Stay In Serene Sorrento

Finishing Our 10 Week Italy Trip With A Stay In Serene Sorrento

The trip from Matera to serene Sorrento was quicker and easier than we thought it would be. This time we opted to take a mix of local SP roads and the autoroute rather than meander from valley to peak to valley on the country roads.  We were not sure we really wanted to delay our Sorrento arrival that much!

Heading To Sorrento

We stopped enroute in Salerno for a coffee break. But had not factored in bigger town driving, one way roads or the lack of parking. After driving around for 30 minutes we finally headed out of town and found a small bar for coffee on the outskirts.

Back on the autoroute, the GPS led us around the mountains of the Amalfi coast, past the valley under Vesuvius and into Sorrento from the Naples side. This was certainly quicker – if not as much fun – as going from Salerno to Sorrento along the Amalfi coast road. We left that for a bus trip or two. Like the rest of the tourists, we pulled over at the lookout spot and got our first view down the Amalfi coast before we headed into serene Sorrento.

With one minor miss we found the narrow private road that led up the hill above Sant’ Agnello to the MSuites apartment we rented for 3 weeks in serene Sorrento.

While David successfully met every driving challenge to this point, the narrow road and a pushy large Mercedes resulted in the first minor scrape on the car bumper. The rental company charged us full rates to repair the bumper even though they rented us the car with damage already in the same bumper. We were sure that no repairs would be made.  And that the next sucker would also pay.

Staying High On The Hill Above Sant’ Agnello

After we found the apartment entrance, we called Pietro to meet us. He and his brother Francesco rented out 3 apartments at MSuites. Pietro took us through the basic information we needed during our stay.

With the rental car returned, we set off on our first trek back from Sorrento.  And up the hill to our home away from home. It was certainly a challenge but helped to work out the kinks from the long car ride. But we only planned one trip up and down in any one day!

We looked longingly at the hotel shuttles for the hotel below and above us as they went past on a regular basis. Pietro had negotiated a flat rate taxi service.  So we opted for this easier trip home a few times during our visit.

There were two routes on and off the hill.  We either walked along the switchback road that came out in Sant’ Agnello or down a much steeper but shorter path that came out closer to Sorrento. We used both.

The walk was certainly doable.  But it kept us trapped on the hill on days when we needed a rest from a previous crazy day.  It became something we did not look forward to at the end of long days. The view was awesome.  But by week 2, we would have gladly traded it for a hotel in town.

Staying Local in Sant’ Agnello

Walking down the road we got into the main town of Sant’ Agnello. This let us stock up on basic groceries.  The main square by the train station had a number of bars where we sat and had coffee or a drink.

Every day or two we wandered down for a shopping trip.  We shopped like locals at the bakery and watched items being freshly made.  Fruit and vegetables came from the small stores.

The local mercato was in Sant’ Agnello on Mondays (and Tuesdays in Sorrento).   The first week, David made the trek down while I worked on the blog.  While we thought this was a local food market, it was that and more. They closed part of a street and trucks with awnings lined up tip to tail.

Every kind of imaginable product was available for sale.  David was not sure how much might be authentic Italian product.  The second week I made the trek down.  We were still looking for an Italian sweater for David and we experienced the tourist trap. The price we were quoted was always 3 times the local price.  Finally finding a stall with clearly marked prices, David was able to start on his Italian look.

Hotels On The Hill

Our apartment on the hill was located between two actual hotels (Cristina and Grand Art Paradiso). We checked out both hotels and found they offered bar service (with coffee) and dinner.  This gave us an easy option for a trip out if we didn’t want to go all the way down the hill.

We preferred the Grand Art Paradiso above us and went up a few times. It provided a break for us on the one rain day when we didn’t want to negotiate the hill. We were also pleased on one occasion when their shuttle driver took pity on us walking up and offered us a ride.

The Grand Art Paradiso  would be a hotel to consider if we wanted a view the next time. With hourly shuttles, a full restaurant, a pool and lots of lounging space, this may give us both a view and convenience. We might trade off on space and quiet.

Relaxing At The Mediterraneo Hotel

The brothers who owned our apartment also had an interest in the nearby Mediterraneo Hotel in Sant’ Agnello.  This hotel was close to the water and we had open access to the hotel facilities.  We were welcomed as return visitors and guests at MSuites.  The gregarious front desk concierge Aniello even remembered us (not sure if that is good or bad!).

Hotel wifi was much faster than at the apartment.  So this was where I headed to post my blogs.  We got VIP treatment when we chose to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant. Seated on the patio we saw out over the water as the sun set behind serene Sorrento.

