Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast

This is one of the finest parts of Italy for a holiday because there's so much to see and do, as well as some charming towns to visit and eat in. Here's just a few ideas:

• Day trip to Pompeii 
• Day trip to Herculaneum  (close to Pompeii but more relaxing if done on a separate day)
• Take the boat over to Capri and visit the Blue Grotto
• Visit the beautiful towns along the Amalfi Coast - Positano, Amalfi, Ravello - which can also be done of separate days
• Relax on one of the many beaches
• Walk to the summit of Mount Vesuvius
• Enjoy one of the many al fresco restaurants for dinner
• Wander through the Old Town 

Sorrento is the main hub in this part of Italy for getting to most of the above places, so it's one time when location really makes a difference when choosing your hotel. 

I've put together a list of recommended hotels below, and as you'll see, all of them are central to Sorrento and walking distance to the train station and marina. The hotel I stayed in was quite a way out of the centre which was a bit inconvenient, but then we booked the trip too late to get what we wanted!

You can book an excursion as part of a group, and these usually combine nearby places together, so for example you'll generally visit Pompeii and Herculaneum on the same day tour. However it's easy to get around independently - a train line runs from Sorrento to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, and there are boat and bus services to towns along the Amalfi Coast. For Capri, just go down to the harbour and book a boat across.

A note about Pompeii - I'd recommend getting there early to avoid both the crowds and the afternoon heat as it involves a fair amount of walking around.

Recommended Hotels (all 4*)

Flights - are available from several airports including Stansted, Luton and Gatwick. Transfers are always included in the package price. The tourist season runs from April / May to October / November.

Prices - the hotels above are in approximate price order increasing in price as you go down the list, however rates can vary widely especially if the cheapest room types are full. As flight costs vary enormously too, we've not shown 'from' prices here as they're almost meaningless. Please let us know your approximate dates and we'll do our best to get you a great deal with convenient flight times.

How Long? - finally, it's nice to be able to chill out - in summer it will be hot and after a few days sightseeing, if there's a pool in the hotel you'll be grateful. It's also another reason to go for as long as you can - my own holiday could have done with an extra couple of days to allow for both a bit of chill out time and to see everything we wanted. We booked for a week however10 days would have been ideal if money and time had allowed.