Need help deciding where to base, Sorrento or Amalfi?

Can you stay in Naples a night or two and then see Pompeii on your way to Sorrento/AC? With that many people, it might more financial sense to hire a driver and it would help with seeing the sites. RS recommends Mondo Guides in his book. I would think a private driver wouldn't completely eliminate the motion sickness issue. There are ferries between the cities and to Capri. Ravello is a short bus ride from Amalfi. We stayed in Sorrento. It had more restaurants, though we thought Amalfi and Positano were more interesting and pretty.

I think I like that idea of a night in Naples then visit Pompeii and go on to 3 nights in Amalfi. I just kept thinking that it was better to visit Pompeii first before the Archeological museum but I'm not sure if we could get to Pompeii on the way that early in the morning from Rome before hitting up Naples. But if we spend the night in Naples, we can get to Pompeii in am the next day.
I am sure I will still have issues with the motion but it is better than a bus! Thanks.

Sorrento is the better choice as a transportation hub.

At that time of year traffic will be so heavy and slow that motion sickness induced by speeding along winding curvy roads is likely much reduced.

I think Sorrento is your best bet given the things you want to see. Trying to see Ischia from Amalfi or Positano would be difficult. And Pompeii/Naples is also much easier from Sorrento. With Sorrento you only have one base. If you were going for a week or more I'd say split the time but with only 4 nights it really seems like the most sensible thing is Sorrento. I actually love the town of Sorrento itself and it clearly is the most central and best transportation hub. By June the ferries will be running so you can take the ferry from Sorrento to Positano and also visit Amalfi and Ravello from there, take the ferry back at the end of the day. Another day you take the train to Pompeii and then on to Naples. The third day you take the ferry to Ischia. As you are not a fan of winding roads it's probably best that you not do the bus from Sorrento to Positano as many people do get motion sick on that (though the views are fantastic, better even than from the ferry). But the much shorter trip between Positano and Amalfi might be OK for you. I've done it a few times and I don't think it's as windy as the longer stretch between Sorrento and Positano.

You don’t give a budget, but a car and driver will be harder and more expensive since a sedan seats only 4 guests. In June, the Amalfi Coast (note that Sorrento is not on the AC) is a traffic nightmare, with busses unable to turn 2-lane highway corners and cars stopping to take photos. What month was your Rick Steves trip?

Have you learned about the Circumvesuviana train, and are you considering using it? With five people, a van ride with driver could be a good value for Naples-Sorrento and an 8-hour tour of the AC.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-day-trip

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

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

Even coming from and returning to (?) Rome, you'll use 1/2 day in each direction, more if you decide to stay in Amalfi. That gives you 3 full days. If you spend a night in Naples, when you add in the time for packing/unpacking, checking in/out, etc., you'll lose a goodly chunk of another day.

I spent several nights in Naples on my last trip to Italy a couple years ago. I had better pizza in Venice, Rome and Salerno than in either of the two most famous pizza places in Naples. The museum is a definite wow and worth taking the time to visit. You can do that easily on the way to the AC, by storing your bags at the Naples train station and taking the metro to the museum and back.

If you stay in Sorrento, you'd take the Circumvesuviana or the Campagna Express (they run on the same tracks, the Express is more expensive - though neither costs much, less crowded since few locals use it, and makes fewer stops. There's one every couple of hours. The Circumvesuviana runs about every half hour. Both stop at the Naples station, Pomeii and Sorrento.

If you stay in Amalfi, either use a private transfer or you'll need to get there from Sorrento or Salerno by ferry or bus. You can take Trenitalia from Naples to Salerno. To visit Pompeii from there, you'll need to get to Sorrento or Salerno or use private transfer. You can get to Pompeii by Circumvesuviana from Sorrento or by Trenitalia from Salerno.

Lastly, the only way to get to Ravello is by winding road from Amalfi - or hiking up. While many people ride up and leisurely walk down, enjoying the scenery, very few try trekking uphill.

Wow, thanks everyone for your detailed responses. I really appreciate it. Our RS tour we took was in May 10 years ago. Sounds like things have gotten much busier and I know June will be more impacted. This is all food for thought and it does sound like time saving wise-would be smart to base in Sorrento.
Wondering about ferries though in June. Do you know if they get so full that you can't catch one back later in the day from Amalfi to Sorrento?

I use Sorrento as my starting point every year (this will be 12?). It's easy to take the train to Pompeii, the boat to Naples (I take it both directions) and, here's where I find my mother's planning skills: take the boat from Sorrento to Amalfi Town and take the bus back to Sorrento. Buses start from Amalfi to Sorrento. They are frequent and it isn't difficult to get a good seat (same side as the driver for the best view). From Amalfi Town you can bus it to Ravello (gorgeous). I'm not a Positano fan but you could take the boat from Amalfi Town to Positano and catch a later one back to Sorrento. There is a day-long boat trip from Sorrento that stops in Amalfi for a few hours then goes on to Positano for a few hours before heading back to Sorrento. Fun, if you don't mind their schedule. The views from the water are far superior (IMHO) than from the bus window.

Well, Karen, Rick writes in his book that if you are visiting Positano and Amafi on the same day by bus from Sorrento, you should visit Positano first. That's because the bus home to Sorrento originates in Amalfi. It has been known to simply skip the Positano stop in that direction because it has completely filled up with passengers, standing room only, before getting back to Positano.

I don't recall reading here whether (like you can for Capri) you can buy a ferry ticket for a SPECIFIC departure in advance for these shorter runs - assuring yourself of admission to the second to last boat of the day?

We were there at the beginning of November. The buses were full with people standing. Maybe there are more buses more in season, plus there is the option of ferry service which we did not have. The bus between Amalfi and Sorrento was about 1 1/2 hours. Scenic and at times very entertaining. . .