accommodations in Sorrento & Positano

We stayed pretty near the train station in sorrento which was very convenient. We arrived by ferry and then took a bus up to the town.

In positano, we were about half way down with a beautiful view and nothing but steps. I am not sure where to stay to avoid that but do be careful. We did not have any mobility issues and found it annoying to always have to go up or down steps to do or get anything.

I liked staying in Amalfi better partly for that reason.

Thank you. This helps a lot. What if we stayed in the town part of Positano and walked down a winding road and took a bus back up? Was near the train in Sorrento pretty or just convenient? Was anywhere in town or near town pretty? How did you get to Sorrento? We are thinking about taking shuttle from the airport, which leaves you in front of the train station. Thanks so much.

sdumont, I don't think you need to stay in BOTH: choose one or the other. Frankly, with a foot problem I wouldn't choose Positano as pretty much everything is uphill and/or involves lots of steps. The upper part of Sorrento where the train station, most of the restaurants, shops and hotels are (not down by the port) is pretty flat and will be easier to manage. Even there, be cautious to book something around the center of town: consider Piazza Tasso pretty much ground zero.

As far as hotels, we don't know what "not too expensive" is for you so use booking.com and narrow down your options by budget. If on a tight budget, you'll likely have to give up a sea view but no matter: you'll get plenty of that when out and about during the day. If your trip is NEXT MONTH or early Oct. you'll want put the hustle on reservations as much will already have been booked up.

I agree with Kathy about location in Sorrento. We’ve stayed twice at the Hotel Antiche Mura in Sorrento and thought it a great hotel in a great location, although no view. Convenient to the train/bus station, to downtown Sorrento with its shops and restaurants, excellent service and great hotel buffet breakfast. (Not sure of your price range; it is no bargain but also not the most expensive).
We took the bus from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi (not fun if the bus is overly crowded btw- standing the entire route induced considerable nausea on that very twisty road...); Positano is lovely but indeed quite vertical.

We’ve stayed twice at the Hotel Antiche Mura in Sorrento and thought
it a great hotel in a great location, although no view. Convenient to
the train/bus station, to downtown Sorrento with its shops and
restaurants, excellent service and great hotel buffet breakfast.

Yep, that's where we stayed too, Elizabeth, and loved it. No view but great breakfast and terrific desk staff. I'd do it again in a minute. I will recommend upgrading to at least above an economy room for the most pleasant stay.

We stayed in Sorrento down by the Marina. Marina Piccola 73 is a bed and breakfast. Has a wonderful terrace to enjoy breakfast in the morning. Loved it! At night it was very peaceful. There is an elevator past the Marina restaurants that you can take up and down instead of walking. It takes you right up into Sorrento downtown. It costs a euro one way or 1.50 round trip.

sdumont, you would be well-advised to do some more basic research, starting with Google Maps, and then the search-box at the top of this newsboard. You don't seem to know that Positano has no train service. It's also important to understand that Sorrento is built on a cliff, and Positano tumbles down a steep hill to their port. Sorrento is more of a mass-culture resort, while Positano still has an air of the global-elite. (There are "affordable" stays in both towns, but the both book up SIX TO TEN MONTHS in advance. If you don't book early, you can't get the cheap rooms.) Sorrento only has one tiny (imported sand) beach, down by the Marina, with the smell of diesel fumes. Positano has more choice of beach, but they are pebbles, and you have to pay for a chaise. They also tend to be busy, because they serve a whole hillside of residences. Deciding between these two towns is a major enterprise, involving even your flight time on day of departure. Both are remote from Rome, but Positano is especially far.

The choice you are considering is very complex, especially for budget travelers.

Edit: Now that I have seen your other post about Positano, I would add that cost affects convenience, distance, and view. The six or eight huge luxury hotels on the cliffside in Sorrento have (some higher-cost rooms) with magnificent views. We took one with big balcony, at the Ambasciatori. The cost was made easier by the fact that this was our sixth choice of Sorrento hotel-all the others ahead of it on my research list were booked up! There are a few luxury hotels in Positano that are only 30 to 60 feet higher elevation than the marina. But the low-budget places can be hundreds of stairs higher. If you refuse to take a car service (air-conditioned Mercedes sedan, for example) from Sorrento, you may have longer distances to a hotel. (Note that MANY hotels in Positano are not on any AUTOMOBILE road ... as there is only one highway through Positano.)

Sorrento- stay up in the main part of town. It is flat , on a cliff, with beautiful views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius from many locations. Take a taxi up from the marina.

We stayed in Sorrento at Hotel Plaza and it was fabulous. Close to all points and the double pained windows kept the noise out. The rooftop bar/pool/lounge has a spectacular view of the BON and at night, they had live jazz saxophone player up there. The beds, linens were great and the breakfast was also delicious. Take the city sightseeing bus to Positano, instead of the SITA bus. Worth the extra few euros since you get a guaranteed seat and the buses are air conditioned (see comment above about nauseating bus to/fro Positano). The city sightseeing bus is right at train terminal and I wish I knew that before I took the regular bus at the end of September 2 years ago.

Well, not everyone gets carsick. But another reason to take the commercial bus to Positano is that for much of the high season, the line (and we saw it ... ) for the half-hourly bus SITA from Sorrento to Positano has a line that is longer than will fit onto the NEXT bus. That means an "average" 45-minute wait, and still with 50 percent of the seats on the side with no view.

Rick has written that if you are doing both Positano and Amalfi in one day by bus, you should see Positano first, because the bus "home", which originates in Amalfi, often skips the Positano stop because it has filled to capacity in Amalfi. (No personal experience. We paid 240 Euros for a car-and-driver from our hotel for 8 hours of AC.)