A dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.

Jon Steinbeck

This sentiment rings true to this day.  I had the privilege of traveling to Positano and felt as if I was living a dream I hoped would never end.  If Positano isn’t already on your bucket list, it should be.

Planning your Trip

Book early! Positano is a quaint, small town nestled along the Amalfi Coast.  Large, chain hotels do not exist here.  Instead, Positano offers charming boutique hotels with a limited number of rooms.  We booked our flights, hotel, and most dinner reservations 6 months in advance.  Even with this amount of lead-time, many hotels were already booked or only had non-view rooms available.       

Getting to Positano

Train, Bus, Ferry, or Taxi? Naples is the closest airport to Positano.  From Naples, there are train, bus, and ferry options.  You can take the Circumvesuvianatrain from Naples to Sorrento, but you will need to transfer to a CITA bus or ferry once you arrive in Sorrento.  Positano is built on a hill, so if you arrive by ferry or bus, you will be hauling your luggage up what could be seemingly endless stairs.

We opted for a private car to pick us up at the airport and take us directly to our hotel.  After a long day of travel from Miami to Naples by way of Milan, the convenience of this option was well worth the 120 Euro price tag.  Our hotel arranged the transfer for us in advance, so our driver was waiting for us upon arrival.  The best part – our hotel (Villa Rosa) was located on the main road, so no up-hill luggage hauling required.

Do I need a rental car? No! Parking is very limited and expensive. The ferry system is a fantastic way to get from Positano to other towns in the Amalfi Coast.

When to go to Positano

My boyfriend and I were both born on July 3^rd.  Since the date often coincides with at least 1 day off from work, it has become our tradition to take advantage of those vacation days and go on a “birthday adventure” each year during the first week of July.  While we had an incredible vacation, I would not recommend traveling to the Amalfi Coast in July or August if you have more flexibility.  Tourism, prices, and temperatures all peak in July and August.   

Season in the Amalfi Coast is April – October.  In the winter months many businesses are closed and the ferry transportation between towns is not running.  To me, the optimal time to visit is in May- it’s still summer so you can play all day in the sun, but temperatures are significantly more comfortable, the crowds thinner, and the cost of accommodations considerably less expensive.     

Hotels

(1) Villa Rosa ****

We stayed at the lovely Villa Rosa. This boutique property is located directly behind Le Sirenuse (see below) and boasts the same fantastic view, but with a much smaller price tag.  The hotel offers well appointed rooms with oversized balconies.  Breakfast is included and is served on your balcony each morning.  I highly recommend opting for a suite with a sea view. The added space in the room and balcony will be greatly appreciated.  

The hotel’s location could not have been better.  While researching Positano, one of the things we kept reading was complaints about the “never-ending stairs”.  For the majority of our stay, I kept thinking “where are all these stairs”?  Our taxi driver was able to drop us off right at the hotel entrance.  The walk to the beach was also much more leisurely than anticipated.  There were some stairs, but only a couple of short flights with gradually sloping alley paths in between.  Most of our dinner reservations were on our side of the “hill” or were accessible by walking around the main road (a pretty flat <1 mile walk).  It wasn’t until the last night when we walked from the beach to a restaurant on the side of the hill opposite our hotel did we encounter the endless stairs other travelers always describe.  

The following hotels are locations we visited for dinner, lunch, or drinks and noted as places to consider staying during future trips: 

(2) Le Sirenuse *****

If you’ve seen a picture of any Positano hotel, it was likely a picture of Le Sirenuse.  Unfortunately, for July 4^th week, this hotel was around $3,000/per night (who knew hotels could be this expensive?) despite being in the $500-600 range the week prior.  We opted for a beautiful lunch at their restaurant, La Sponda, instead. 

(3) Hotel Posiden **** See Il Tridente below

(4) Hotel Palazzo Murat ****

(5) Villa TreVille ***** 

The ultimate in luxury.  They were already sold out by the time we booked our room, but we were able to have lunch at their restaurant (Maestro’s).  The view here is so gorgeous it does not feel real. The property is also very private and secluded, with the staff making every effort to maintain their guests’ privacy and tranquility.  If you’re looking for pure relaxation, this is your hotel. 

Restaurants

(1) Next2

Trendy and sophisticated.  Perfect for a date night in Positano.  (outdoors, no water view)

(2) Palazzo Murat

Great for dinner and/or drinks on their beautiful outdoor terrace.  (outdoors, no water view)

(3) La Sponda

Located in Le Sirenuse.  This Michelin star restaurant has a casual lunch menu served on their terrace overlooking the Mediterranean and a formal dinner menu served in their elegant dining room. 

