Final day in Positano, final thoughts from here

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A few thoughts

Visiting Positano this time of year is pretty good. Some of the restaurants and hotels are not yet open for the season but many good ones are and you don't usually need reservations. The temp can require a light jacket or fleece at times, but it is very pleasant generally, particularly in the sun. You are glad of the cooler temps when climbing the hill once or twice a day. Looks like everyone will be open around the 15th.

You can stay at the beach area, and then you have to walk up to much of the shopping and restaurants. You can stay higher and then you must walk down to many good restaurants and shopping. No matter where you stay you are going to be walking up and down steep hills a lot, so just pick a hotel you like. The Punta Regina is one of the nicest (not necessarily fanciest) in which I have ever stayed. The room has a large balcony overlooking the Gulf with two lounge chairs and a small table with two chairs. The staff is the best I have ever seen.

A note on stairs - if you are just going up or down a normal flight of stairs you need not think about this, but if you are going up or down hundreds or thousands of stairs with long enough treads that you can't take each step in a single step, then consider advice from someone who now considers himself a connoisseur of such stairways: when going down, there is one leg that is the plant-down-hard-with-all-the-weight leg, and the other is the bear-all-the-weight-on-one-bended-knee leg. Best to do a change-up frequently. Going up, there is a push-the-entire-body-weight-up-with-one-set-of-quads leg, and a just-plant-and-help-a-little leg. Again, best to switch off. Walking poles are helpful. Just some advice from a veteran.

The Amalfi coast - I like driving in the mountains, and find myself easily adjusting to stick-shift when I come to Europe. But driving these roads is not for the faint of heart or the slow of reflexes. If you aren't prepared for this type of driving, there are good alternatives. There are ferries that take you to Amalfi, Salerno, Capri, and maybe other places. Buses from Amalfi can take you to Ravello, and from Positano to Sorrento, where you can catch trains to nearby sights such as Pompeii. You can also hire private drivers, but it can be expensive.

Last night we ate VERY good seafood at La Cambusa down at the beach. I ordered the red mullet and they said they were out, but our waiter went back and found one which they fixed for me. It was delicious. Tonight we return to Da Vincenzo, where we have eaten twice before. They now greet us like family.

Tomorrow: Rome via Montecassino and possibly Sorrento

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Comments

[Lucid]

Sounds wonderful. Wish we were there with you.