Accommodation/Itinerary help Sorrento March 2020

Naples airport with a 6:35am flight out

You need to be in Naples the night before this flight

That would seem to leave you just 3 nights and being in Sorrento would be better as a transportation hub

Sorrento is the best base for sure. Easy day trips by bus or private driver are easy. Also Sorrento has great restaurants and views. I always stay in Sorrento and love it. Staying at an airport hotel is a must with your early departure. I was in Naples last week and had a 7 am flight out.
U will love Sicily I was there 2 yrs ago it was a terrific trip.

Ditto to the posts above, Angela. You are DEFINITELY going to want to stay in Naples if you have a 6:35am flight, and transport for your 3 nights/2.5 days (you'll likely kill 1/2 a day getting there) is going to be easier from Sorrento. You'd have to travel there by SITA bus or private driver anyway to get a ferry to Capri as boats don't run from/to Positano (or Amalfi) in winter, and there will be more restaurants and other stuff open in Sorrento than Positano at that time of year. Pompeii is a breeze from Sorrento by cheap local commuter train as well; would be more time-consuming from Positano.

There is a shuttle bus to Sorrento from the Naples airport you might consider? Winter schedule isn't up yet but it's a clean and comfortable coach bus that will save you some $$ (tickets are currently € 10 pp) if interested:

https://www.curreriviaggi.it

Current schedule:
https://www.curreriviaggi.it/airport-shuttle/times-download

It terminates near the Sorrento train station, which wasn't a long walk to our hotel but yours could be a bit further.

Can someone give me some of the best hotel recommendations for Sorrento with views that will be open in March? I had my heart staying in Positano but just don’t know if I can make it happen. Is it not possible to hire a round trip driver to take us back to the airport on departure day even though it’s an early flight? I really appreciate the suggestions. I wish I knew the weather ahead of time lol as the only reason I would stay in Sorrento would be to tour Capri; otherwise I would definitely stay in Positano!

Is it not possible to hire a round trip driver to take us back to the
airport on departure day even though it’s an early flight?

Sure, for a price. But why would you want to have to get up even earlier in the middle of the night if you can avoid it? You are at least an hour just from Sorrento (further from Positano) to the airport by road and that's in the wee hours with no traffic. Add time to get up and ready + time you need to be there before your flight and, well, it would be rise and shine at oh-dark-thirty. Ugh. It'll be bad enough from Naples without adding the extra road time. I say this from firsthand, never-again experience, BTW!

Someone else planning to travel in March; might be a helpful thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/3-nights-in-sorrento-march-2020

And you can enjoy some very nice views of the Gulf of Naples from Sorrento.

Naturally , private car services have surcharges for trips after midnight. There are no streetlights on the Amalfi Coast, by the way. Your trip might be 110 Euros in the daytime.

It is a poor idea to sleep in Positano for a Naples air departure before 11 AM.

Make sure you look at the dates on the Capri ferry schedule. Check winter daylight hours as well.

We liked the luxurious Ambasciatori in Sorrento. Of course rooms with a view cost extra.

I just posted about this in another thread. If you want to sleep in Positano and get to the Naples airport for a 6:35 AM flight, you will need to leave Positano around 3:30 or 4 AM, and the pre-booked car will cost something like €150 or 200. If that's fine with you, no problem. If that's not, you will want to be in Naples the night before (the Naples airport is about 15 minutes from the center of town).

We stayed at Grand Hotel de la Ville- it was lovely. We chose it for the views which are fabulous. Rooms are gorgeous with tiled floors, inlaid wood furniture, very spacious, excellent bkft, great location.
https://www.delavillesorrento.com

We found Positano to be a bit of a bore even in the height of the season. It's picturesque, but not much else to it- high end shopping if that's your thing.
Visit Positano, Amalfi, Ravello as a day trip from Sorrento.

We used this company for transfers in Amalfi area and they do also offer day tours of Amalfi. We were very pleased with their delightful drivers and rates.
https://www.topexcursionsorrento.com

No way would I stay that last night anywhere other than in Naples. But if you must- a transfer from Sorrento to Naples airport on departure am would be shorter and probably less expensive than from Positano. You'll need to be at airport by 5 am I would think- it probably doesn't open any earlier- so that still means pick up at 3:30 am.
You could stay in Sorrento 3 nights and leave as late in the day as you like to head to a hotel in Naples.

https://ilnido.it/

I found the view impressive and the price reasonable

Fabulous breakfast !

I haven’t been able to find a nice hotel in Sorrento that is open the end of March. Thank you for suggestions...unfortunately none of those are available. I will keep searching and hopefully I can find something.

Good place to search is booking. com

You can set filters and narrow down

And you do not have to book on booking. Com, go to the actual hotel website once you have located some options

Sorrento definitely and agree night before flight in Naples. We stayed at the Hotel Excelsior Vitoria. Great location but a little pricey. Has elevator from hotel to get to ferry to Capri and great restaurants in Sorrento and shopping. Have fun

Good place to search is booking. com

A second vote for doing a search on that site, which I've used as well. As Christine said, you can customize to desired price and amenities, check trustworthy reviews, and I'm certain there are "nice" hotels open on your dates.

I have a couple options for hotels...any preference for either Bellevue Syrene or Madison La Minervetta? Looking for a great with easy walking to town area.

Not familiar with either- but just looking at location- the Bellevue Styrene is closer to center and closer to train/bus station.
The other is too far out- that's a long walk to town and transportation and looks like you might have a steep climb to or from.

I have done both of these options in the past year. I booked a private driver from Sorrento at 4AM for 90euros last year. A couple of days ago I took the Circumvesuviana the day before to a hotel by the train station for 3euros. I visited the National Archeological Museum during the day and took a taxi to the airport in the morning at 5 am for 18euos. The second is much cheaper and the Museum is fantastic :)

Another vote for Grand Hotel De La Ville in Sorrento. We stayed there on our tour of the Amalfi Coast. It is a perfect base to reach your destinations. The hotel has beautiful well appointed rooms, exquisite views and a delicious breakfast buffet. We would stay there again.

The other is too far out- that's a long walk to town and
transportation....

Ditto: Maison La Minervetta is further walking distance from center amenities, train station, etc. than I'd personally care to be, especially after dark. Bellevue Syrene has a more convenient location, IMHO. Not that you're expecting to but you won't be swimming that time of year so their pools shouldn't be a factor.

Thank you for the suggestions! Unfortunately, Grand Hotel De la Ville isn’t open until April. We decided to go with the Bellevue Syrene as it is more centrally located. Can’t wait to see this beautiful country!

I was surprised to learn that all four of the (associated) Mainiello Hotels group are closed for the winter until approximately March 20. They are very big hotels with large staffs, and expensive, but have astounding views available from premium rooms, when they are open. I have not been to Sorrento in March, but I see that climate history shows average temperatures between 53 and 69F, with 14 days of rain.