Positano Italy
Positano at all times seems wonderful in motion pictures and on television – stunning and romantic, a hilly seaside vacation spot with beautiful views and glorious meals. In all of my Italy travels although I had in some way by no means made it to Positano, or wherever on the Amalfi Coast. It was time to alter that.
The Summer season of Revenge Journey
Vital to notice: we traveled to Positano and the Amalfi Coast in June 2022 – the summer season when everyone seems to be making up for 2 years of cancelled travels and heading to Europe. We booked most issues properly upfront, and it wasn’t sufficient – we should always have deliberate even higher (see beneath). We booked our our Vrbo in Positano 11 months upfront, our European flights 9 months upfront, transfers in Italy and our day journey across the coast six months earlier than our journey, the train from Naples to Florence three months earlier than, and our LAX parking and Positano eating places roughly a month upfront.
Touring To and From Positano
Our complete European journey: we parked at the Parking Spot at LAX (the place we’ve parked each journey for 20+ years), after which flew Lufthansa from LA to Frankfurt and on to Santorini. We spent three nights on Santorini, took the ferry to close by Naxos and Paros for seven nights, after which ended our Greek travels in Mykonos – our least-favorite island, however they normally have the perfect flights to the remainder of Europe. We then flew Swiss Air from Mykonos to Florence through Zurich, spent per week in Florence, and took the practice to Naples the place Joe Banana Limos (foolish title, glorious firm) picked us up on the practice station and drove us to our Vrbo in Positano. After 5 nights they picked us up and drove us to a resort in Naples for an evening. Traces had been longer than regular in every single place, and particularly dangerous going via passport management after which coming into the Z gates in Frankfurt with our return connection, however general no issues or delays. My recommendation: get to the airport early, keep away from US connections should you can (so many issues this summer season), be sure you have lengthy connection home windows, and be affected person.
The place We Stayed in Positano
Le Sirenuse seems wonderful, so I wrote to them 11 months upfront to ask about the perfect room choice and pricing for a household of 5. Their quote: €7,498.70 per night time. Per night time! That was a simple NO. Palazzo Murat quoted €1,380 per night time. Villa Rosa quoted €625 per night time for 2 rooms, however they mentioned the rooms could also be on totally different flooring, which isn’t ideally suited. So I turned to Vrbo and located this villa for €724 per night time – nonetheless excessive (we’ve hardly ever paid that a lot wherever), but it surely’s peak season in a very fashionable vacation spot, and we’d have three bedrooms, 4 bogs, a kitchen, laundry, two massive personal patios and general loads of area. There are a lot of great Positano listings on Vrbo, at totally different worth factors, so undoubtedly think about that as a substitute for a resort when touring with youngsters.
The villa is in direction of the highest of Positano. At first we didn’t like being that prime up the mountain, because it was an extended stroll to the middle city and the seaside (quarter-hour or so). Positano is all about stairs and the strolling isn’t simple – particularly for my spouse who’s nonetheless recovering from a damaged knee. We averaged 60-70 flights of stairs climbed a day in keeping with our iPhone well being apps. Nevertheless, given how crowded town was (mid-June), we had been glad to be away from the lots. Our favourite factor daily was strolling as much as Bar Internazionale for 2 cappuccini and pastries to take again to the villa for breakfast. We had been normally the one vacationers in there and the views had been wonderful, so we may absolutely respect Positano outdoors of the crowded purchasing streets.
What To Do in Positano Italy and the Amalfi Coast
This isn’t a definitive Every little thing to Do in Positano publish! As with all the things else on my website, this publish is about what we did, and what I want we had finished in a different way. Your expertise could also be fully totally different.
Take a Day Journey Across the Amalfi Coast
Our second full day in Positano we took a day journey across the coast. Paulo from Joe Banana Limos picked us up in a Sprinter van at 10am and for 8 hours or so took us alongside the coast. We had espressos at a small bar with an important view, stopped at lots of overlooks, had loads of time to roam round Amalfi and Ravello (together with a wonderful lunch in Ravello), obtained pastries in Minori, and obtained an excellent really feel for the world and the place we’d need to return to. Paulo was a wonderful information and driver, and I appreciated that he saved insisting we take household photographs. In someday we doubled the variety of good photographs we now have of us from the previous three years!
