Amalfi Coast

Check hotel websites such as Venere.com or HRS.com for area accommodation. You don't say what interests you, but staying 4 nights in one place would be impractical IMO. Staying in Sorrento 4 nights would condemn you to long (1-2 hours each way) round-trip bus rides to other places. Staying in Sorrento two nights would let you enjoy that coastal town and a one-day return boat trip to Capri. Then you could spend another two nights in Positano or Praiano and also enjoy a one-day bus trip to Amalfi and Ravello, if you wish.

Marie, Sorrento is a good choice for a "home base" for touring that area (depending on what you want to see), especially as you only have four nights. It's difficult to suggest "places to stay" without some idea on your criteria. I'd suggest checking your local Library or larger book stores to see if they have a copy of the Italy Guidebook. There's a good choice of Hotels listed in various price ranges and various parts of the city. One Hotel I can suggest is This Hotel. It's a bit of a walk from the station, so with luggage a Taxi would be a good idea. The rooms are clean (but somewhat "basic), the owners are wonderful and very helpful. Happy travels!

Guy and Ken Thanks so much for your helpful information. Marie

The hotel that Ken recommended, Hotel Desiree, has served as our base in Sorrento three times. The rooms are basic but extremely clean, the view from our room was always beautiful and they have a private garden which is nice for relaxing and reading. In swimming weather there is an elevator down to the private beach. When we return to Sorrento we will definitely stay there again.

We've stayed at Hotel La Tonnarella three times and really like it. Love Sorrento.

My husband and I stayed at the Majestic Palace Hotel in Sant'Agnello. Sant'Agnello is the last stop on the train from Naples before reaching Sorrento. The hotel is about a ten to fifteen minute walk from the train station. Our hotel room was very large with a large bathroom. The room had a large armoire for storing clothes. Our room overlooked the vegetable garden/orchard area. Our room also had a balcony that accomodated a small table and four chairs. The room was very quiet at night. The hotel was close enough to walk to a laundry in or near Sorrento. There are tour groups, especially from the Uk, that use the hotel but we didn't find it to be a problem for us. I can't remember the rates for the hotel since our stay there was in October, 2007.

If you're on a budget (or just want to save money for pasta and gelato like we did), try the Ulisse Deluxe Hostel in Sorrento. The rates were great, breakfast started early, rooms were clean, great location (10-15 minute walk from the train station, a bit of a hike with luggage, not too bad, don't let the cab driver at the train station fool you by offering to help with directions, then say "ohhhhh, that's waaaaay too far to walk"). If you're a light sleeper, you might want to bring ear plugs, as the floors are marble, and we could hear lots of echoing of footsteps. Positano was beautiful and I would love to stay there on a return trip, but Sorrento was great as a base for day trips to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, and Capri.