Rome and Amalfi Coast recommendations?

Rome - by train to Naples, by boat to Sorrento - there are other options but I liked the boat the best. Sorrento as a base makes the most sense. Easy to get to Naples, to Pompei by Circumvesuviana train, to Positano and Amalfi by bus, back to Sorrento by boat with stop in Positano. By boat to Capri. In Sorrento we stayed in hotel Antiche Mura. Liked it there very much. Swimming pool in lemon orchard.

Why not stay closer to the Pantheon/Piazza Navona area in Roma? More romantic.

Sorrento has good transportation links but it's not the Amalfi Coast. I would choose Ravello or Praiano.

Thank you for the good ideas! Will look into Piazza Navona hotels as well. The proximity to Termini just seemed easy with a mid-morning return flight to the U.S. and planned train trips to/from the Amalfi Coast.

The Sorrento recommendation sounds great. My only hesitation with the boat (and hence also with the day trip to Capri, which sounds beautiful) is that I get sea-sick very easily, which might make an otherwise gorgeous environment less enjoyable. But if those waters tend to be quite calm, I'd be game!

The waters are usually calm and the trip does not take long.

With only 7 nights, it might make more sense to go directly from Rome to Sorrento.
No reason to change lodging more than twice.

Rome Termini-Napoli Centrale 1 hour 10 minutes. follow signs to the Circumvesuvian
located in the lower level of the station and go to Sorrento. 1 hour 26 minutes.
timetable http://www.eavsrl.it/web/sites/default/files/orariautomobilisti/NA-SO%20con%20Poz.pdf

Circumvesuvian is the train you would take to Pompeii.

Sorrento is a charming town on the coast with good transportation options. Bus timetables
may be picked up at the bus stop in Sorrento

In April, the ferries may not be operating if the water is rough.

As Gerri said, the ferries from Naples to the Sorrentine/Amalfi coast are not guaranteed to be running every day in April, and ferry schedules are not as frequent as train from Naples even when they do run (plus you need to transfer from train station to the dock).

Sorrento is a great base: take the local Circumvesuviana train from Napoli Centrale/Garibaldi to Sorrento. You'll use this same train between Sorrento and Pompeii. Once in Naples, walk through the station to the adjoining Napoli Garibaldi station and purchase tickets for the local Circumvesuviana train, Naples- Sorrento line:

http://www.eavsrl.it/web/node/95

Don’t forget to validate those tickets in one of the machines before getting on the train! Going to Pompeii, you’ll get off at the Pompeii Scavi Villa dei Mysteri station right in front of the site; it’s about 30 minutes from Sorrento.

You can't predict what the seas are going to throw you so if you want to do Capri on a windy day, have some Dramamine at hand, and take it early enough for it to work before you get on the boat.

You don't have to stay right on top of Termini in Rome. On one of our stays, we booked on Via delle Quattro Fontane - within convenient walking distance of the station - and thought it was just fine.

Check ferry schedules closely, there may be fewer boats in April.

Especially because it's a honeymoon, get a clear understanding of the difference between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. We stayed (married 34 years) in Sorrento for convenient daytrips. Transport, even by private car, is annoying anywhere between Sorrento and Salerno. Read that again.

But Positano (which apparently has plenty of affordable places) is dramatically different and much more romantic than Sorrento. But I don't care about pebble/rock beaches or seeing the same old designer boutiques that I can't afford anyway. Also, Positano has, literally, hundreds of steps and only one, two-lane road for access. That doesn't stop vast numbers of people from returning to Positano again and again. Not me! An 8-hour car and driver tour of the AC was fine with us. Some people think Ravello is one of the nicest town, but it's far from the beach and water.

All of these towns book up far in advance. We were there in May, but we still had to take our FIFTH hotel choice. Decide and book early, meaning four to eight months in advance.

Thank you all so much for the recommendations! These are very helpful.