Amalfi Coast Travel Diary – Part 1

RosyCheeks-Positano-view-sea

I had been dreaming of a holiday on the Amalfi Coast for a while and a week ago it finally happened. I had read a lot about Amalfi, Positano and the area and I had seen so many beautiful photos that I slightly worried that reality would not be able to live up to my expectations. Well, what can I say, the Amalfi Coast far exceeded them.

Both my boyfriend and me thought that it was one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited so far. It’s picture perfect Italy: little towns crowned with golden domes, the ocean in all shades of blue, sailing and wooden motor boats on the water, narrow picturesque alleys, blooming jasmine and oleander, lemons growing everywhere, … Even though we only had six days we were still able to relax perfectly.

We flew to Naples, where we picked up our rental car and then drove down to Amalfi, where we stayed in two different hotels. From Amalfi we went on half-day trips and explored the area. In this post, I’ll share with you what to see and do on the Amalfi Coast and where to stay. Get ready for a full dose of la dolce vita!

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-view
The lovely view of Amalfi from our hotel

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-denim-skirt-vichy

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hote-Luna-Convento-Pool
The pool at Hotel Luna Convento

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Luna-Convento-Courtyard
Cactus magic in the hotel’s courtyard

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-luna-Convento-hallway
Not your usual reception area

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Luna-Convento-room
Our room and its amazing ceiling

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Luna-Convento-Evening-light
Sea view balcony

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Luna-Convento-rocks-sea

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Lunca-Convento-pool

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Reading-Sea
Quality time by the pool/sea

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-sea

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Reading

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Santa-Caterina-Pool-Sea

We stayed at Hotel Luna Convento first, a former cloister at the southern end of Amalfi (which means that you can overlook the town and the harbour from your room). The hotel had a very special charm with its monastery yard, antique furniture, very nice classic restaurant and beautiful pool, built into the rocks by the sea. After a few days we felt almost at home within its ancient walls.

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-harbour

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Dome
Amalfi’s spectacular dome

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-pier

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-lemons

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Ceramic-tiles

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-square
Amalfi’s central square in front of the dome

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-floor-gucci-loafer
Loafers by Gucci, tiles by Hotel Luna Convento

From the hotel it was only a short walk into Amalfi, a pretty little town with an impressive down at its centre. From the harbour front or central square you can explore the narrow streets, do some shopping (Limoncello from the area, handmade sandals and ceramics are the main products), and pick a restaurant for dinner.

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Faithfull-dress
Dress by Faithfull the brand (similar here), sunglasses by Illesteva, sandals by Ancient Greek Sandals, bag via Minimarkt

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-jewellery
Bracelets by Missoma and Anni Lu

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Hotel-Luna-Convento

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-rufolo-view
Garden with a view: Villa Rufolo in Ravello

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-Rufolo-Sea

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Sandals
Shopping handmade sandals in Ravello

RosyCheeks-Ravello-ceramics

RosyCheeks-Ravello-alley

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-Cimbrone-entrance

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-Cimbrone-garden
The magical garden of Villa Cimbrone in Ravello

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-Cimbrone

RosyCheeks-Ravello-Villa-Cimbrone-view
Possibly the best view of the coast: Villa Cimbrone

RosyCheels-Ravello-Villa-Cimbrone-viewAnother town you definitely need to see is Ravello, which you can reach via a short drive by car or bus (or a hike) from Amalfi. It’s located further up in the mountains, so the views are even more spectacular than in Amalfi.

The main sights you need to see in Ravello are Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone (you’ll definitely read about them in any guide). Both Villas have extensive, beautiful gardens – but we loved Villa Cimbrone more. It feels more hidden, almost like a magical secret garden, and it has the most amazing views of the coast.

After visiting both, I bought some handmade sandals in Ravello, followed by lunch in the town square (in front of another dome), including fresh lemon juice, which is a specialty of the area. Anything lemon obviously is – from Limoncello and lemon sorbet to lemon cake and candied chocolate-covered lemon. And, believe me, lemons taste incredibly delicious in Amalfi!

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-coast-boat-view
Taking a boat to Positano

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-town-Panorama

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Coast

RosyCheeks-Positano-cactus

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-Coast-lemons

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-beach

RosyCheeks-Positano-Realisation-Par-Ozzie-dress
Dress by Réalisation Par

RosyCheeks-Positano-town-beach
Postcard from Positano

RosyCheeks-Positano-La-Sirenuse-La-Sponda
Restaurant “La Sponda” at Le Sirenuse

RosyCheeks-Positano-La-Sponda-snacks

RosyCheeks-Realisation-Par-Ozzie-dress

RosyCheeks-Anna-Positano

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-La-Sponda-Pasta
There’s pasta and then there’s La Sponda pasta …

RosyCheeks-Positano-Le-Sirenuse

RosyCheeks-Amalfi-La-Sponda-Lemon-Cake
“Lemon Delight” – it was, indeed!

The next day we took a boat from Amalfi to Positano (it takes between 15 to 25 minutes to get there, depending on whether you take a regular or a speed boat). We had a table reservation for lunch at “La Sponda”, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Hotel Le Sirenuse. It ended up being so nice we spent almost all afternoon there. If you have the chance to come here, even if just for lunch or dinner, definitely do so!

The town of Positano (which felt a lot more touristy than Amalfi) was quite busy even though we came at the beginning of high season. I imagine, in high summer you really want to spend all of your time either on a boat or by a pool in a quiet hotel.

I hope all this was helpful and enjoyable. Part 2 of this travel guide will be dedicated to our second hotel, Hotel Santa Caterina. Stay tuned!

4 thoughts on “Amalfi Coast Travel Diary – Part 1

  1. I see you don’t monetize your website, don’t waste your traffic, you can earn extra cash every month.
    You can use the best adsense alternative for any type of website (they approve all websites),
    for more info simply search in gooogle: boorfe’s tips monetize
    your website

  2. You’re so interesting! I do not believe I’ve truly read
    through something like this before. So great to discover another
    person with some genuine thoughts on this subject. Really..

    thanks for starting this up. This site is something
    that is needed on the web, someone with a little originality!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>