Arriving in Positano

Our journey to Positano was long and delayed, as our last day in Paris we found out that our flights were inexplicably cancelled. We had to book last minute tickets to Naples that night to avoid missing our transportation from Naples to Positano. There were very few tickets available so we booked the first ones that were available, and when we arrived at the airport we were surprised to find out we were in first class! Granted, it was a very small plane and the flight was only around 3 hours, but it still felt pretty special to be in first class on a full flight with all these businesspeople. We were joking that all of these Italian business must have been looking at us (we were in row 1) and thinking "Who are these girls?" 

We had to transfer once in Milan and then reboard the same plane, and this time we were in economy :( such a fall from grace haha. Once in Naples, it was around midnight and the airport was pretty sketchy. We had no choice but to take a 20 euro taxi about 7 minutes to our hotel (inevitably a ripoff). However we were able to get a decent nights sleep and our first cappucino in Italy before meeting our driver to take us the ~1.5-2 hr journey to Positano along the Amalfi Coast.  

One of the things that makes the Amalfi Coast such a gem is it is relatively sheltered from tourists as it's relatively hard to reach. You have to fly to either Naples or Rome, and then take a train or car and/or ferry to Positano. We flew into Naples as it was closer, and then after looking into other transportation options, I decided to book Positano Shuttle and I'm so glad I did. A taxi would have cost around ~150 euro from Naples to Positano (which would be worth it if you have a party of 3 or more) however it was only two of us so this was better at only 35 euro each way. Our driver was very professional and we didn't have anyone else in our car so it was basically a private car. I'd definitely recommend booking this to avoid the hassle of dragging your luggage on a plane or ferry.

If you're riding in a car, make sure to ride on the right side from Naples to Positano for beautiful views from Mount Vesuvius to Sorrento to the Li Galli islands to the first jaw-dropping views of Positano breaking through the clouds. This was seriously one of the most beautiful sights in my life.

Since Positano is built into a cliffside, not everything is accessible by car. We drove through the winding roads through the village before our driver dropped us off at one bend and told us we had to hike down the rest of the way to our hotel. We dragged/carried our luggage down 10 minutes worth of steps but it was all worth it when we were greeted with this view! 

I kept pinching myself that this was real--it felt like paradise on earth. We ended up staying on the western side of Positano (the less touristy side) so our hotel was only 100 euros a night with free breakfast and balcony views! It was very homey and run by this madame who didn't speak much English but made us cappucinos every morning and definitely had her own charm. Our room wasn't quite ready so we dropped off our stuff, changed into short sleeves and jeans, and hiked down about 15 minutes to Spaggia Fornio, the smaller Positano beach that's connected to the main beach and town center. 

The only way to get around Positano and reach its views and attractions is to climb up and down narrow staircases all day long. You definitely have to be nimble and somewhat athletic to do it, so I don't even think my dad could enjoy it with his bad knees. So even though we ate pizza and pasta for every meal, I don't think we gained a pound since we did so much cardio (and got an amazing calf workout) every day. 

Since our hotel was located on the western end of Positano, we hiked down to Spaggia Fornio every day which connected to the main Spaggia Grande beach through the picturesque Via Positanesi d'Americana. 

The stroll allowed us to stumble upon this view every morning!

So excited to finally reach the town center of Positano 

By this time, it was lunchtime so we walked along the boardwalk in search of what else, pizza! We used our trusty Rick Steves guidebook which said that most of the restaurants on the beach were interchangeable, so we just sat down at one of the first ones that caught our eye, Covo dei Saraceni, which we ended up coming back to quite a few times. We found their service to be prompt and friendly, and there to be always open seats on the beach. For our first meal, we split a pizza, limoncello, and the best part, lemon sorbet for dessert.

After lunch, we walked up the main drag which was basically centered around the church (there's no real town center in Positano) and walked up the alleyways which are lined with hydrangeas and local artists' renditions of the famous village. 

Among the many things I loved about Positano was stumbling along world class views up every staircase and around every bend in the road. 

We had to hike all the way back up the mountain from Spaggia Grande back to our hotel which was about 20 minutes uphill, but worth it for views like this.

Our room was very quaint and cozy and to our delight had a beautiful balcony. 

We rested a bit while it drizzled outside and freshened up in preparation to get a drink at Le Sirenuse.

Hydrangea hysteria on our way down the stairs again

If you haven't heard, La Sirenuse is the famous five star hotel which probably the most famous views in all of Positano. While their restaurant La Sponda is a Michelin starred affair, their outdoor patio hosted the same views for the price of a drink (and it comes with snacks!).

We arrived just in time for sunset. Like everywhere in Positano, it wasn't too busy. We were joking the whole trip that this trip just highlighted how much SF abuses us because it makes us think waiting 1+ hour for mediocre food is normal. At the most famous restaurant/bar in Positano, a major tourist destination, we walked right in at 7 pm and got a table with a front row view of the sunset. 

From our vantage point, we were able to see a wedding happening, watch the rainclouds roll in before retreating to give us the most fiery, #nofilter sunset over Positano. This sunset was the most beautiful of all of our sunsets and was such a memorable welcome to Positano!