The Ultimate Guide to Positano

No guide to Positano is complete without mentioning the need to design a pair of leather sandals that are custom made to your tastes, colors, and foot size. There are a number of places that do this in Positano, and I looked at three of the most popular ones, but by far the one with the best selection, great prices and service was Rallo. The small shop is an easy, quick walk from the beach or the Positano bus stop, and the slightly set back shop front is what gives it better pricing. Once you walk in you will be overwhelmed by the options, but just start trying on the samples that they have there and sooner or later you will come up with one (or two, or three) amazing options that are comfortable, chic, and so well made. The process was a blast and seriously a fraction of what the price would be in America. I ended up buying two pairs, one simple summer sandal with shades of brown, and another more frivolous white beaded sandal with a slight heel. They cost 65 Euro for each pair after a little bargaining, but I probably could have gone even lower if we were buying more pairs. I am obsessed with both!

This is a local Italian chain for embellished beach coverups and embroidered white tunics. Although its a mini Italian chain (you can also find it in Rome), it felt like a Positano staple, as there is one right on the beach and next to the bus stop. Typically I avoid touristy places like this, but even though I avoided it the first day, I found myself coming back the second day and found a great cover up for my boat ride for 39 Euro (a steal for the amount of embroidery). Then, after a third day of intense heat, I found myself back in the store again, searching for even more flowy, easy pieces that will now be staples in my beach vacation wardrobe.

This was a more upscale restaurant mid way up the western side of Positano. Located on a very active and fun street, there are lots of surrounding restaurants and bars to go to before or after your meal. Our group of six loved our meal here. The food was delicious, the service spoke perfect english and knew how to have a great time, and the vibe was upscale but not snotty. Reserve your table ahead of time and try to be out on the patio- the warm Italian nights are perfect for dining alfresco.

This was the Positano beach club that we almost passed up on and boy are we glad we didn’t. On our last day in Positano we decided that just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Mediteranean Sea was the perfect way to end the trip. If you’ve been to Europe before you know that they are very big on beach clubs. The beach itself is pebbly (not sand) and tiny, which means if you are traveling in high season, there is almost nowhere free to sit and lounge, so buying at a beach club becomes almost mandatory. There are tons of beach clubs a boat ride away from the main Positano beach, but La Scoliera is situated right on the main drag, all the way to the eastern end, with navy and white beach umbrellas, and sort of secluded from the craziness of the public beach. In the main beach club, you purchase seats ranging from 15 to 20 Euro person, and that’s all you get. No towel, no free shower, nada. At La Scogliera, you pay 45 Euro per person for beach great lounge chair with cushion, towel, separate table, chairs and umbrella for eating in the shade, showers, clean bathrooms, chilled bottled water brought to you AND… the best part…. floating mattresses in the sea for you to swim to and hang out on all day. Sure, you can order overpriced food and drinks there, but since you are on the main beach, its an easy walk right over to the main drag to Buca di Bacco (below) to grab yourself a pizza and take it back to eat in your shady table and chairs area with your free water. More expensive? Sure. Worth every penny? You got that right.

Mentioned above, this is right on the main beach walk and about a 2 minute walk from La Scogliera. It is a full service restaurant, but I recommend going there for the gelato and personal pizzas. We tried 3 different gelato places in Positano and we thought this was the best spot, which for 3 Euros you get two scoops of whatever flavor in either a cup or a cone. Sure, there are slightly cheaper places, but I thought the Fragola (strawberry) here was incomparable. The pizza stand is off to the right, and it’s made to order. For 6 to 8 Euro for a personal margherita or salumi pizza, you can take it back with you to your beach club and enjoy the perfect italian experience.

If you are staying somewhere near the top of the Positano hillside (in an Airbnb perhaps?) then this restaurant may be easy for you and for once, not a crazy long hike to get back from after dinner. It was right next to our Airbnb and we were all so pleased with the gorgeous view, the alfresco eating, the highly affordable menu, and the giant portions. We had too much to eat and drink here but it was perfect for a larger group and one of the most memorable restaurants of our trip. If you are not staying close, they do have a private shuttle where they will pick you up and drop you off, so just make a reservation ahead of time with your location and you can eat at the top of the mountain with 9 Euro pastas… Buon Appetito!

This was a highly recommended local spot that is also about a third of the way up the Positano hillside. It has inside or outside seating, and truthfully, both are great. We sat inside which was awesome for the local Italian experience of loud, cowbell banging birthday songs (with the owner running around the room to get everyone involved) to the pizza oven, to the authentic pottery and textiles draped (and for sale) around the interior. Definitely recommend ordering the Beef pasta with Onion Sauce, the Shrimp pasta and the squash blossoms (which are actually amazing everywhere you go). There is also a partner store about two store fronts down that sells the textiles, pottery and aprons that they use in the restaurant, which can be a great way to take home a souvenir that really means something from your trip.

If you have the funds, I would recommend staying at this private 7 bedroom estate. But if you don’t, no worries, as their patio bar and restaurant are open to the public and literally the most perfect, picturesque way to spend a sunset in Positano. I literally stumbled upon this place on one of my many hikes up to our Airbnb…. I was so out of breath I needed a place to stop, and just walked into basically the most beautiful scene I had set my eyes upon in Positano. This is a private home of a local family, that decided to renovate their space into a boutique hotel with 7 guest rooms, and they really spared no expense. The amazing thing is that it just opened this year (2017) which means its still relatively unknown. Our group went there for drinks and aperitivo (a rare thing to find in Positano; trust us, we looked) and the food lived up to the view. We wanted to come back for more drinks and dinner, but alas… ran out of time. If you go here you must let me know! I feel like I discovered it (of course I did not really) but it was such an amazing find I hope to send more people their way!

 

While I recommend arranging this ahead of time, there are many stands on the main Positano boat dock where you can speak to companies about hiring a boat to either drive yourself or be driven to Capri, for either 4 or 8 hours. The boat ride to Capri is about 1.5 hours and since there are so many beautiful hidden grottos and swimming holes that only a local/professional would be able to navigate, I recommend hiring someone to drive you for the full 8 hours. We were picked up at 9:30 in the morning on the main dock, had a huge lounging boat to ourselves which came with a cooler, wine and ice for use to pack even more food into, and off to Capri we went. Our driver pointed out Ravello and Sorrento, heading straight out to Capri for our first stop to see the main port. We decided to forego getting off at this port to have more swimming time, and we headed off to hidden grottos and swimming holes. We skipped the famed Blue Grotto because it was ridiculous tourist packed, the line to get in was too long, and you had to pay. Our driver Rafaelo knew of many more similar spots that were unknown to tourists, so we let him take the wheel and steer us to some incredible, beautiful spots.

We stopped for 2 hours at a restaurant beach club in Capri (more on that below) at 1, and then when we were picked up at 3 it was more swimming time and lounging in the sun. As this part of the world is HOT in August, being on a boat all day was almost the only way to bear the extreme heat. The cost was 800 Euros which is pricey, but all of us would have done it again. The sights you see from a boat are incomparable, and being able to swim in the open sea with a guided tour was exhilarating. Strongly recommend.

This was the famous beach club we stopped at in Capri for 2 hours for lounging and a delicious meal. It is relatively famous, for its celebrity cameos, remote location (only accessible by boat!) and delicious coastal cuisine. The venue was beautiful and serene and exactly what you want from a place like this. I highly recommend going on a day trip here by boat and making a reservation ahead of time, as the place was packed on the Friday (yes, during high summer season) when we went.