A birthday in Capri
The crown jewel of the Amalfi Coast is Capri for sure. I had always wanted to spend my birthday there and finally 2017 was the year to do it.
It all started a year before my birthday when I had decided to spend the next year in Capri. It took some planning and preparation, mostly because all hotels book pretty quickly in the area, not to mention that Capri is such a popular destination with high-end boutiques, exquisite hotels and endless summer days.
As soon as the hotels opened their reservations for the summer I inquired with several of them and they were somehow pricey. I was willing to splurge for a night or two in Capri but they also required a minimum of 4–5 nights so we ended up booking a great hotel in Positano instead, Buca di Bacco Hotel. After booking the hotel we went ahead and booked a day-trip along the Amalfi Coast all the way to Capri and back to Positano. I will always remember this day for the rest of my life.
Picked up at 8.30 a.m. at the Positano port, Li Galli Boat Charter had it all prepared and reservation confirmed. Soon enough Francesco and Ana were there to pick us up on a 32ft gozzo sorrentino boat (typically made in Sorrento) that fits 12 people comfortably. Along with other couples and small family we took off to Capri.
It was a hot 9th of August day, no much wind just blasting sun and quiet waters. We cruised along the coast going Northwest from Italy’s mainland, passing the towns on Nerano, Sorrento and other smaller villages. When it started getting too hot we just stopped, anchored and jumped in the cool aquamarine waters of the Tyrrhenian sea, the water felt so good, so smooth and so refreshing, it was as clear as you can imagine and with endless views of the coast in the background. We did this a couple of times before getting to the jetsetting coast of Capri. Packed with private yachts, the island has two marinas, the smaller one reserved for locals and private yachts and the big one for all other boats coming to the island, including our tour boat.
You have to move fast once hitting the port, as there are many boats waiting to get off and on quickly to avoid long lines. Once off we had four hours to explore the island and you can go to Capri or Anacapri side of the island, both beautiful and spectacular but this time we focused our attention on Capri due to time constraints.
As it was a busy day in August the crowds were there too. They recommend taking the funiculareto the top of Capri town, but the lines were so long, so crowded that immediately we spotted a topless taxi and jumped on it. Twenty euros later and after experiencing a roller-coaster type of ride we were right in town on top of the hill. Walking around the town was beautiful, it was a surreal experience to be in a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean and suddenly seeing so much luxury in small spaces. All the high-end stores are there, all perfectly designed in small old Italian spaces but with a definition of luxury. This is the place to shop if you’re into a Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta or Valentino handbag, for us that was not the case so we stuck to the more reasonable souvenirs.
We ran into the Grand Hotel Quisisanaand had lunch outside at the Quisi Barwith a couple of refreshing Aperol Spritz to cool down from the unstoppable sun that day. After a relaxing lunch in the shade and checking out the hotel (which is worth checking out) we kept going with our expedition to the Gardens of Augustuson the other side of the island. This was an unexpected treat on the island as I had never heard of them and they had breathtaking with views of the sea and marina with perfectly green and manicured gardens. Views, views and more views. This place is a must-check-out for sure and it’s just ten minutes walking from the center of town.
Back on the boat with Francesco and Ana, now we are heading back to Positano. The Blue Grotto is a big attraction in Capri but not worth the wait in my opinion, so we decided to skip it as the line of boats to get in was too long, at least an hour so if you’re patient and you really want to do it then by all means do it. Summer time is really crowded to get in.
On our way back coasting again we jumped in the water to cool down one more time, saw many towns on the coast, old castles, incredible expensive villas, old Imperial Roman towers and ruins that were used to protect the coast from pirates and invadors and some other caves with incredible crystal blue waters.
Next time we go back to the Amalfi Coast we will for sure plan on having an all-day boat tour along the coast to check out other towns and fishing villages as there are so many that is hard to see it all in one day. We got to see a lot in one day but for sure we still have on the list to visit Sorrento, Pompei, Naples and more.
By the time we reached Positano again it was the end of the day, an incredible birthday that I will always remember for the rest of my life. I totally recommend this tour and experiencing the Amalfi coast like this was memorable. I hope we get to see our friends Francesco and Ana again soon as they were part of the reason to make it such a memory.
After a blissful full day cruising in Capri we off-boarded our dear boat back in Positano, headed to the local market, purchased our prosecco bottle of the night and watched the day turned into night at our balcony. It was just a magical day. Ciao Capri!