We didn’t love Amalfi, but it surely was additionally very crowded. We favored Ravello much more, and can be tempted to base there on future journeys. Our wonderful lunch was at Pizzeria Vittoria. We tried to go to Mimi Ristorante (which had been really useful to us) but it surely was closed the day we visited.
I extremely advocate doing a day journey to get a really feel for the coast. In case your youngsters get automotive sick, remember that the street may be very curvy. Dramamine labored properly for our youngsters.
Go to the Seashore
There are two major seashores in Positano – Spiaggia Grande close to the middle of city, and Fornillo Seashore a few ten-minute stroll west. The seashores aren’t about gentle sand – should you’re not strolling on rocks, you’re on very course black sand. Giant sections of each seashores are taken up by chair rental operations. Residing in California and visiting Hawaii pretty incessantly we weren’t tempted to go to the seaside for hours at a time and pay €10-20 per individual for a chair and umbrella setup, however we did take pleasure in happening each afternoon to swim. We at all times walked down the steps from from the villa to Fornillo Seashore after which turned left in direction of city and based mostly within the little cove to the east of the seaside. It was by no means crowded, and we liked spending about an hour a day there simply swimming. Afterwards we walked to city, obtained gelato (at all times proper by the ferry), after which walked again as much as the villa alongside the street, largely avoiding stairs. Notice: sandals and flip-flops don’t work properly for all the steps. Though it could have been good to have flip-flops on the seaside, we wore good strolling sneakers down and up.
Store
We’re not main consumers, however my spouse and women loved wanting within the shops on the town and alongside the street again as much as our villa.
Hire a Boat
We needed to lease a ship for a day (or a half day) and go alongside the coast for swimming. I had corresponded for months with one firm which saved telling me to contact them nearer to our journey to guide. Once I wrote to them the week we arrived earlier than they mentioned we should always speak later. Then we arrived and I contacted them to guide and so they mentioned they’re fully-booked till the autumn. Ugh. This 12 months is outwardly far worse than ever earlier than, and it doesn’t appear to be attainable to only present up and get a ship anymore. So guide far upfront if you wish to do this.
Loosen up
We may have taken a ferry over to Capri, however we heard blended issues from family and friends, so as soon as our rental boat plans disappeared we opted to chill out and spend extra time in Positano. Our children at all times respect downtime, and it’s their trip, so we by no means pushed something. Our villa was an important place to base.
Positano Italy Eating places
For breakfast daily we obtained fruit from the little market by the Chiesa Nuova and low and pastries from Bar Internazionale, and we did just a little cooking on the villa. Lunch was usually take-out – after lots of sit-down lunches and dinners all through Greece and Italy it was good to not be in eating places. There’s a very good take-out place down on the town close to the seaside (Positano Paradise Factory) and a pair midway up the hill – Latteria at viale Pasitea 67 and Take it Simple at viale Pasitea 158.
For our 5 dinners I booked three properly upfront based mostly on TripAdvisor opinions (all within the $$ vary) after which we ate at two others based mostly on suggestions of locals. Eating isn’t cheap in Positano. None of those are fancy eating places or the most costly, and we ordered equally each night time – 3-4 bottles of water, 1-2 starters, 4-5 fundamental programs relying on how hungry we had been and the way large the portion sizes at close by tables seemed, two glasses of wine (or a half-bottle) and perhaps two desserts. Since we had been by no means provided complimentary limoncello (come on Positano, if eating places in Florence do it, you’ll be able to too), we lastly ordered two our final night time at Mirage. Our dinners, from favourite to least-favorite, had been:
Mirage
Considered one of our greatest meals of our journey, and the perfect in Positano. That they had an incredible view as properly. The risotto, shrimp and pastas had been all glorious, as was service. Extremely really useful. €163. TripAdvisor.
Saraceno d’Oro
Alongside the busy fundamental road, and no view, however nice meals and repair. Our pizzas and pastas had been glorious. We referred to as for a reservation simply a few hours earlier than. Undecided if will probably be that simple as Positano will get extra crowded, but it surely might be a very good choice should you’re turned away from eating places which might be absolutely booked. €92. TripAdvisor.
