PLACES
TO STAY
(AND SHOPPING WHILE YOU'RE
THERE)
POSITANO
(and the Amalfi Coast)
Positano
is 4 hours by car from Da Vinci airport in Fiumicino, about the same from
central Rome. Your best bet, if you begin your vacation there, may be to fly to Milan or
Fiumicino and connect to a flight to Naples, where you can arrange to be met by a car and
driver. Hiring a limousine yourself will cost you less than having
your hotel make the arrangements.
It will cost 500 euros to have a car and driver take you from a hotel in Rome to
Positano, 450 or more from Fiumicino, plus gratuity.
You can also rent a car (see Cars & Driving for lots of detail on this) but
it will cost you at least $1,000 for five days of use, with taxes, insurance, etc.
You can also take a train from Rome to Naples and be met, at a cost of 90 to 125
euros.
There really aren't any other options; the bus would be an option only for those
comfortable with the Naples area and with good Italian.
We
heartily recommend
POSITANO LIMOUSINE SERVICE
Tel 089 811 624
Cel 335 5413 986 (24 hour)
Fax 089 812 2968
info@limocarservice.net
www.positanolimoservice.com
Ask for Lucio, but they're all good. In '05 we used them for the third
year to pick us up and take us back to the Rome airport and to take us
down the Amalfi Coast (as outlined in Places to See -
Amalfi Coast).
On the left, the offices, just below the
(recommended) Cafe Positano. On the right, Lucio, an icon.
Via C.
Colombo
84017 Positano
089.875066
www.sirenuse.it
If you're in Rome, life must be centered at the Hotel de Russie. In Positano and anywhere on the Mediterranean, it's at Le Sirenuse. Punta Tragara is breathtaking, but Le Sirenuse is breathtaking with superb service and access to great shops and restaurants. It is always high on the various travel magazine lists of the best in Italy, Europe, and the world. It is very expensive - comparable to San Pietro, Hotel de Russie, Post Ranch Inn, Peninsula . . . well, you get the idea. For the well to do, and once or twice in a lifetime splurges. You'll never forget your stay. We promised ourselves we'd go once, and we did in '04, but then we went again in '05. It's an addiction. [Unhappily, an addiction we must now forego. Doubles with sea view are $920 in low season, $1,275 in high; the junior suites we stayed in are now $1,050 in low season, $1,800 in high.]
View from Russ' favorite spot to sit for hours. Pool is to
the left; Terrace Restaurant is to the rear. Spa is forward and left, as
is salon with free laptops and wireless Internet access. That is, if you feel you
have to get up and do something. (The above photo is our main computer's
screen saver.)
View from Russ' second favorite spot to
contemplate - water (fresh water) temp 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
THIS JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TO CELEBRATE LE SIRENUSE.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
Via G.
Marconi
84017 Positano
Tel: 089.875844
089
8212132
Fax: 089.875552
www.edenroc.it
If arriving from the north, go through town and just as you think you're going
to leave it, take a sharp left at the bus stop. Or bear left before going
into town, and you'll be on Via G. Marconi; it's on the left (uphill) side of
the street. Not too hard to find.
Top left, the sunning terrace; top right, a junior deluxe suite like ours.
Above left, the view from our room in 2002.
Located relatively high up the hillside from the shore in the heart of Positano, the Eden Roc is a charming 4-star hotel. Our suite was about $210 a day (2002), which included breakfast. It was airy, with plenty of room, an excellent bathroom (true of most European hotels but a particular fondness of Russ'), and a great view of the Mediterranean. The hotel is easy to find, if you're driving, and is an easy walk (for non-LA residents) down to all the shops. Alas, in 2008 the same suite is $400 a night in the off season, $575 in season.
Buca di Bacco
Via del Brigantino, 35/37
848017 Positano
089.811.461
www.bucapositano.it
Sharon's balcony and view at Buca
di Bacco on the left, and the view from her room on the right.
For the average
traveler, Buca di
Bacco is a fantastic place to stay, very different in that it's right on the beach,
but Russ' brother didn't find the nearby disco a problem, and they loved the
ocean views from reasonably priced rooms. Our good friend Sharon agreed wholeheartedly. June singles
ran 228
euros in 2004. In 2008, room rates for sea view (and it's right on the
beach) are $400 for high season, a bargain these days.
The restaurant on the beach has become a tradition for us; on our last night in
Positano, we go there to watch folks stroll and to have a thin crust Margarite pizza, fresh anchovies, and a bottle of
white wine. (See Places to Eat - Positano for pix.)