(4) La Tagliata

This restaurant is a must in Positano!  Located high above Positano, the restaurant is accessed via a complimentary shuttle bus that will pick you up at your hotel and drop you back off after dinner.  There is no menu at this family run institution- instead, patrons feast on whatever mamma is cooking that night.  With seemingly unlimited courses of bread, appetizers, caprese, pasta, meat, and dessert, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  

(5) Il Tridente

Located in the Posiden Hotel.  An innovative menu served on a bougainvillea covered terrace overlooking all ofPositano.  They had an entire vegetarian menu as well!

(6) Maestros at Villa Treville See above in “Hotels”

(7) Casa e Bottega 

Great spot along the beach for smoothies and light bites! 

(8) Il Riccio 

On the island of Capri.  Our boat tour (see below) dropped us off here for lunch 

Activities

(1) Capri Boat Tour – Gianni’s Boats: To inquire about booking: click here.  We opted for a private, half-day boat tour that picked us up in Positano at 9 AM and dropped us off in Capri for a 2 PM lunch reservation at Il Riccio.  Our boat captain took us through all of the beautiful grottos and anchored so that we can swim through caves in the beautiful Mediterranean.  If you only book one tour during your vacation, make it this one!

(2) Fiat Jolly Tour with Salvatore: To inquire about booking: Salvatore@farace.it.  After a leisurely lunch at Villa Treville, Salvatore picked us up in the cutest vintage Fiat Jolly and we spent the afternoon touring the many towns along the Amalfi Coast.  Salvatore is an Amalfi Coast native and could not have been sweeter or more knowledgeable.  I recommend this tour for 2-3 people and anyone looking to feel like Jackie O’ for the day!

(3) Archeology Tour: Looking for a way to get out of the sun, we stumbled upon an archeology tour just off the main Positano beach.  Tickets are sold next to the Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption.  Our tour guide led us through a medieval crypt and Roman villa that lay underneath the famous church.  It was fascinating to learn about the history of Positano as a travel destination for Roman senators and the affects the eruption of Mount Vesuvius had on the town.  This unexpected activity was the little slice of Italian history we had been missing from the trip.  

(4) Shopping:  Positano is filled with small boutiques, most notably stores that will make custom sandals for you.  These make the perfect souvenir since every time you wear them, you will remember your time in Positano. 

(5) Villa Cimbrone:  Villa Cimbrone is an 11^th century villa in Ravello with stunning mediteranean views.  We stopped here during our tour with Salvatore in the Fiat Jolly to tour the gardens and visit their famed infinity terrace.  The hour we spent there made us wish we had another 2-3 days to spend solely in Ravello – saving that for the next trip!

(6) Other Activities:  No amount of time would be long enough in the Amalfi Coast.  While there was nothing we would change about our trip, we would love to go back to explore some new things.  Here are a couple of activities we would like to incorporate into our next trip: 

• Spend a few days in Amalfi and Ravello
• Path of the Gods – Work off some of those pasta calories with this breathtaking hike
• Cooking class
• Lemon grove tour
• Sunset cruise
• Beach clubs – the Villa TreVille beach club looked like so much fun!
• Day trip to Pompei 

Itinerary

Day 1

Miami à Milan à Naples à Positano 

Check into the Hotel

5:30 PM – Drinks at Franco’s Bar at Le Sirenuse

7:30 PM – Dinner at Next 2 

Day 2

9:30 AM – Depart from Spiaggia Grande with Gianni’s Boat Tour

2:00 PM – Boat drops us off for our reservation at Ill Riccio 

3:30 PM – Explore Capri

6:00 PM – Ferry back to Positano 

8:00 PM – Dinner at Palazzo Murad 

Day 3

6:00/7:00 AM – Wake up to explore Positano as the sun rises, before the tourists and the heat

9:00 AM – Breakfast on our balcony 

11:00 AM – Archeology tour & explore Positano 

1:00 PM – Lunch at La Sponda

2:30 PM – Ferry to Amalfi to explore 

7:15 PM – Dinner at La Tagliata

Late night – Music on the Rocks nightclub 

Day 4

9:00 AM – Breakfast on our balcony & morning in Positano 

1:00 PM – Lunch at Villa TreVille

2:30 PM – Depart Villa Treville with Salvatore & visit Villa Cimbrone

7:00 PM – Salvatore drops us off in Amalfi where we take the ferry back to Positano 

8:30 PM – Dinner at Il Tridente

Day 5

** On day 5 we departed for Venice, where we would spend the next 2 days of our Italian adventure.

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