal location for those. Gets a bit crowded though - even in April. The other idea was to spend a couple of nights on Capri. Capri.com lists a lot of choices. Lot of small B&Bs which have maybe 3 rooms and gets raves for personal service. We were going to go to Capri but decided to give it a miss as it was described by several people we met as a bit of a tourist trap, masses of shops selling overpriced tat and not much else apart from nice views. As well as being expensive to get to (IIRC the ferry from Sorrento to Capri was something like twice the price of Sorrento to Amalfi - despite being half the distance!) Versus hotels, which still get good reviews but not the same level of personal attention. Main good thing about the latter is that they seem more likely to offer transfer or porterage services from Marina Grande, whereas with the B&Bs, you would probably have to take a taxi up if you're bringing luggage for a 2-week trip (no I don't pack light). Any experiences in the lodging choices in the area? Not just on Capri but also on the mainland? We stayed at hotel Il Nido up in the hills a few km outside Sorrento. They had a regular shuttle service to/from the town centre and the train/bus station, morning and evening till late, and they pick up from the station on arrival. IIRC it was about 100 euros a night for a family room (4 people). Good restaurant too and no more expensive than restaurants in town. -- Andy |
#3
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Amalfi Coast region
On Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:17:06 -0800, poldy wrote:
Plan to go to the Catania region for about 6 days, first timer. That sentence confuses me, since Catania is in Sicily and has nothing to do with the rest of your message. I don't particularly like Catania, but I love Taormina, which is near it. Was thinking that Sorrento seemed to be the most central, not just for day trips to places like Positano and Ravello, but also back up to Pompeii, maybe even Naples. Yes. It's very convenient to get from Sorrento to all those places, and if you want to see the Amalfi coast, it's a very convenient and great place to stay. From Sorrento you can easily get almost anywhere on the Amalfi coast by bus (and the bus is a great way to see the spectacular coast), and to Pompeii or Naples by the circumvesuviana train. This is in the first week of April. Sorrento seems to offer better lodging values than Positano. Obviously not as scenic but better located (I will be arriving from Rome to Naples by train and going back at the end to fly out of FCO). If you don't know how to get from Naples to Sorrento, you take the circumvesuviana train, which is on a different level of the Naples central train station. Have you considered the possibility of flying back from Naples instead of Rome? If you could do that, it should be much more convenient. The other idea was to spend a couple of nights on Capri. Capri.com lists a lot of choices. Lot of small B&Bs which have maybe 3 rooms and gets raves for personal service. I love Capri, and have stayed there at least half a dozen times, for as much as a week at a time. It's a very beautiful island. Unfortunately it can get terribly overloaded with tourists in the summer season, but in the first week of April, when you'll be there, it won't be too bad. You can get to Capri by ferry from either Naples or Sorrento. You might even want to go from Naples to Capri, then from Capri to Sorrento, which would take away the need to go from Naples to Sorrento by train. Versus hotels, which still get good reviews but not the same level of personal attention. Main good thing about the latter is that they seem more likely to offer transfer or porterage services from Marina Grande, whereas with the B&Bs, you would probably have to take a taxi up if you're bringing luggage for a 2-week trip (no I don't pack light). You can take the funicular from Marina Grande up to the town and take your luggage up on it. If you take a taxi, it will cost somewhat more, but like the funicular, it just takes you to the start of Capri. From there, you will have to walk to your hotel or B&B. Any experiences in the lodging choices in the area? Not just on Capri but also on the mainland? I know nothing about Capri B&Bs, but I have two favorite hotels in Capri: Canasta, and La Floridiana. Unfortunately, like so many hotels in Capri, they are not cheap. In Sorrento, I stayed at Hotel Mignon Meublè the last time I was there (about a year and a half ago). It was fine, very central, and moderately-priced. Unfortunately, however, it has no elevator. -- Ken Blake Please Reply to the Newsgroup |
#4
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Amalfi Coast region
On Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:50:51 -0700, Ken Blake
wrote: Versus hotels, which still get good reviews but not the same level of personal attention. Main good thing about the latter is that they seem more likely to offer transfer or porterage services from Marina Grande, whereas with the B&Bs, you would probably have to take a taxi up if you're bringing luggage for a 2-week trip (no I don't pack light). You can take the funicular from Marina Grande up to the town and take your luggage up on it. If you take a taxi, it will cost somewhat more, but like the funicular, it just takes you to the start of Capri. From there, you will have to walk to your hotel or B&B. Sorry, I meant to also mention the following two points, but forgot: 1. Only a few of the most deluxe hotels will provide you with transportation from Marina Grande to Capri, so unless you are planning on paying the hotel's very high prices, you will have to provide your own taxi or funicular service yourself. 2. I highly recommend that whether you choose a hotel or a B&B that it be in the town of Capri, not in Anacapri, Marina Grande, or Marina Piccola. Capri is the most central, nicest, and has the best choices of sights to see, restaurants, stores, etc. From Capri you can get to Anacapri and Marina Piccola by bus (or on foot if you like long walks), but a single trip to each of them is usually sufficient. -- Ken Blake Please Reply to the Newsgroup |
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Amalfi Coast region
poldy wrote;