San Pietro
San Pietro is stunning, but it's a bit out of town. You'll need a car or frequent taxis (forget the bus) or their shuttle to get in and out of Positano. Both it and Le Sirenuse are justifiably famous. (There was one room available when we called 3 1/2 months in advance, but it was $1200 a night back in 2002; the most recent posted prices for 2008 [all rooms are ocean view] start at $640 in low season, $800 in high.) (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stayed there while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith, to give you some idea of the clientele.) (See photos by clicking here and cursing down the page.)
Amalfi - Hotel Santa Caterina
This hotel was actually our first choice for the Amalfi Coast, based on great reviews and prices comparable to San Pietro and Le Sirenuse, but Positano as a base appealed to us more than Amalfi, a conclusion borne out by three stays now along the coast.
Check the website. The hotel has much charm and has been a favorite destination of celebrities.
Ravello - Hotel Caruso
Writers from Virginia Woolf to Tennessee Williams have stayed here. To add to its incredible views are upgraded facilities and a (heated) infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean. Advertised rates are about one-third higher than those above, and Russ believes that naming one suite "Jackie O" (no others are named) is tacky; so he's vowed never to stay there.
Ravello - Palazzo Sasso
Newly opened (1997), Palazzo Sasso has already captured a #2 in Italy rating from Travel & Leisure for its views (see all hotels on this page) and its facilities. Its rates are comparable to all the above, sea view running from $480 in low season to $800 in high season, and up [that's for sea view; mountain views are less].
SHOPPING
Positano is a coastal town, a resort town, a village on a beautiful coast. Therefore, you can find the tackiest of souvenirs and t-shirts or the most original and striking of designer styles.
The Emporio Le Sirenuse (above) is the cream of the crop, and Suzy Gershmann's favorite store in Italy. There are many others, a few upscale, most touristy, as you wend your way down to the beach. Along the way you'll find a couple of interesting ceramics stores, with prices a little higher than average - if you can find an average store.
When you pass the covered walkway next to Palazzo Murat, you're near, on the one side, Enogastronomia Delicatessen Positano and, on the other side, I Sapori di Positano Enoteca. The Delicatessan is just that, but it also has a few ceramics pieces for which you can bargain. The ceramic mural of Positano which is attached to our outdoor living room's plaster wall was bought there (see photo below), and shipped (but it was shipped with 40 others, which meant MONTHS of waiting at JFK for each piece of the shipment to clear customs - very, very frustrating). I Sapori, on the other hand, sent our wonderful round dish (see photo below) with surrounding matching dishes the day after we made our purchase, and it got back to Los Angeles just two days after we did, or less than two weeks. When you're shipping, make sure you know what kind of shipping you're paying for.
One
store which intrigued us is farther up, above Le Sirenuse, toward Eden Roc and
the bus down the Amalfi Coast. Farther up this street, and on the way out
of town going south, are other ceramics stores with a broad array of wares.
We're not collectors; we don't know if these were valuable antiques; but the
Mediterranean reflected in the mirrors made a heck of a picture.
Ceramica Artistica
Sorrentina, four miles away, carries very
reasonably priced pieces, not the very ornate and very expensive
pieces you'll find in Positano. A cab will take you there
for a reasonable amount, and it's easy to find if you're driving. We were sent by a waitress at Hotel Eden
Roc who used to live across the street from the cousin of...well, you get it. We had
three pots made to order (see photo below), selecting the shape, style, designs,
and colors, with our C-M
monogram on each pot. They were shipped by the factory (a very small building) and
arrived on time, unbroken, and beautiful. Total price - $450, including
shipping and duty.
Ravello is another place for shopping, especially ceramics and ceramic tables. From the town square where Lucio drops you, you'll go left toward the villa, past Gore Vidal's place (for sale for 21 million euros in '04, reduced I believe to 13 million in '05 but we haven't made an offer yet), and you'll pass (on the right) Ceramiche Cosmolena Ravello.
info@cosmolena.com
(the website is under construction, and has been for 18 months)
Tel & Fax: 089 85 74 38
Margherita not only runs the shop, and the factory
(she'll tell you the whole story) and her shop of ceramic table tops near the
main parking area, she designs them as well. And they're fabulous.
We bought a set of 4 mixed-matched plates, etc. (see photo
on right above) and are delighted with
them. One warning, she'll show you how durable and dishwasher safe they
are by banging them together and throwing them on the floor. No chips or
breaks, not your grandmother's tourist ceramics. Even if you buy only a
few pieces, or a demitasse cup and saucer, visit and listen to the English
Margherita picked up 'on the street.' It's a lot better than our Italian
and wonderfully idiosyncratic.
Copyright 2006 by Kaye and Russ Cooper-Mead
Last updated 04/08/06