By admin My original itinerary for the Amalfi Coast called for four nights split equally between Sorrento and Praiano. Once Julie and Jen decided to join, I juggled things around and added an extra night in Positano. I normally wouldn’t have asked my friends to stay in three different hotels over five nights, but our options for late June on the Amalfi Coast were limited, and I figured a night in the heart of Positano wouldn’t hurt.
Getting to Positano
While researching transportation options on the Amalfi Coast, we quickly ascertained that hiring a driver was the way to go. I would not advise trying to do anything else (taking the ferry, taking a bus, renting your own car… just no). It’s pricey, but Amalfi is not cheap, and if you’re looking for a cost-efficient vacation, you should go somewhere else (sorry, just being honest). From Sorrento we were able to book a taxi to Positano through our lovely boutique hotel, and it arrived in less than 15 minutes. Our driver expertly navigated the winding streets and we were able to enjoy the breathtaking views from the car.
Day/Night One in Positano
I booked us a room at the Eden Roc for our night in Positano. It wasn’t my first choice, but a lot of places were fully booked by the time I started looking, and I was trying to keep things relatively affordable (like $600/night, not $2,000/night!). Eden Roc felt dated, but the location and views were hard to beat. We could survive a night there.
Our room wasn’t ready upon arrival, but no big deal. We decided to have lunch (and spritzes, of course) onsite. We had the restaurant terrace nearly to ourselves and the view was to die for.
Next we decided to walk through town to get our bearings and work off lunch. It was busy in town (especially in some places), but generally didn’t feel as busy as somewhere like Oia, Santorini in Greece. The town was spread out, and we were able to find some calm spots that weren’t inundated with tourists.
We did a little shopping, then decided it was time for another spritz.
The lovely concierge at Maison la Minervetta back in Sorrento had set us up with dinner reservations for our first night in Positano. How nice is that?! We weren’t even staying at her hotel for the night, and she still took care of us.
La Tagliata was a family-owned restaurant high up on a hill with three terraces overlooking Positano and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
While they didn’t offer an a la carte menu, their “house menu” provided us with multiple courses of fresh food, and included unlimited house wine (for just €40 per person, which was by far our cheapest dinner in Positano). Between the bustling scene, gregarious service and copious amounts of food and drink, we left full and happy.
It was great to have a day to explore Positano, and I was happy that we stayed in town for at least one night. We’d be back (it was a ten minute drive from our Praiano hotel to Positano), but I looked forward to staying farther away from all the action.
Morning in Positano
Oh, wait. We still had the morning before we needed to check out of Eden Roc. Jen and I both wanted to work out at the hotel gym, but she beat me, and the room (more like a closet) was not going to fit both of us. No big deal, I knew I could walk outside, find some hills and create my own Italian stairmaster.
I fortuitously found the end of the famous Amalfi Coast “Path of the Gods” trail. Most people start from the other end, near Praiano, and walk downhill toward Positano, but I decided to go as far uphill as I had time, and then turn around to enjoy the views.
Spa Time at Monastero Santa Rosa
Props to Julie for getting us appointments at the highest rated spa in the region, which also happened to be located in one of the nicest hotels in the area – funny how that works. While the Monastero Santa Rosa hotel was a bit out of the way (about 45 minutes from Positano), we had a few hours to kill before check-in time at our Praiano accommodations, and what better way to spend our free time than at a stunning spa in a luxurious hotel?! We arranged for a taxi, loaded up our bags, and were on our way.
The Monastero Santa Rosa was drop-dead gorgeous. Walking in, I felt an immediate sense of luxurious calm. It wasn’t the right place for us girls to stay and chain-drink spritzes, but I would wholeheartedly recommend it for a romantic trip.
Our Praiano Accommodations: Casa Angelina
I had selected Casa Angelina for a couple reasons. First, I loved the clean, modern design. The white blocks of the hotel were built into a steep, rocky hill, with expansive views of Positano and the sea. It reminded me of Greece, but a contemporary, Amalfi-style version of Santorini. Second, I liked that the location was close to the action in Positano (a ten minute drive), but still felt secluded and peaceful. Casa Angelina offered complementary shuttle rides to Positano on an hourly basis and my booking of an “Eaudesea” room garnered us a roundtrip water taxi as well.
I originally booked one Classic room (the entry-level option) at Casa Angelina, but once Jen and Julie both signed on for the trip, we needed a second room. At that point, the only option available was an “Eaudesea Experience” room, so I figured I’d check it out.
This section of the hotel had only a handful of rooms, and we had our own shared terrace for breakfast and cocktails.
Le Sirenuse & Franco’s Bar
We settled into our rooms at Casa Angelina, showered and geared up for a big night out back in Positano. The plan? Take advantage of the complimentary water taxi and walk up to Le Sirenuse Champagne Bar, where we had dinner reservations. Then, a nightcap at Franco’s Bar.
I believe we spent three hours at Le Sirenuse. The entire time, they were playing Madonna. At first, we thought it was a fun playlist. Who doesn’t like Madonna?! In fact, Julie and I had spent a fabulous Seattle boat day choreographing our own dance to Vogue in the not so distant past.
But then it started to get old. I kept waiting for a new artist to come on, but then I realized that Madonna has a repertoire spanning decades – we could probably drink champagne and eat lobster for days and still be listening to Madonna. Then there were the people next to us droning on and on about the yacht they were staying on. It was time for a change of scenery.
Sadly, I don’t have any pictures from Franco’s Bar. The scene was rocking (no Madonna, thank god) and we were lucky to get a table. We had a couple rounds of drinks and definitely could have stayed for more, but didn’t want to be hungover for our last day in Italy, so we did the mature thing. We ordered one last drink, paid the tab and ventured back down the hill to catch a water taxi. Positano, we’d be back (tomorrow).
Last Day 🙁
We had a pretty chill final day planned for ourselves. Breakfast, work out, shop in Praiano, hang out by the pool, check out the beach club, dinner back in Positano.
If you’re ever in Praiano, you must go to Cafe Mirante. It was one of our favorite spots – we even went back later for sunset.
We had a lovely dinner at Zass, and then it was all over. Julie and Jen had to get up at an ungodly hour to catch their car to the Naples airport, and I didn’t have much of a respite either. I had booked a car to Napoli Centrale, then would train to Roma Termini, then take the Leonardo Express to Fiumicino, then board a flight to JFK. Literally, planes, trains and automobiles (although not quite in that order).
When I was first planning this trip to Italy, I thought that 23 days would be plenty of time. Ha! Yes, it was beyond luxurious to have over three weeks to explore the country after a lifetime of squeezing as much vacation into one week (plus two weekends) as possible. But there was so much more I wanted to see! The Dolomites, Portofino, Modena, Ischia, Puglia, and Sicily are some of the destinations on the top of the list for my next visit. For now, it’d have to wait. I needed to get back to New York for the wedding of my dear friends Lindsay and Katz (remember that bachelorette party in Andalusia, Spain?) Then I’d enjoy the 4th of July in the good old US of A before returning to Europe for an extended visit to France!
