Deciding Ischia, Sorrento or Santa Maria Di Castellabate?

You got some great suggestions on the other forum. It might help to look at hotels to help you make the decision. I think this kind of trip (portion of a trip) is very dependent on accommodations. You can get what you are looking for in all of these places, but for some it is important to go somewhere with name recognition, and for others, going somewhere without name recognition is part of the attraction.
If you want coastal beauty without crowds, I would avoid the Amalfi and Sorrentine coasts, but Ischia sounds like there would be room to spread out (in June, maybe different in July/August). I would only choose Sorrento to take advantage of the convenience.
How many days do you have? Do you want to stick to public transport?

Although one poster has reported a small hotel with a private beach, Sorrento (the town) has exactly one public beach, which unlike Positano, is nice imported sand. But it is very small, maybe from memory, 50' wide, and is located in between two marinas, with a substantial diesel fuel aroma.

While Sorrento is extremely easy (well, for the Naples/Amalfi Gulf(s) area) to get to, and has a wide variety of hotels at a wide range of prices, it is not exactly an historic village of Italy. It is a purpose built, postwar Resort Town. We were perfectly happy to stay at the Ambasciatori for five nights, mainly to take advantage of Sorrento's superb location for public transportation day trips. Sorrento books up heavily in advance, and is hard to book at all in the closest six months.

Make sure your air travel home can be safely accommodated with your itinerary.

I loved Ischia for the very laid back vibe as I spent the day at Negombo thermal spa. If you like that sort of activity, i recommend the island. I cannot help you with accommodations there as I was staying in Sorrento - took a fast ferry from Sorrento to Ischia. It was a lovely day away.

We have 3 nights to stay and the fourth day we will head back to Naples. We were hoping to use public transportation, but not opposed to renting a car for simple driving. Are there any farm tours in Ischia?

A car in southern Italy is not recommended. You are in an area that has sadly been neglected regarding transportation infrastructures. The roads are narrow and congested. Public transportation , south of Naples, is also under- developed, can be crowded and inconsistent. Private transportation is available, is expensive, but once again, you are on congested roads.
Southern Italy has become a victim of its instagram success. I was very disappointed during our visit last May, when areas were already packed. The pix are beautiful, but there is no quick and efficient way to get around, and that gets frustrating.
Good luck!

My DW and I will be winding down our Italian trip in Ischia in 2 weeks. Before Ischia, we will be staying 2 nights in Sorrento. I'll be sure to post our impressions upon our return, if you can wait.....

S. Maria di Castellebate was great many years ago but it helped we knew Italian and were used to driving in Italy. Very local and pretty. Clean beautiful water, small beach and good food. Fairly easy day trip (then) to Paestum and marina di camerota . We stayed at a farmhouse / B&B with prepared dinners for its guests (no sea view). Feel free to message me for more info if you are interested.

I have to disagree with Pat. We are not talking about the far reaches of Calabria, but just a couple hours south of Naples, where the roads are fine. There will not be road congestion like on the Amalfi Coast. In the moutnains you might come across a washed out road, but just going along the coast it's nothing to worry about. That said, it is quite easy to get to any of the towns along the train line and then using private drives once there or rent a car somewhere easier like Salerno.
I would not drive in Naples, and I would not drive on the Amalfi Coast, where the public transport is excellent but cannot keep up with summer crowds. But driving south of Salerno is not something I would have any qualms about.
What kinds of farms are you interested in? On Ischia there are vineyards, not sure about farms. Near Salerno, touring the buffala mozzarella farms is popular. I know there are farms in the Cilento. Figs are one product typical of the area.

Thank you everyone! I think we have decided on Ischia and possibly taking the ferry to Sorrento for the farm trip. Unfortunately, Il Moresco is not taking reservations right now. Has anyone stayed at the Ischia Blu? Any tips, suggestions or recommendations on restaurants or activities would be great! Thank you again!

I've been all all of those places--with a car except for a week on Ischia when we used the bus. We loved Ischia and I would highly recommend. I also loved IL MORESCO but as I recall their beach is a platform over the sea at the end of the street; their heated pool is fantastic..all around great hotel. But there are quite a few on the island.

Castellabate is not worth it for such a short time, in my opinion. But the area is beautiful with much to see.......both coastal and inland Cilento

As for driving in southern Italy, I returned yesterday from 3.5 weeks with a car--all I the south, and could not have seen nearly what we did see having to use public transport. We drove from Naples to then Amalfi Coast to Maratea, inland to other places in Basilicata including Tursi and Matera, and on to the Gargano in Puglia....and on and on.....drove back to Rome,, dropped the car off, spend a pair of nights in Fiumicino town, and few home. Having the car was what made the trip possible. I never saw ONE traffic-clogged road except for the ring road around Rome.

We will return to Sicily next fall and will rent a car, again, for part of that trip, but depends on the bus when on Salina.