La Taverna del Leone
Michelin-listed La Taverna del Leone is positioned just a little outdoors of Positano. When you don’t have a automotive it is advisable to take a taxi, bus or stroll. We didn’t see any out there taxis and there was an enormous crowd ready for the bus, so we walked – 3.5km whole from our villa. We had been capable of get a taxi again. Dinner was good – glorious service and excellent meals. My son mentioned his steak was one in all his greatest meals of the journey. We additionally had a calzone, shrimp, seared fish, and pasta. €179. TripAdvisor.
Il Grottino Azzuro
Up above Positano, near our villa. I liked my ravioli, however everybody else was meh about their dishes. The pasta with potatoes and meatballs weren’t fairly nearly as good as TripAdvisor opinions make them sound. Superb apple tart. Nice service general and we had been capable of get in with out a reservation. €122. TripAdvisor.
C’period Una Volta
Pretty disappointing given the TripAdvisor opinions. My pappardelle alla Bolognese was good, however my spouse’s pork fillet wasn’t, and my daughter’s penne all’arrabbiata was far hotter than arrabbiata dishes normally are. You’ll have a a lot better expertise – simply wouldn’t recommend ordering the pork. €84. TripAdvisor.
Naples
Naples was our gateway to and from the Amalfi Coast. We had been solely there a couple of minutes between arriving on the practice and being whisked to Positano by Joe Banana. Our flight again to the US left at 6:40am, although, so we spent our closing day and night time in Naples. We stayed in the course of the historic middle at Santa Chiara Boutique Hotel. We liked the resort setup – a two-room suite with lofts in each rooms that might have slept six – and our meals. Lunch was at Lombardi A Santa Chiara and was most likely the perfect pizza we’ve ever had (€50). Wonderful pasta as properly. Dinner was at Michelin-listed La Locanda Gesu Vecchio and was wonderful as properly (€89). Our children didn’t love strolling round Naples – it was a crowded Sunday and there’s graffiti in every single place. Looking back it could have made extra sense to fly from Mykonos to Naples for the Amalfi Coast, then take the practice to Florence and fly out of there. We may have prevented the Naples cease – and the extra resort. However general it labored out high-quality and the meals made the cease worthwhile.
Positano Italy and the Amalfi Coast – Abstract
We love Italy. We didn’t love Positano and the Amalfi Coast. A number of that was due to the crowds. As with just about wherever, it could be extra satisfying to go to within the spring or fall, however our faculty break schedule doesn’t enable for that. The locals mentioned that this June was probably the most crowded they’ve seen, and so they anticipate July and August to be far worse. Past the crowds, although, Positano and the Amalfi Coast aren’t tremendous kid-friendly (or post-knee-surgery-friendly) with all of the strolling and stairs, and we’re not a seaside vacation spot household since we now have higher seaside choices near dwelling. The Amalfi Coast in undeniably stunning. And naturally that is 100% simply my opinion – I do know others who love Positano and really feel just like the Amalfi Coast is the perfect a part of Italy.
When you’ve by no means been to Italy, I’d prioritize Florence, Rome and Venice for a primary journey, after which perhaps Cinque Terre (keep in a single day), the Dolomites or Tuscan hilltop cities for a second go to.
Journey Insurance coverage
Get journey insurance coverage! After we left for Europe the US was nonetheless requiring Covid checks to be able to return, so there was an opportunity we may have been caught in Europe for a further 10 days. Fortunately the US did away with the testing requirement in mid-June, however even then we had been glad we had insurance coverage. Journey is chaotic proper now. I’ve by no means seen longer strains at airports. There are numerous tales about misplaced baggage. There’s a good likelihood your journey won’t be seamless. Now we have an annual family travel insurance policy through G1G.
Your Flip
When you’ve been to Positano Italy and the Amalfi Coast with youngsters and need to supply up your opinion, please accomplish that beneath! Once I posted on Fb I had lots of people telling me that they equally thought visiting was a trouble and never worthwhile, however many others spoke up about their wonderful Amalfi Coast journeys. All opinions welcome.
