Island-Hopping Off The Amalfi Coast

When my girlfriend and I finally decided to add the Amalfi Coast to our Italy getaway, a verse from my favorite rapper, Jay-Z, popped into my head:

“It’s humorous to me, they watching and we just yachting
Island-hopping off the Amalfi coast
Mafioso, Hov, baby, you ever seen Saturn?
No, not the car, but everywhere we are
You’re sure to see stars, this is high level
Not eye-level, my bezel courtesy of Audemars
I’ll order yours tomorrow, now look at the time I saved you
Mama, let me upgrade you”

I know I’m corny, but I couldn’t help it. I vividly remember the first time that I heard the debut of Beyonce’s “Upgrade You” single featuring Jay-Z. Back then, I use to say, one day, I’m going to spoil my girlfriend the same way! Take her all over the globe, the both of us experiencing all the world has to offer. Little did I know that my then best friend, turned crush, would later become my partner in crime and in life. The universe has a funny way of having things come full circle. Any who, let’s get on with it and talk about what felt like the trip of a lifetime!

Next Stop, Sorrento

If you ask a blogger, they’d probably tell you that the best way to travel from Rome to Sorrento is by renting a car so that you can stop along the way and capture the views. While the views are beautiful, and the convenience nice, I humbly disagree. I think the best way to travel between the two cities is by train. It’s cheap, quick, efficient, and most importantly, you don’t have to worry about the hassle and liability when renting a car. For as little as 22 euros, you can book a ticket to Naples on Italia Rail where you’ll catch the Circumvesuviana (local or express) to Sorrento. It was about a two and a half hour ride in total. Not too bad if you ask me.

One of the highlights of this leg of our Italy trip was connecting with fellow NYC blogger, Freddy Rodriguez of the blog, BluePerk. Freddy met us in Naples, and we all caught the Cicumvesuviana express train to Sorrento.

The three of us arrived at our Airbnb in the afternoon and were pleasantly surprised by its location. The flat was a five minute walk from the train, grocery store, and center of town. Minutes after arriving, we dropped our bags, changed, and headed off to catch sunset while enjoying some fresh fish and pasta. This became our routine for the next week!

As mentioned, every night, around 7pm, we sought out to catch sunset. The sky transformed from being a bright blue to cotton candy pink then sun-kiss orange, all before setting behind the edge of the mountain where fisherman’s port lays. It never got old and was absolutely breathtaking each evening!

Fun In The Sun

Sorrento is one of the smaller cities located in the Naples province and marks the beginning of the Amalfi Coast. But don’t let the size of this city fool you, there is still so much to do! With the help of our Airbnb host, we planned an eventful week which included a private boat ride to the Island of Capri, a private car ride and day trip to Ravello, Amalfi, and Positano, shopping, beaching bumming, and, of course, lots of eating and drinking!

When we weren’t island-hopping off the Amalfi Coast, we were soaking up sun at the Marameo Beach Club. Sorrento has a total of three beach clubs, one right next to the other. We opted to spend our sun filled days at the Marameo because it was centrally located between the two other clubs and the ocean pool was the prettiest. FYI, the beach clubs are private so they aren’t free. You have two options: pay 12-15 euros for the private beach, which includes a beach chair, towel, and service, or, go to the public beach at the fisherman’s port. Just a heads up, the fisherman’s port is surrounded by boats and, well, the smell of fish lol. I’d recommend spending the 12-15 euros for a day of comfort, music, and service. One final tip for the beach, bring LOTS of water, sunblock, order the Marameo Cobb Salad, and a bottle of Vetere Rosé. You’ll love it and can thank me later 😉

Island-hopping off the Amalfi Coast

Now, for our boat ride! I honestly don’t think that any number of words can do justice to this experience. Our boat captain was so hospitable and informative, and of course, as you can imagine, the views were simply breathtaking. I’m seriously struggling to convey our experience, so instead, I’ll give you the details on our boat host so that you can experience it yourself!

I recommend booking a private tour on Luca’s Boat. For 95 euros, you’ll experience a full day tour around the Island of Capri including two (or more) stops and different locations to swim in the ocean, complimentary drinks, and lunch. My favorite stop was at the Blue Grotto. I’m not going to spoil the experience, so you can scroll to see one of the shots I captured from the boat.

Our next excursion was driving the Amalfi Coast. We rented a private driver for the day, which cost 250 euros for 8 hours. We stopped for lunch in Ravello, saw the sights in Amalfi, and sunset in Positano. The coast line was spectacular! Honestly, I’m still in awe of how magical the views were.

While I enjoyed the comfort of a private driver, I doubt we will hire one on our next trip to the Amalfi Coast. One day wasn’t enough time to explore the various cities scattered along the coast. In fact, my partner and I have already decided that for our next trip, we will stay in Positano so that we have better access to the surrounding cities.

Limoncello

One last thing before we go. One of my favorite moments during our excursions was learning about Limoncello. Limoncello is a lemon liquor made in the Southern region of Italy. Don’t let the name fool you, the delicious drink is a creeper.

We were first introduced to the citrus drink on our way back from the Island of Capri. Luca, our boat driver, poured us each a shot of his mothers homemade Limoncello and toasted to a wonderful day. A few days later, after dinner, we stumbled upon Limonoro Fabbrica Liquori Di D’Esposito Ciro, a Limoncello tasting shop in the center of town. I’m not much of a drinker, so let me just say that after sampling the various flavors they had to offer, I left the shop feeling tipsy!

Well friends, I hope you enjoyed sharing this experience with me, and I hope that you all get a chance to experience it for yourselves, The Amalfi Coast is so beautiful, it’s really worth the trip. I’ll be sure to leave some more must visit sites and places to eat below.

I hope you’re enjoying my Italy travel diaries. Next stop, Florence.

Ciao, ciao!