Do you all prefer to stay in Sorrento or Positano? I have read a lot of RS and actually booked a place in Sorrento because it seemed more logical and cheaper, however, I briefly looked at Positano and there is a comparable room with balcony and sea view for much cheaper. Was just wondering what you all prefer and recommend? We are a married couple, 30 years old, active, love the beach life, looking to relax, day trip and explore, and immerse our self in the AC culture. We will be coming from Florence, staying for 4 nights, and leaving from Naples Airport. Thank you!
Posted by
OP
16 posts
also, we will be there end of April, Start of May!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7750 posts
You may get better "beach" answers if you tell us where you live and where else you have enjoyed visiting. What time, exactly, is the flight out of Naples? Is it to the USA? It can be very risky to wake up in Positano and fly out the same day.
Main question is whether you want to go places each day. Positano is not remotely as good for daily travel as is Sorrento, unless you are used to hiring black-cars for everything, at high prices. Sorrento is not a beach-life town. It is built on a cliff, and has exactly one public beach, 50' wide, with a diesel fuel marina on each side of it. The beaches in Positano are quite small, and pebbles.
Sorrento is considered to have a lot of restaurants, I don't know the number for Positano, or the price range.
Is it clear to you how many stairs there are to climb between the SITA bus stop and the lovely hotel you have been offered in Positano? Do you understand that you have to wait for a half-hourly bus after you get off the Circumvesuviana in Sorrento, and ride 40 minutes (don't remember, to be honest) to Positano. The bus is often full, and only one side of seats has a "view", if you get a seat.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
653 posts
On our first trip to Italy many years ago we stayed in Positano and loved it. We were also there in late April when it wasn’t yet filled with the summer crowds. We stayed at a hotel higher up and walked up and down each day exploring. We didn’t end up doing any day tripping as we loved being there and it was also a bit of a respite time between being in Florence and finishing up in Rome. I had always wanted to visit Positano and we had no regrets about our decision to spend our time there.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15832 posts
Positano is quainter and more romantic in my opinion.
Sorrento is logistically easier to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples.
Positano is easier for visiting the Amalfi coast, and the AC bus will be the same whether you take it from Sorrento or Positano.
Capri is reachable by boat from both towns.
Positano is on a very steep cliff and going from the beach to anywhere is a major climb, Sorrento is flatter, but you are young, so it won’t matter.
Restaurants are in both places (at least 20 in Positano and more in Sorrento, which is a much larger town).
Neither has a beach, as the entire peninsula is nothing but cliffs, and pebbly or rocky coves.
Your choice, but at least the night before the flight should be spent in Naples.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4426 posts
We stayed in Sorrento for 11 days last April and it was the right choice for us. I recommend you look at your itinerary and if it includes trips to places like Naples and Pompeii, then Sorrento makes more sense. If you really just want to relax and enjoy the views then Positano is possible. Just remember that transportation in the region is chaotic, unreliable and frustrating. During the last week of April the lines for the buses were insane. There were so many people waiting for the bus at 4pm that people were blocking traffic so an already narrow 2 lane road was barely 1 lane wide.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7895 posts
I would agree that the main consideration is how much you want to roam and see other things (Pompeii, Naples, etc.). For that, Sorrento would be better, Positano makes getting anywhere a chore, from getting up to the bus stops, to slow connections. Figure Naples is at least two hours away, Sorrento just under an hour, Pompeii an hour and a half, all of that needing to go through Sorrento, or to Salerno.
If you just want time on the coast, maybe a few other towns along the Amalfi coast, maybe one daytrip, then Positano probably wins for scenery, beach, and maybe food.
Edit...Caught your note about leaving from the Naples airport, what time might your flight be? Getting from either Sorrento or Positano early in the morning to catch a flight is not easy.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11723 posts
....and leaving from Naples Airport.
What time is the flight and where does it land? If it is a morning flight that connects to your US bound flight, you really need to be in Naples the night before the flight.
The choice between Sorrento and Positano, depends on what you plan to do and what kind of 'day trips' you have in mind.
Sorrento is the better hub for going on 'day trips' ( e.g., Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri)