Beaches in Sorrento

Hi and welcome to the forum -

Given its terrain (you'll see when you get there) I'm afraid that Sorrento - and indeed the Amalfi Coast in general - isn't really a beach destination. Here's an overview of what little is available locally from the city's tourism website. Note that most of the listings are not in Sorrento.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/e/beaches-sorrento-italy

Others on the coast:
https://www.positano.com/en/e/beaches-amalfi-coast

Sorrento is a cliffside town. The Amalfi Coast beaches (say, Positano or Amalfi) are also quite small, and entirely pebbles.

The East Coast USA has some of the finest beaches in the world. I would not fly across the Atlantic for a beach vacation, although I have traveled 3 to 5 hours to the Caribbean many times. I personally target Italy more for history and art than for resorts.

You need to give the month of the year for the best advice about places like Sorrento. This whole area is very congested, and very hot, from May to September. Many people (like us, 5 nights at the Ambasciatori Grande) select Sorrento because of its excellent transportation connections, for daytrips to places like Pompeii or Capri. Each family has different needs.

It happens that the five big cliffside hotels have private boardwalks for sunbathing and swimming in the Gulf of Naples, reached from the hotel's elevators. But we simply went to look at ours; we never used it in our five nights. However, we did pay extra for a gulf-front balcony on our room. (Disclosure: small problem with seagulls and ferry horn noise, but not serious. Surprise fireworks display one night, right before our picture windows! But you could have seen it from our hotel's pool terrace as well, and the dining room windows.)

Thank you for the replies and links. This is part of a longer stay starting the 2nd week of July. 2 days in Venice, 3 days in Rome and 8 days in Sorrento. For the Amalfi coast we have a Capri full day tour. A tour of Pompeii, Vesuvius and a winery. A tour of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

So we have a few days to just relax and wanted something pretty laid back.

I don't use AirBnB, but I'd make really sure that your booking is solid. Sorrento books up completely, six months in advance, and it would be really hard to replace that booking in July. Is it air conditioned? I personally consider Sorrento more laid-back than Positano because Sorrento's downtown is level, and it's a much bigger place than Positano. Positano also has a bit of high-end nightlife, while the most frequent question on Trip Advisor Sorrento used to be, " 'ow much is a Pint there?" It's unclear from your posts whether you are moving to the Amalfi Coast or simply staying 8 days in Sorrento (which is not, technically, on the Amalfi Coast. I don't mean to be picky, but it's important because the AC is much harder to get to and from than Sorrento, which is hard enough!) Are you certain about your departure? It is virtually impossible to wake up in Sorrento and fly out of Rome the same day, especially in Economy class air. For Positano, it is impossible.

We're depending on current travelers to report here, but there has been a lot of trouble this year with construction on the dock in Positano, affecting both ferries there and adding to already crushing passenger loads on the public (SITA) busses from Sorrento to Positano and on to Amalfi (the end of that particular bus line.)

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/getting-around-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-to-sorrento-train-or-private-driver

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-and-vesuvius-69e8366c-1e75-4a14-a0bc-0677269492d1

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

Thank you for the links to the forum, I did not see a way to search by topic.

I booked the Aribnb about 1 year ago. We are staying in Sorrento the entire 8 days and have private transportation to the airport in Rome as this is our first time and there are 6 of us. I was willing to pay the extra cost for the peace of mind.

I will be happy to report back the forum about Pasitano's current conditions.

Thanks again.

have private transportation to the airport in Rome as this is our first time and there are 6 of us.

Are you planning to travel from Sorrento to FCO the day of the flight?

I hope you are heading to Rome the night BEFORE your departure flight.

We do plan on traveling from Sorrento to Rome the day of our flight. The driver is picking us up at 6 AM for a 1 PM flight. Do you think this is risking missing the flight?

I would recommend staying in Rome the night before your flight. When we were in Sorrento we had hired a driver to take us to Naples, and we were in a lot of heavy traffic and the drive took twice as long as expected. Going to Rome would be even more risky the morning of a flight.

I’d stay in Rome the night before
Too risky

Thanks for letting me know how difficult it is to travel from Sorrento to Rome. I email the transportation to see if they can pick us up a day earlier and will get a hotel in Rome by the airport. Any hotels suggestions. Most likely we will get there late at night go right to sleep and wake up early the next morning. So we just want something clean, close to the airport with shuttle service. Clean and close are the most important.

Many people who want to stay at the airport choose the relatively expensive and impersonal Airport Hilton, because it is walking distance (no shuttle, no cab) to the airline concourses. Typically long lines in the lobby to check in and out. If you are trying to stay as long as possible in Sorrento, it makes sense to go to FCO late. But check restaurant closing time for the Hilton. Alternatively, there is no reason not to take a taxi from a downtown Rome hotel, if you want to enjoy one last day in Rome. If you are staying near the main Rome train station, there is absolutely reliable airport train service. Not saying which idea is better for your family.

Some Italian "airport area" hotels have a third-party company run shuttles for them, which always makes me nervous; Seeing a table tent on the check-in desk telling you when "Vinnie's Bus Service" will be picking up for the airport. I'm not saying it isn't reliable, but, who knows? And it's not usually free.

We stayed at the Airport Hilton Garden Inn this past May, there's a free shuttle 24 hrs a day, about a ten minute ride. The Garden Inn was a little cheaper than the regular Hilton, but both are way too expensive for what they are. We used Sapphire points, so it's a little less painful. Book as early as possible, because rates go up, and the hotels are frequently fully booked.
Safe travels!