The unheated pool offered a cooling break after lying in the sun. David made sure to get his picture taken as he shivered in the 15 degree pool on our last day (2 November). We had our first Aperol Spritz of the day and lunch while we lounged by the pool.

Great Views From The Mediterraneo Hotel

The White Bar offered pre-dinner drinks and appetizers. Since our last visit they built the Sky Bar on the roof but it was only open on Sunday nights. Drinks and jazz with a great view were a sophisticated way to watch the sun set. Unfortunately at this time of year the sun set behind the cliff rather than out at sea.  But it was still romantic as we sate and watched the sky redden.

The sax player was good and made the evening even better. Pietro and Francesco played hosts, flitting from group to group ensuring everyone had a good time.

As it got darker we saw the lights as they twinkled over serene Sorrento and on the two larger sailing ships still in harbour.  Unfortunately we only got to enjoy this one time before the bar closed for the season. With each passing week the special events at the hotel got less and less.

Walking Into Serene Sorrento

Because of our location high above Sant’ Agnello (@150 metres height) it was at least 30 minutes to walk into Sorrento. We had a choice of routes to walk, some offering shopping along the way.  But the walking was not great due to both crazy drivers and their resulting exhausts.  Some routes offered some respite from the traffic and a better view.  The local town bus (from Sorrento out to Meta) was also an option with stops right at the bottom of our road.

The main Sorrento square was often crowded with tourists.  It was a lively place to sit and enjoy coffee, a drink or a great mix of chocolate and lemon gelato. We people watched and shook our heads at how wild the drivers were.  The antics of the kamikaze scooter people caused us to shake our heads.

From our perch we saw the two little tourist trains and the horse and buggy rides. While we had planned to try one of the trains, we never did get to this.

The Marina In Sorrento

One trip was made to go down to the Marina Picolo to check on ferry schedules.  We were still thinking about a day trip to Naples.  And we really didn’t want to take the train both ways. While the schedule was a bit reduced in October, there were still a few ferries each day until the end of October.

We also checked on boat rentals.  For 150€ plus gas we rented a small boat for a day.  We used the boat and made our way to Praiano for lunch one day.  Boats with skippers were much more expensive but they were discounted this late in the season.  After 25 years in the navy I figured David could be my captain for a day.

A Night Out At The Sorrento Musical Show

Not being big party people we had not really explored the night life in Sorrento.  But one night we decided to try the iconic Sorrento Musical Show at Teatro Tasso. We opted for dinner and the show.  We knew we would get a sub-par Italian dinner.  But we wanted the better balcony seats that only dinner guests got.  Dinner included a few musical interludes from a roving pair with guitars and mandolin.

Prepared by reading the reviews for a very traditional local theatre level show, we got exactly what we expected. It was a short story (75 minutes) set to music in 4 acts. The audience was lively and participated for the few very common Italian songs that everyone seemed to know (e.g. “O Sole Mio”, “Santa Lucia”, “Funiculi Funicula”). While the dancing was ok, two of the male singers had awesome operatic voices that brought “bravos” and huge applause from the crowd.

The mixture of British and German tourists seemed very entertained throughout. There did not appear to be any locals or Italian tourists in the house. And when we mentioned we were going, most locals held back on totally sneering at the mention of the show.  It was aimed at light entertainment for tourists and that is what we got. A nice change for one night out.

Day Trips From Serene Sorrento

The 3 weeks in serene Sorrento went fast. We enjoyed a great mix of lazy days with a wide variety of day trips.  The nearby beaches were great to relax and get fresh seafood.

We enjoyed day trips along the Amalfi coast by bus and by ferry.

One major tour took us to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii.

We were never bored on our stay in Sorrento. We looked out at the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius for the last time and said goodbye, knowing we would be back!

A Great 3 Week Stay In Serene Sorrento

Many people questioned why we would stay in serene Sorrento that long. But we had no problem staying put in Sorrento.  And would even come back for a longer stay with different accommodations. We had a good mix of busy days out with lazy days at home or lying in the sun. The food was great and we got lots of exercise to wear off any extra calories.

The weather remained warm for our visit. Locals told us the weather was unusual for this time of year.  But we were lucky for 3 years in a row. Sorrento and the surrounding areas were resort town.  So we found that each week new places closed down for the season.  But the main part of Sorrento was still big enough to provide us with lots of options even if we stayed later in the year.

Our next stop was a few short days in Rome before we finished our long 10 week trip to Italy!

Tell me your favourite part about visiting serene Sorrento!

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