Madeline
Our last stop on our Spain and Italy trip was to The Amalfi Coast. In my mind, Capri was going to be the tourist trap and the Amalfi Coast was going to be the land of luxury, but we found it was quite the opposite. The Amalfi Coast was not at all what I expected. The streets were lined with shops to buy limoncello, dried pasta, and shot glasses. The restaurants all served fettuccine alfredo (very not Italian). And hotels were lined up above the Tchotchke shops.
The Beach Club
By the time we got to the Amalfi Coast, we had been running around Spain and Italy for a week and a half. We were tired and when we realized that the town was full of nothing to do but buy crap, we took to opportunity to visit a beach club. Not once, but both full days we were there. It was the perfect way to end a trip of running around.
Although there were five or six beach clubs to choose from, we chose ours based on the quality of food, drink list, and the friendliness of the staff we asked about these things. We found ourselves front and center on the beach dipping in and out of the Mediterranean, sipping cocktails day in and day out. We chatted. We drank. We did nothing for two days and by this time, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. When we were not sitting by the beach, we were eating in the restaurant of the same beach club, Ristorante Marina Grande. It was a good ending to our two week adventure.
Getting To And From The Amalfi Coast
Getting to the Amalfi Coast from Capri was simple. It was an easy ferry ride where we drank beer and did our best to not get seasick. Leaving the Amalfi Coast to Naples in time to fly home was another story. We ordered a taxi the day before to pick us up at five in the morning. We then drove for two hours just to be dropped off at one of the oldest airports I have ever been to just to fly for another fourteen hours. When it comes to it, if you have the option, take the ferry!
Final Thoughts
The Amalfi Coast was a great way to end our trip. It was not at all what we expected, but this far into the trip, it was exactly what we needed. In retrospect, we did the trip right. We went from the busiest city with the most to do and ended at the smallest town where there is nothing to do but sit on a beach and drink. It was perfect.
