Sorrento's Marina Grande/Hotel suggestions? Del Mare ok?

Dennell
If you are not interested in beaches but want the view may I suggest Il Nido hotel. It is up in the hills above Sorrento but they have a Van service up and down at different times of the day. It has a restaurant with very good food, I believe a swimming pool( which we never used) and a dining balcony off the dining room that has a view of the Bay of Naples, Mt. Vesuvious and area to die for- We are 2 out of the 3 meals there just for the quiet and the view- By the way the house wine is excellent as well. We were there in 2006.
Sorrento-Positano and Amalf's scenery are spectacular.
Enjoy

The ferries leave from Marina Piccola not Marina Grande which is Sorrento's fishing harbour. The beach at MG is not particularly nice, small with dark grey sand surrounded by fishing boats. There are sunbathing decks. Have a look at Google Earth to see what it is like down there. We like it there, quieter and a few good restos. In fact we are renting an apartment overlooking the harbour in October.

I don't know where you mean by Punta del Capo beach. Punto del Capo is about 3kms out of Sorrento and near there is a rocky promontory, a 10 - 15 minute or so downhill walk from the highway, where you can swim. Also the remains of a Roman villa. Unless you like walking you would have to catch a bus to Capo from Sorrento, it is up hill. Again you can Google Earth the journey.

If that is where you want to go, being in the town centre would mean a 10 - 15 minute advantage but not enough IMO to guide your decision on where to stay. Just pick somewhere you like the look of, Sorrento is not that big.

We went to the Marina Grande area for dinner at a little place directly on the beach...Trattoria da Emeilia??? The restaurant was good, but I was not impressed with the area. We took a taxi from our hotel Ambasciatori and it seemed like a long long way. It was much nicer staying on the high cliffs and using our hotel's swimming platform.

Marina Grande is about 10 minutes walk from Piazza Tasso, less to the old part of town. Have done it many times over the years. The return journey will take longer because it is uphill! There is a local bus but we don't mind the walk because it means that we don't feel quite so guilty about the daily icecreams.

Ok, sounds like I'd want to be nearer to Marina Picolo then. Any hotel suggestions for ones with a balcony/views in the $100-$130 rate?

I'm not totally sure what you're asking...if it is a beach you're looking for (in addition to hotel recommendations) there is a beach at Marina Piccola. They have lots of beach umbrella's and lounge chairs set up for the public. The Ambasciatori Hotel, which Tim recommended, is really nice. We would have loved to stay there but couldn't quite afford it, so we stayed at La Tonnarella which we loved. It's up on the cliff, a 10 min beautiful walk up from Sorrento. They have incredible views, rooms w/balconies, great restaurant and their own private beach with umbrellas and lounge chairs. Sorry, have no recommendations for hotels at Marina Piccola. I personally wouldn't want to stay there, I'd rather be in Sorrento and at La Tonnarella :)

I guess I was hoping for it all - close to where the boats go out for morning excursions, and to have a little beach time if we wanted. La Tonnerla is back in Marina Grande, isn't it? Is the whole area from Marina Grande to Piccola small enough, that it really doesn't matter? We won't have a car, so we'd be walking mostly, which is my concern for where to place homebase.

Anywhere in the town will be convenient for the ferries, also the coastal buses as well as the train station.

I think it unlikely that you will get a cliff top hotel room with a balcony in Sorrento itself for your price. There are hotels in the town itself with more distant views that might suit and as had been said other hotels along Via Capo just outside the town with wonderful views. You haven't said when you are going so that will have a bearing on price.

Suggest you look at TripAdvisor where there are hundreds of reviews for the over 100 hotels, b&bs etc in the area. You can limit your search by price, star rating etc.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g187782-Sorrento_Campania-Hotels.html

PS La Tonnarella is on Via Capo. What map are you using?

Dennell, La Tonnarella is not by the water. The town of Sorrento is up on a cliff above the two marina's. La Tonnarella is up on the same cliff as the town, but a higher elevation, a little uphill from town. It's a 10 min walk uphill to the hotel from town and less than 10 min to walk from hotel down to town. It's a beautiful walk though, along the road which is along the edge of the cliff. The two marina's are not connected, if my memory serves me. You would have to walk/bus/taxi up from Marina Piccola to town, go a bit through town, then back down to Marina Grande. Getting around is very, very easy with their bus system. We actually loved taking the bus, it's such a "Back Door Experience" because all the locals use it and it's fun. They come very often and the town is not that big so you're never on the bus for very long. I don't know what your budget is, if La Tonnarella is too much, there's a hotel right next to La Tonnarella that many people on this site recommend which is very budget priced. It's called Hotel Desiree. They share the same private beach w/La Tonnarella, and you can eat at La Tonnarella's restaurant which is very reasonably priced and in nice weather, you sit outside on their large terrace with the entire Bay of Naples before you. The view will take your breath away, but there's lots of places in Sorrento to see the same, amazing view. Even if there is a nice hotel at Marina Piccola, I wouldn't want to stay there because the town is so much fun. I would feel very isolated staying at MP, but that's just me. Sorrento has the most amazing atmosphere, very festive, especially at night when all the locals come out and walk up and down the main street (which they close to traffic) visiting with all their friends and eating gelato. There are lots of restaurants, cafes, gelato shops, stores, bars and lots of really nice people having a fun time. The old historic part of town is also wonderful to walk through with lots of great shops.

I've never written such a long post and I ran out of room...Just wanted to add that Sorrento isn't just a place, it's an experience. It's a beautiful, charming town on the cliff on the Bay of Naples with so many options of things to do to please just about everyone. You can hike, swim, shop, eat, drink and be merry, take ferries to other charming places, take the train to other great places, take a bus along the Amalfi Coast...
Lots of possibilities for a great time.

Another HUGE thumbs up for La Tonnarella, its accommodations, views, private beach, restaurant for dinner, breakfast buffet, location - all not to be believed!

Thanks to all, especially Susan for explaining Sorrento a little better for me. I think I've got the lay of the land a bit better, and will look into Desiree.