Sorrento Short Break
After a lovely evening at the Hilton Hotel at Bristol airport we had a relaxing start to our early morning flight to Naples - great flight with Easy jet and arrived on time and the weather was glorious! We left a very wet and windy Bristol, so it was a great start to our trip. We were met by private car and were quickly on our way to Sorrento along the main roads and motorways with the volcano of Vesuvius in our eye line all the time! We quickly left the motorway and made our way along the windy scenic roads to Sorrento and I could not believe that the transfer time was booked as 90 mins... but I soon realised why as we reached the outskirts of Sorrento! The traffic was so busy, and it took longer to reach the centre hence the long transfer time! However, it was good journey and the scenery stunning!
We were staying at a simple 3-star hotel in the centre of Sorrento - the Del Corso hotel - nothing special but the location and the staff were great, right in the centre so we could easily walk out in the evenings. The room was spacious and very clean, and we overlooked the fabulous Via Corso which was great - vibrant scene with shops restaurants and vendors but when we closed the shutters and windows - complete peace! Because of the location we were also able to come back during the day after walking around and have a rest - we needed it! There are so many steps in Sorrento! The views are fantastic, and it was lovely to walk down to the harbour in the evenings and sit and have a glass of the local wine. There are so many restaurants in Sorrento you will not have a problem... just so many to choose from. Each one that we ate at was lovely - the food cooked well and so delicious.
We took a day trip to Herculaneum but went on the Circumvesuviana railway and travelled with the locals - great experience and so reasonable. Had a wonderful day in Herculaneum and spent a long time looking at this fantastic preserved city/town which was fascinating - we were going to stop at Pompeii but chose Herculaneum instead which was a good choice. Pompeii is larger and although just as fascinating we thought that at Herculaneum there would be more to see in the form of relics that had been preserved and tiles and murals.
Another day trip was a coach tour of the famous Amalfi Coast - I have always wanted to drive this but opted for a coach trip instead and was so glad that I did! The drivers are mad! You need to be very confident and brave or just don't care. The steep curvy bends are breath-taking and you can see it all in the safety of a coach! Stunning views and scenery and we stopped off in Amalfi for an hour to take in the wonderful streets and harbour before going up to Ravello before making our way back to Sorrento - a great day out and some wonderful memories.
We did take a local ferry to Capri... but to be honest, it was very expensive, long queues and by the time we arrived in Capri Centre we did not have enough time to go to Ana Capri and to see the views and the villas. So if I decide to do it again I will make sure that I do this trip with a private taxi meeting me at the harbour and taking me to Ana Capri!
All in all we had a great few days here and it’s a beautiful place to visit for a short break - if you don't mind walking and steps! Love it...