Amalfi Coast, Rome, and Venice

. Our last day, we will take the train back up to Venice, so we want to minimize the amount of traveling to get to the high speed rails as we are leaving

Hopefully this is not the date of your departing flight.

Your choice to enter/exit via Venice complicates your logistics as it appears your time in Rome is fixed, thus leaving a cross country dash to catch your flight.

Unless you are experienced at riding motorcycles, your idea to use scooters in the AC is as you say 'dangerous'

Salerno as a base would, for logistics, probably be the best choice. Just tour from there as you please.

Your choice to use Venice as you access point is really awkward for where you plan to spend your time

I would say that if you were looking for "nightlife" Salerno would be better than Amalfi/Positano, as its just a bigger city (I also like the Amalfi coast better than the Sorrento Coast, and Salerno is at the base of it). Its also very easy to tour the coast and other nearby areas from there. My fav B&B is basically on the roof of an old building in the Centro Storico of Salerno with a BEAUTIFUL view of the Gulf of Salerno, and they would probably be in your budget (I don't know when your trip is, so I couldn't check). I have taken an Italo train direct from Salerno to Venice, not even any train changes, but any option from Salerno will be pretty easy. If you stay on the coast, a ferry to Salerno would be easy as well to get on the train. You can take a ferry from Salerno to Capri, and most of the Amafli Coast buses originate in Salerno as well.

Here is their website.... http://www.seaviewsalerno.it/en/

Your logistics are complicated by dlying in and out of Venice. But, you only spend one night there? It deserves more time.

Atrani is a lovely little town just a few minutes walk from Amalfi, that might fit the bill. It has its own public, sandy beach and some great restaurants. No hotels, but a good deal of affordable Airbnb options. Being so close to Amalfi gives you convenient access to the rest of the coast, it’s a major transportation hub for the area. Amalfi also has the most nightlife options, restaurants, bars and clubs. Train from Rome to Salerno and then take the ferry to your destination. You definitely need to get on your accommodations quickly. Your trip is not far off and it’s still busy season, you mind find it a bit difficult already.

And yeah, I’d skip the scooter tour unless you ride all the time. It’s not a place to mess around.

Salerno is a transportation hub on the Amalfi. We took the Frecciarossa train from Rome directly to Salerno in 2 hours where we stayed at Salerno Centro B and B. Salerno has a charming old town, but also a metropolitan center. There is not a beach for swimming, You would have to ferry to another coastal town for that. Ferries run up the coast as far as Sorrento, and a long ferry ride to Capri. I also don't understand why you are flying in and out of Venice without spending some time there. You might want to reconsider going to the Amalfi at all and concentrate on Venice and Rome. Venice does have the Lido to provide you with a beach experience, and it is VENICE!

On this trip skip Amalfi Coast and stay a little longer in Venice.
One jet lagged day for Venice sounds like a major mistake to me.

Renting a scooter for driving around the Amalfi Coast unless you are motorcycle riders at home is not only dangerous ; it would be really dumb.
If you are avid motorcyclists at home, then you can disregard the dumb comment.

You will be hard pressed to get accommodations this late for August 2018 in the Amalfi Coast. Give serious consideration to adding more time in Venice, for example two nights before your flight home from Venice.

You are correct that Sorrento has the best transportation, by far. But it's not as attractive as the actual Amalfi Coast. Do you have the budget for nightlife? Are you from an American coastal area? You may have nicer beaches at home than you will find on the pebbly Amalfi Coast. I'm questioning your romantic inclusion of this area at High Season for your first trip to Italy.

The actual Amalfi Coast can be hard to get in and out of, especially on a budget. Use the Search box for this forum top center to read about the lines for the SITA busses, and the choices of ferries vs. which city you stay in. Capri is not a bad idea, but everything will be really crowded at this time of year. If you wait for the last ferry back, you may not get on it!