Sorrento & Amalfi Coast May 2019
With three family weddings coming shortly our budget would not stretch to some of the more amazing hotels available, but we managed to have a super holiday.
We flew from Belfast International on a low-cost airline making sure that we had plenty of luggage pre-purchased and our seats allocated. I always recommend pre-paying for the luggage you require to avoid extra charges, the passengers in front of us in the queue at the gate were charged an extra £50 as their carry-on bag would not fit into the measuring basket! Arriving at Naples airport went smoothly through passport control (which was much quicker than arriving back into Belfast) and then we were met by our pre-booked private transfer. Soon we arrived at our destination the family owned La Pergola Hotel between Sorrento and Sant’ Agnello.
After a quick check-in and some advice from the helpful reception team at the hotel we were off exploring Sorrento and looking for lunch. We discovered the Osteria del Buonconvento and had an amazing lunch (so good in fact we returned a few more times to eat here again). Sorrento is great for exploring all the small narrow streets filled with great shopping (particularly leather and ceramics) and restaurants and we never tired of wandering around the same streets throughout our stay.
The next couple of days we enjoyed sunbathing from the hotel’s rooftop solarium before planning before having our lunch and planning where we should visit for dinner. Sorrento has some amazing restaurants and as I always do in Italy, I accompanied each meal with the restaurants house wine as they all take such a pride in selecting their house wines. We also visited A Puteca E Masanielloas for our lunch one day as this had been recommended to us. Nello greeted us and fed us over the course of the next few hours in his amazing Puteca (or shop) – no menus just amazing food recommended by Nello which he serves in between serving his many local customers in his busy shop. Well worth a visit.
We arranged a day visit to Capri and you can either visit independently as we did, or you can arrange an organised trip. An organised trip does allow you to see and be informed far better about this beautiful island. We made our way there using the regular ferries from Sorrento and then purchased funicular and bus tickets as we went along visiting Capri town and Anacapri. The wealth on display on this small island is amazing with practically every major luxury brand on sale on the island. I loved my visit to Capri, especially people watching from the various cafes that we visited – amazing place.
The following day we had arranged an organised tour along the Amalfi coast, our small group included another three couples from the USA and Colombia and Monica, our super driver/guide. This coastline is beautiful and well worth a day trip. Our first stop was the beautiful Positano where we had an hour to explore this amazing village with it steep narrow streets – I would love to return here. Then it was off to Amalfi itself via Praiano and Conca dei Marina. Amalfi itself was very busy and filled with lots of interesting lanes and streets full of shops. After a spot of lunch in Scala we were off to our final stop at Ravello – a town I have always wanted to visit after helping to organise a wedding there a few years ago. It is a beautiful village with amazing views, and I can see why so many want to get married here.
Unfortunately, our last couple of days were wet, so we got on our waterproofs, borrowed an umbrella from the hotel and made the most of exploring Sorrento even more. This including finding the Pizzeria where the Italians themselves eat at – not fancy but great pizza and prices - Pizzeria da Franco.
Overall, I loved my week in Sorrento and wished that I could have stayed longer although my waistline would disagree! We had some amazing meals in fabulous restaurants, met some wonderful people and enjoyed amazing hospitality all in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
Please let me know if I can help you or your friends plan an amazing trip here.