One of the most beautiful and expensive corners of the world, I was lucky enough to get to the Amalfi coast twice in my lifetime so far. Both times with very different budgets and life stories but nonetheless it hasn’t changed. Here is my guide to the Amalfi Coast.
TO STAY;
Low Budget – Hostel Brikette, Positano >> here.
I stayed here in 2011 and it is one of the best hostels I have stayed in. Go there if you want FUN! Great English speaking people, awesome views and the rooms are clean. It’s not ‘cheap’ but nothing is in Positano. They also organised a party bus to the African Club in Priano built into the rocks. Bloody fun night !!
Higher Budget – Florida Residence Positano >> here.
Beautiful balcony in Positano 10 minutes from a (not sandy) beach. Great views, beautiful pink/orange hotel with really lovely owners. Rooms are simple and quite $$ but worth it. Book in advance. We flew into Naples and got a transfer straight to our hotel. Highly recommend.
Off the Beaten Track – Solaria B&B, Amalfi >> here.
Absolutely loved every minute of this B&B in the hills of Amalfi. Great food overlooking this insane view. Angela and Emilio were the cutest Italian couple who really love their b&b and it shows. You all need to go and stay with them. Angela is so passionate about her cakes and Emilio works for the tourist centre so knows his thing.
TO DO; Other than beach and aperol hour, here are some other to do things…
Da Adolfo; We unfortunately didn’t get a booking here because long story short…’August is not a great time to travel to the Amalfi if you want to get a table anywhere’… as everyone will tell you. But I later learnt that you can just rock up to the beach and show them loyalty nice and early and you might be in for a chance. Look for the boat with the ‘red fish’ in Positano port.
Day Trip CAPRI and Boat hire; 3 hour day cruise on a small wooden boat. If you can understand an adorable Italian man who cannot speak English when he tells you ‘that way is go, that way is reverse’ using hand gestures and a few moans… then you have passed the test and are free to hit the high seas. The boat cost 90 euro for 3 hours and it was more than enough. Book in advance or get there early before 10am. You will have the water to yourself. We anchored around the corner in this beautiful bay for an hour or so and swam. We got a return day trip ferry to Capri but if you have time you can also spend a night on the island.
TO EAT;
Cutest family run restaurant that has been running since 1911 and claims to be the first restaurant on the Amalfi coast. The prices are highish but the clear passion for their food and service is great. We got collected from our hotel (and driven home) by brother number 4. Brother 1 is in charge of the wine list, and trust me it’s a long list worthy of a full time job. Brother 2 is in charge of the food and specials and telling us ever so passionately a story about each dish whilst Brother 3 is the head chef in the kitchen. Mum stays up all night baking cakes galore whilst the 70 year old Ciccio father works solo on the farm. The soon to be granted ‘organic’ restaurant gets its produce from the farm so you can guarantee freshness, local and seasonal food.
Lo Guarracino, Positano;
Pizza restaurant a little off the beaten track but 100% worth it for the little bit of peace and quiet and of course large piece of pizza! We started with the classic Caprese salad and plenty of fresh bread and oil. Followed by a margarita to share. Highly recommend for the fresh food, wholesome ingredients and beautiful view.
La Siraneuse, Positano;
We didn’t get to go here because we had limited time and spent 2 evenings having picnics with bread, cheese, oil and aperols on our balcony BUT this place is a super chic expensive hotel offering insane views over Positano. Skip the dinner and just go for a sundowner drink. Look out for someone famous :)
As mentioned above, we did a couple of picnic style dinners because this place can be beautiful but EXPENSIVE. You can get a lot from the local market for 20 euro as opposed to a 150 euro dinner bill.
Overall this part of the Italian coastline is a total must see and is just beautiful. You can’t get more Italian summer chic than this. Just avoid July and August and go in May or September would be my suggestion. It can be a very popular place and sometimes you pay more for peak season dates.
K
KATIE MORGAN 