After an “eyes shut” drive from Sorrento to our new location on the Amalfi Coast, we finally arrived and could take a deep breath. OK - it wasn’t that bad, but for sure - use the professional transfers that the hotel can arrange. Our driver was excellent, and very nice as well. You have to understand the local driving here - we even met other Italians on or trip that said they would never venture a drive on their own on the Amalfi Coast. Very curvy - steep - and many “one lane” sections, with two cars (or tour busses) having to slow to a stop to work to get by each other.
Of course the views were incredible, and you must focus on that, as if you watch the drive, you are sure to leave your grip marks permanently in the seat (which I did)!
Well, officially our hotel was in Ravello (must be a postal code thing), but we were really down on the coast in the town of Castiglione, which is about a 5 minute walk to Atrani, and then another 5-10 minute walk to the town of Amalfi. Ravello is up on the mountain at about 365 m (1,200 ft) elevation. There are several other little towns along the coastline, but from where we were, we focused on (from west to east), Amalfi, Atrani, Marmorata, Minori, and Maiori (which is then followed by several more before you arrive in Salerno).
Our hotel, Villa Hotel San Michele, was in a perfect place - outside of the larger tourist towns of Amalfi and Positano, but near enough to take a 3 Euro passenger ferry (or the bus, if you dare). Right on the water with a swim/sunning platform on the edge of the sea (in fact, our day trip boat to Capri picked us up right from here). Our rate was for “half board” so included breakfast and dinner - a good option, as we generally ate a light lunch wherever we were, and could look forward to a nice dinner when we returned, exhausted from a day of exploring.
This is a true “family run” hotel, with only (I think) 12 rooms in the Villa, and a very nice restaurant as well as many different places to sit and enjoy the day - oh yes, under the lemon trellis is one of those! Breakfast was semi-continental, with a nice basket of breads and fruit and meat & cheese plates also available, as well as granola and yogurt. And of course coffee. For dinners, usually two offerings for pasta (first course) and for a main course. Each day was different, depending on what was fresh from the sea (or land), and every dinner was fabulous!
This would be our home base for the next few days, where we could begin our exploration of the Amalfi Coast.