Sorrentine/Amalfi Coast Planning
Air? That was the easy part. United Airlines from Chicago-Frankfurt and then we used miles for free economy tickets on Lufthansa, to fly Frankfurt-Naples. There are many different ways of getting to Naples, your main destination for the Coast. Check them all out for lowest prices...highest in the summer months... little less in Sping and Fall (we were going at the end of May).
Where to Stay? After weeks of vacillating between the different towns, we decided to stay in Amalfi for six nights, visiting Ravello, Positano, and Capri on day trips. Then, bus to Sorrento and spend four nights there, making a short excursion to Pompeii.
The hotels we chose were Villa Lara in Amalfi and El Nido in Sorrento.
El Nido overlooked Sorrento Bay, a few miles from town but they ran a free shuttle service to the center 12 times a day. The public bus also stopped almost directly in front of the hotel if El Nido's shuttle times weren't convenient. El Nido's rates were about $125 a night for two persons including buffet breakfast, tax and service. This rate is considered "inexpensive" for Sorrento. There were also short-cuts up and down to Sorrento -- a long walk.
It was more difficult, as well as expensive, trying to find a hotel in Amalfi that fit our budget. Villa Lara, built in the late 1800's, had rates higher than El Nido but still low for the Amalfi Coast. Their rates also included buffet breakfast, tax and service.
How to get to Amalfi? We took the public bus from the Naples airport to the Naples railroad station, then trained to Salerno and hopped the direct ferry to Amalfi. We also could have bused to Amalfi from Salerno but it was be more dramatic arriving by sea.
That was really the end of this planning...time to pack clothes, passports, ATM card (don't leave without it), get on the plane and go...
