Positano, Italy

Woke up feeling a little better, but not as good as I’d like. Since hauling bags around while feeling sick is not on my bucket list, we decided to book a private car instead of taking the boat to Positano.

Our driver arrived right on time and by 12:10 we were on our way to Positano. The driver was probably about the same age as us, maybe a couple years older and was such a nice guy. We chatted along the way and he even told us he would drive a little slower so we could see all the beautiful sights along the way. It was really a great ride along the winding roads along the coast. He even offered to stop if we wanted to take pictures.

All in all it took a little over an hour to arrive in Positano. The narrow streets are lined with shops, restaurants and residences. People press themselves into doorways or close to the walls as the cars inch by. He can’t take us all the way to our hotel because the road doesn’t go that far, but there is a drop off station where porters will take our luggage to the hotel while we descend the steps.

Our hotel is called La Buca Di Bacco and is right near the main beach and port. Finding the hotel, we enter and are greeted warmly by the staff. They joked that they had our reservation from October and I told them that we wanted to make sure we could stay with them.

Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we went up to the terrace bar and enjoyed a glass of prosecco while waiting. The view was absolutely gorgeous. The blue water, people on the beach, boats anchored in the harbor and the buildings clinging to the walls like frosting on a cake. Just beautiful. We definitely like the vibe being given off too. I hope the pictures can do justice to just how pretty everything is here.

A short time later our room was ready and Roberta from the desk showed us the way. When she opened the door and urged us in, we were both stunned. What a gorgeous room and then opening the curtains, wow! We have a terrace that looks right out over the harbor and beach.

We have stayed in some nice places throughout our travels, but none as beautiful as this room. I believe Roberta could sense our amazement, as the smile on her face broadened as we gushed. Right after she left, the porter arrived with our bags and he smiles at us and says in broken english – “It’s the best room”. So to my bowling mates who had to endlessly endure hearing my chatter about planning, I’m sorry, but it was worth the early planning. Besides, we’re champs so it must not have thrown off our games!

Once we settled in, we grabbed a couple chairs and just sat and enjoyed the view from the balcony. This is way beyond my expectations. Watching the boats and hearing the waves lapping at the beach is so nice. This is probably as close to heaven as we’ll get, so we’re gonna enjoy it fully!

No over-crowding here. There are plenty of people, but it is not as hectic as what we saw in Amalfi. There are shops and restaurants here, but I don’t think that Positano has the same attractions for the tourists. Especially since it’s not so easy to get here by car and parking is a whole other thing.

Dinner this first evening will be at the hotel restaurant. They offer a 10% discount to hotel guests, so why not take advantage of it. The restaurant is nice and overlooks the beach. The lights of the town are beginning to come on and it just adds to the ambience. The choices are definitely geared towards vacationers, but there are a few choices that are representative of the area, especially the fresh fish.

We had a table of six women, who sounded very southern, maybe even Texans sitting off to the side of us. The were all excited about the spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parm. They really should have asked about and tried the buccatini with pesto sauce or the zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese. Doesn’t matter, they were happy and so were we!

Just to show that I still wasn’t feeling 100%, we didn’t finish our bottle of wine. Luckily, the waiter gave us a cork and we were able to bring it back to the room. With full bellies, we strolled back up to the room and relaxed before getting a good night’s sleep.