...but also back up to Pompeii, maybe even Naples. You might consider doing this for your Pompeii visit; Go to http://tinyurl.com/dloxoq and under 'Eventi a Pompei' there are 5 limited access sites that you can reserve tickets for at Pompeii. The site is in Italian but I have managed to book tickets there (I don't read Italian) a few times. Google the Italian names of the sites and it will also bring up pages in English with info on those sites and then just choose which site interests you. I give directions and info on this post which might be helpful with the train, Circumvesuviana, historical sites, museum, etc in that area (Naples-Pompeii). http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34665492 Regards, Walter ...And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain... |
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Amalfi Coast region
On Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:17:06 -0800, poldy wrote:
Plan to go to the Catania region for about 6 days, first timer. Was thinking that Sorrento seemed to be the most central, not just for day trips to places like Positano and Ravello, but also back up to Pompeii, maybe even Naples. Any experiences in the lodging choices in the area? Not just on Capri but also on the mainland? Just up the hill from Sorrento (about an easy 10 min walk from town) is the Hotel Desiree...very nice, on the cliff, views of the water. Staff extremely friendly and helpful. Tripadvisor still shows positive reviews since my last trip there. Don't miss the outdoor vendors, on the mainland, between the main drag and the water. Lots of lovely scarves, leather items. Had good gelato (is there such a thing as bad gelato?) at a large gelateria on the west side of the main drag - the grape was fabulous. I wanted to go to the Blue Lagoon and swim (remember, Clark Gable, etc., the movie?), but the one day I had available it was too windy and the boats wouldn't go there. There is a local bus you can take down the coast to Amalfi as a day trip. I wouldn't try the drive - you'll miss all the scenery! Sorrento is a good base for Naples, Pompeii, etc. If you get to Naples you have GOT to go to the Chapel of SanSevero. (via F. De Sanctis, 19/21) The "Veiled Christ" sculpture is astounding. http://www.museosansevero.it/index_ing.html |
#7
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Amalfi Coast region
In article ,
Ken Blake wrote: Have you considered the possibility of flying back from Naples instead of Rome? If you could do that, it should be much more convenient. I'm paying less than $650 all-in for SFO-FCO. I checked returning from NAP and the fare shot up to over $1700. You can get to Capri by ferry from either Naples or Sorrento. You might even want to go from Naples to Capri, then from Capri to Sorrento, which would take away the need to go from Naples to Sorrento by train. Yes, another reason for choosing Sorrento is that I could go from Naples to Sorrento by train or ferry. Ferry or hydrofoil would be more scenic and faster but the transfer from the Naples train station to the port seems a hassle, with a big suitcase in tow. I guess I could go to Capri first but it might be better to get my bearings first on the coast. You can take the funicular from Marina Grande up to the town and take your luggage up on it. If you take a taxi, it will cost somewhat more, but like the funicular, it just takes you to the start of Capri. From there, you will have to walk to your hotel or B&B. I will have to research the funicular a bit more. I assumed it was more a people-mover and it didn't sound like something for people with luggage. Any experiences in the lodging choices in the area? Not just on Capri but also on the mainland? I know nothing about Capri B&Bs, but I have two favorite hotels in Capri: Canasta, and La Floridiana. Unfortunately, like so many hotels in Capri, they are not cheap. In Sorrento, I stayed at Hotel Mignon Meublè the last time I was there (about a year and a half ago). It was fine, very central, and moderately-priced. Unfortunately, however, it has no elevator. Some good suggestions in this thread about hotels in Sorrento. I've seen most of the ones mentioned on Venere.com |
#9
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Amalfi Coast region
In article ,
Ken Blake wrote: 2. I highly recommend that whether you choose a hotel or a B&B that it be in the town of Capri, not in Anacapri, Marina Grande, or Marina Piccola. Capri is the most central, nicest, and has the best choices of sights to see, restaurants, stores, etc. From Capri you can get to Anacapri and Marina Piccola by bus (or on foot if you like long walks), but a single trip to each of them is usually sufficient. Thanks, that's interesting to know. I first looked at staying near the Marina Grande so I wouldn't have to deal with lugging the luggage up to the main towns. I heard that Anacapri was less touristy and there seems to be more family-run B&Bs there. Some very reasonably-priced choices too. I like this one: www.aiano.net It's in the center of the island and looks to have spectacular views, although it's not so close to the center of Capri town. It gets raves on Tripadvisor and the price isn't bad, but there are less expensive options to be had too. |
#10
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Amalfi Coast region
In article ,
(Poetic Justice) wrote: You might consider doing this for your Pompeii visit; Go to http://tinyurl.com/dloxoq and under 'Eventi a Pompei' there are 5 limited access sites that you can reserve tickets for at Pompeii. The site is in Italian but I have managed to book tickets there (I don't read Italian) a few times. Google the Italian names of the sites and it will also bring up pages in English with info on those sites and then just choose which site interests you. I give directions and info on this post which might be helpful with the train, Circumvesuviana, historical sites, museum, etc in that area (Naples-Pompeii). http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34665492 Are the limited-access areas worth it for a first-time visitor? Or does it make more sense to go to the more well-known areas? Yes I was planning to take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Hopefully not too tricky to find the correct train (looks like some go to Salerno or is that the regular train?) or the correct stop at the station in Sorrento. |
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