Sorrento or Praiano as base for Amalfi coast

The only good thing I have to say about Sorrento is that it’s convenient to get to the top sights and it stops there. There is an evening passeggiata that’s nice but other than that it’s nothing special.

Praiano has no ferry so your transportation is super limited.
Buses will be jam packed in June.

We enjoyed Sorrento very much and loved the convenient transportation to everywhere
I think your boys would enjoy it and would have some freedom to roam a bit
JMO But they will probably be bored in Praiano

Unlike Marypat I found the view of Vesuvius 'special'.

Check out the webcam: https://ilnido.it/

It’s your anniversary and if the apartment is that great and romantic go for it.
Logistically Sorrento may be better for Pompeii (thanks to the Circumvesuviana train) but going from Praiano is just an extra 50 minutes on a beautiful scenic bus ride. Take the bus from Praiano to Sorrento, get off at Meta, then take the train from Meta to Pompeii/Villa dei Misteri. 3 hours is enough to see Pompeii. Then do the reverse trip to go back to the apartment.
For Capri, you can take boats from Positano. You need to take the same bus as above, get off in Positano (15 min bus ride) then take the boat.
They also have several private organized boat excursions. When you are there check and book one when you are in Positano.
For a day trip to Amalfi and Ravello, take the bus to the opposite direction to Amalfi.
Bus schedule below:
https://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/archivio/Download/corse/sitasud/Campania/Salerno/691f9807-f962-42e2-b9da-2748c8dae5f9_5070_01_11_2021.pdf/0

Praiano has one of the best restaurants in the area. I often went there from Positano. It’s called La Brace. I wish I could go there every night. Unfortunately I’m 6000 miles from it.
https://www.labracepraiano.com/

Thanks for the feedback @MaryPat, @ChristineH, @joe32F and @Roberto da Firenze. Thanks for the detailed tips Roberto on the transportation as well as the restaurant - very helpful.

This blog gives a great description of the town. Pictures are accurate. Note, the stairs are everywhere.

https://forum.amalfi.com/t/mobility-amalfi-coast-bus-positano-nocelle-praiano/26

Schedule for the Positano/Praiano mobility bus.

https://forum.amalfi.com/t/mobility-amalfi-coast-bus-positano-nocelle-praiano/26

Thank Gerri. Both the links unfortunately show the same info (bus schedule not the blog).

Let me try again. A picture is worth a thousand words.

https://iowagirleats.com/life-on-the-mediterranean-coast/

Thanks Gerri.

Curious what you have decided on? We have 3 days in Sorrento and 3 days in Praiano, my concern is that logistically, Praiano may be complicated.

Praiano has no ferry so your transportation is super limited.
Buses will be jam packed in June.

And 'quick' is not a word associated with traffic at that time of the year.

We made Sorrento our base for a week in 2018 and it was wonderful. It served as an excellent springboard for the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii and Naples. The town was lovely and we enjoyed it greatly. There are plenty of restaurants and the views are amazing. Walking around in the old town area was very comfortable and had an almost Venice-like feel to it. I enjoy smaller towns and getting to know the little streets and you don't get that level of familiarity in big cities. While in Sorrento we utilized Monetti Taxi for our days on the Amalfi Coast. They were excellent and we also used them to get us from our hotel to the train station for our day trip to Pompeii/Naples. We will definitely consider Sorrento as a base the next time we visit that area. Good luck with whatever you decide.