Positano photos and recommendations

Positano was one of our favorite places ever.  Photos do not do it justice but I’m going to post some anyway!

If you haven’t read about how we flew to Italy for free, click the links below!

Italy trip posts:

• How we booked our flights to Italy entirely on points and miles
• How we booked our hotels  in Italy entirely on points and miles
• Getting around Italy/transportation logistics
• Packing everything in a carry on
• How to stay connected while traveling without paying ridiculous data roaming charges
• Venice
  • 8 hotels in Venice that you can book with points
  • Recommendations and photos from our time in Venice
• Florence/Tuscany
  • 7 Florence hotels that you can book with points
  • Tuscany and Florence photos and things we did
  • 7 Tuscany hotels that you can book with points
• Amalfi Coast/Positano/Capri
  • Photos from Positano
• Rome
  • 17 hotels in Rome that you can book with points

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In this post:

• How to get to Positano
• Where to stay in Positano
• Where to eat in Positano
• What to do in Positano

How to get to Positano

It takes a little patience to get to Positano, but trust me, it’s worth it.  Naples is kind of the starting point for anyone heading to the Amalfi Coast.   Once in Naples, you can take a taxi or a combination of a train, bus, and taxi.

How we got to Positano from Naples:

• Rome to Naples by train (1 hour)
• Naples to Positano taxi ride which was 2.5 hours (should have been shorter but we were stuck in traffic due to an accident)

Options for getting to Positano from Naples:

After arriving in Naples, you can take a train to Sorrento and then either a bus or a taxi to Positano.  This is the more cost effective way, but it will take longer.  It will cost about 4 Euros for the train from Naples to Sorrento.  This takes about an hour.  Once in Sorrento, you can either take a taxi or a bus to Positano.  This will take about an hour.  A taxi from Sorrento to Positano will cost about 60 Euros and the bus is about 2 Euros.

Or you can take a taxi from Naples to Positano.  We decided on this option since it had already been a long day of traveling.

The fixed rate for a taxi from the Naples train station to Positano is 130 Euros.  Booking a private driver in advance could get that cost down to about 110 Euros.  The problem is, I did not want to book a driver in advance because as I stated above, I had no idea what time we would be getting into Naples. Our driver ended up overcharging us by about 40 Euros.  It did take longer than normal due to an accident, and we did have to go a different and longer route to get around said accident.  But still, a fixed taxi fare is a fixed taxi fare.  Lesson learned.  Always ask for a fixed rate up front! We did get to stop in Sorrento for some delicious Limoncello, though!

Where to stay in Positano

Unlike the other regions we visited in Italy, there really aren’t many options for hotels on points with programs such as Hilton or SPG.  There are a few options in Naples, but I highly suggest staying in Positano or another Amalfi small town if you’re visiting this region.  In other words, I do not suggest staying in Naples.

So, if you’re trying to book with points, you’re probably going to have to use some sort of cash-back type currency.  If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can redeem your points at a rate of 1.5 cents per point through the Chase Ultimate Rewards booking portal.

Hotel Villa Gabrisa

We chose this hotel based on location and reviews and we loved it so much!

We redeemed ~26,000 Ultimate Rewards points per night for this hotel.  The value when I booked was about $390 per night including breakfast for 2, but now it looks like its closer to $500 per night.

Hotel Villa Gabrisa is a 4 star hotel in a great location in Positano.  Although it was right next to where the bus to the center of Positano picks up, it was an easy walk to the town center and the port.  I definitely think 26,000 points per night with breakfast included was a fair value for this hotel, considering hotels in Positano often go for $500 and above per night.   Plus, you cant beat the breakfast views.

Where to eat in Positano

Oh my goodness these dinners were some of my favorites of all time.  Not just because of the food (it was delicious though), but also because of the views.  The pictures just don’t do it justice.  Find a restaurant with a patio and make sure you get there for sunset!

We did not make any reservations in advance, but we did make a couple online the day-of.  We were in Positano toward the end of high-season so it was not a problem to find a good restaurant with a view without having made reservations weeks in advance.  However, depending on the time of year you go, it may be important to make some reservations.  I suggest reaching out to your hotel concierge for recommendations.  They are usually happy to make reservations on your behalf.

One thing I found surprising was that many places do not open for dinner until 6:30 or after.  This may just be because we weren’t there during their busiest dates, but keep that in mind!  It’s not unusual for restaurants to close between dinner and lunch.  But we were just surprised how long they stayed closed.  Most opened just in time for sunset.

Ristorante Il Capitano

This restaurant is a short walk from our hotel on the way into the city center.  We went here our first night and they gave us a table with a great view!  The food was great but the views were better.

Ristorante Mirage

This is a restaurant that is connected to Hotel Posa Posa which was very close to our hotel.  This ended up being one of our favorite dinners.  The food was great and we had the best waiter!  When it started getting cold after sunset he brought me a heater.

As you can see, the views are amazing.

Caffe Positano

We went here for dessert the first night and then again for happy hour. It’s a casual restaurant by the water and a great place to sit and enjoy the views while having a drink and people-watching.

Our hotel also had a great restaurant!

What to do in Positano

Well, besides the obvious which is to enjoy the views, there is lots to do if you’re staying in Positano.  There are shops, restaurants, the famous beach, and many side trips that you can take.

We only had 2 nights in Positano, but you could easily spend an entire vacation there because there are so many opportunities for day trips to nearby areas.  We decided to stay in Capri for a night, but you can take a ferry and spend a day in Capri even if you’re staying in Positano.  I’ll do a separate post on Capri, but it should be on everyone’s list!

We did not make it to Pompeii so I cannot give an opinion on it, but it was highly recommended to us by many.  Next time we will make time to go!

There are also lots of great little towns to visit in the area.  We visited Ravello one day and I highly recommend it.  From Positano, you can take a bus to Ravello or you can take a ferry to Amalfi and then a bus.  Since the bus from Positano takes an hour, we decided to take the ferry to Amalfi to get to Ravello.  The ferry ride from Positano to Amalfi was about 20 minutes and 17 Euros.  The bus from Amalfi to Ravello was a very short ride and less than 2 Euros per person.

Ravello

Ravello is a city that dates back to the 5th century.  It sits high on the hilltop above Amalfi and the views are amazing.  Throughout history, Ravello was a highly sought after destination for many famous writers, artists, and musicians.

Ravello is known as the City of Music.  During the summer, the city hosts an annual music festival.

Once in Ravello, we walked around and visited some of the famous villas.  The views from Ravello are just stunning.

Villa Rufolo was built in the 13th century by a wealthy merchant family.  It is known for its beautiful grounds and the views.  During the annual summer music festival in Ravello, Villa Rufolo hosts concerts on its stage that overlooks the sea.

After walking around for a while, we ate lunch in Ravello and then we took the bus back down to Amalfi.  We walked around Amalfi for a bit and then caught the ferry back to Positano.