Amalfi Coast, Italy

One of the ultimate vacation spots and backdrop of the movie “Only You” (thank you, 90s!), the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s most unforgettable locations.

Mountains plunge into the ocean and the coastal towns feel impossibly perched along the coastline.

The town of Amalfi is a strip of shore with cliffside pools, boat access beaches, and a bustling town center. A monastery-turned-hotel (which seems to be a thing here) is high above the chaos and provides a calm & peaceful escape.

A drive south along the treacherous, winding road, will take you to the pastel-colored and ultra chic town of Positano where sunbathers relax on black sand beaches and vacationers sip cocktails while watching the sun go down from their balcony.

Hidden coves, turquoise waters and beautiful beaches are waiting to be found, so grab a spritz and enjoy.

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STAY

Hotel Luna Convento - Loved this spot! It's an old monastery perched on the cliffs on the southern edge of Amalfi. It has a great pool right on the cliffs with lounge chairs on the rocks and spots to swim in the ocean.
NH Convento Do Amalfi Grand Hotel - We also stayed here and while it was very nice I didn't think it warranted the price tag. You might be able to get a decent rate far in advance. Their Infiniti pool is lovely and I ate their bruschetta by the pool everyday. Views are ridiculously awesome and it's very relaxing and peaceful.

FOOD

Il Teatro - very tucked away—fun to find. Yummy homestyle cooking.
Kasai - this is in Praino, a small town north of Amalfi but it was delicious and quaint and lovely.
Lido Azzurro - make a reservation earlier in the day if possible
Lo Smeraldino - right on the water, pretty good food.

ACTIVITIES

Fiordo di Furore - this teeny “town” is hidden under the road between Amalfi & Positano. It’s a little sketchy and treacherous getting there from the road, but if you can, at least look down at the view of the narrow fjord harbor…it’s pretty gorgeous!
Il Duoglio Spiaggia - This is a boat access beach. You can get tickets at the main dock in Amalfi and they go every hour I believe. A fun way to spend part of the day(they sell sangria by the pitcher) just make sure you don’t miss the last boat back like we did. You can hike out, up lots and lots of steep stairs and then it’s a decent walk back to town.

TRAVEL

We had a rental car and had a blast driving along the coast. If you read up about it online, it talks about how treacherous it is, and it’s not as bad as they make it out. Narrow? Yes. Winding? Yes. But cars will just go around you if they want (don’t get offended) and it all works out if you’re a semi-confidant driver. If you’re not, there is a shuttle that goes between towns that you can take although the lines always looked long and the buses looked crowded. If you have a car, be prepared to pay for parking.

POSITANO

THE DRIVE AND THE TOWN ARE STUNNING. FROM WHAT I KNOW, IT’S A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE TO STAY HERE AND IT’S A REAL PAIN TO GET IN AND OUT OF.

FOOD

Le Sirenuse - this hotel is amazingly gorgeous. We had dinner and drinks at the Champagne Bar & Grill and everything was so delicious. Not to mention the views are beautiful. Might want to make a rezzie if you go.

DRINKS

Franco's - We had drinks after at the open air bar next to Le Sirenuse and highly recommend it. Would be great at sundown.

ACTIVITES

Da Adolfo - This is a little lunch restaurant on a boat access only beach a few minutes from Positano. It was an experience and definitely a highlight for us. Call them ASAP to make a reservation (from an Italian number—might help to ask your hotel to do it). They are really hard to get ahold of—we called, oh 50 times and they never answered. So we just showed up to the boat dock, said we had a reservation and talked to the head guy when we got there. Thankfully they were able to squeeze us in. So, you could try that if you don’t get ahold of them, or I saw people showing up and being seated as tables came available. They basically do one serving at 1pm and if people finish and there’s still food, they’ll seat you (it seemed). They also have a small beach with chairs for 8 Euro each, I suggest getting there early (boats start at 10am from the Positano boat launch)
Positano Beach - We never did the beach here but there are lots of places to rent seats and the new is pretty spectacular.