Amalfi Coast Travels: A day in Praiano
by Christina Vlahova
Praiano might not be the most beautiful town on the Amalfi coast (Costiera Amalfitana) with the competition it faces from the world renown Positano and Amalfi, which has actually given the name of the entire coastline, but it still carries the typical relaxed and full of bright colours atmosphere of one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy.
And its strategic location allows you to enjoy the entire cost, reach every place you would like to visit and yet have upscale and affordable accommodation, while enjoying some of the best sea-food you have ever tried. And here is how:
We arrive at Praiano in an early afternoon in the beginning of August. Already with a hotel recommendation from friends who have been there before us and go there every year. The hotel or rather “pension“ as we see written on the illuminated sign in front of it, is called “Pellegrino“. Looks beautiful from the outside and we have the assurance of those who recommended it to us that all the rooms have a view towards the Mediterranean.
This whole thing of hotel vs. pension did mix me up a bit, since at the cross-road before entering Praiano, where most of its hotels are listed with their respective directions, I did see “Pellegrino“ with one star next to it. And yes, the standard of stars varies from country to country and from place to place, but to be honest I have never until now stayed in a 1 star hotel. Being open and positive I did take it with a sense of humour and said to myself “Let us see what the Universe is going to surprise us with!“
And we were in for a real surprise, because once we reached “Pellegrino“, which is located 200 meters after Praiano and so in case you are headed there don`t turn back as we did asking for directions or if we have missed it. So once we reached it and the owner Luigi met us and showed us to our room and this is when the big surprise came. Because this was definitely not a room, but a suite. And we had not one, but two terraces both facing the sea and both accommodated with sun beds.
I do travel a lot and I love travelling and yes I have never stayed in a 1 star hotel until now, but then I have never stayed in such an enormous suite for which you pay as if it is a room either! Probably the 1 star comes from the fact that it is a pension and not a hotel, but seeing the rooms I decided that from now onwards I am really prepared to stay only in 1 star hotels if they are all like this one.
And then we were in for more surprises, because when we asked Luigi`s sister at the reception how to get to the beach and she just said “I will take you there“. And she got into a car and waited for us to get in, to drive us to the best access to the beach. And while in the car she also gave us advice on which way to climb down, because you do need to climb down an impressive number of stairs before you actually reach the beach called “Gavetella“. And then she also told us how instead of climbing back, which can be really exhaustive and to get on one of the boats which go to the other side of Praiano where there is another beach with no stairs to climb and told us “give me a call and I will come to pick you up“. Makes you think about the service quality hotel chains are always trying to improve and how open and ready to help people, who do it from their heart can actually be!
The other surprise awaited us next morning when we went up the stairs on the third floor of the “Pellegrino“ to have our breakfast. Just imagine a terrace covered with flowers with 10-15 tables all facing the morning sea. And when breakfast came there was fresh fruits and yogurt and home-made marmalade and orange juice and real Italian cappuccino or coffee of your choice. And while enjoying the freshly toasted bread with those delicious marmalades (peach being my favourite as I discovered) you can watch how the sun is slowly taking over the mountain and the colours of the houses are waking up with the sun rays.
Praiano is really well located along the coast, because if you decide to go to Positano you do not need to take your car and face a parking challenge there and since the coast is really well connected with both public transport and “the orange busses“ as the locals call them, with which you need no more than 15 min to reach Positano and encounter another of the Amalfi coast marvels. But that, as well as where to go in Praiano for dinner and what Italian sea food delicacies to savour is to follow in another article.
Useful information:
If you are headed for the Amalfi coast and decide to have Praiano as your tourist headquarter on the cost, here are the contact details of the Pensione “Pellegrino“ tel: 0039 089 874-186 or go to www.pensione-pellegrino.it
To move between Praiano and Positano and from there to Capri and do take the “orange busses“ which belong to a company called Flavio Gioia and then buy your Capri Jet tickets from the key of Positano. As for the timings of both and do ask at the reception.
More about Amalfi Coast:
Discover even more about Amalfi Coast what your fellow travellers recommend to visit while in Amalfi Coast and what to do:
http://www.italytravelnotes.com/category/campania/amalfi-coast/
We stayed in Praiano on the costa Amalfitana in September of 2006. It was a magical visit and we stayed at the Hotel Onda Verde. I fell in love with the hotel from photos on the website and the hotel in person did not disappoint. The hotel actually scales the cliff overlooking the ocean and you take an elevator from the street level all the way to the bottom to the lobby. Our room had an amazing view of the bay where we also swam. From Praiano we took the bus to Positano, Ravello and a water taxi to Capri and also to Pompeii. Staying on the Amalfi coast was a different experience from previous trips to Italy, as this was the first trip that we didn’t rent a car. In some ways it felt like we were on a cruise, as we were were more hotel bound, as it was hard to get out at night, and it was necessary to rely upon local bus transportation. But then again, while we drive frequently in Italy, we didn’t relish the idea of driving the harrowing coastal roads, with traffic and gargantuan tour buses. But, if you need to be hotel bound, the hotel Onde Verde was not a hardship. We dined in the beautiful dining room over looking the ocean, lounged on their beautiful deck and climbed down the rocky twisty path to the sea and walked along the ocean, observing local fisherman, teenagers swimming with their friends and boaters. It was a lovely slice of real Italian life, removed from the glitz and glamour of Capri and Positano. We ate in local restaurants nestled into the cliffs below our hotel and shopped for ceramics in local markets in the hills above the hotel. Everyone we met in Praiano was a cousin or aunt of someone else in Praiano and they gave us good recommendations on where to eat and where to shop. The experience of being on the Amalfi is a very “vertical” one. I am glad we visited and soaked up all the coastal beauty, but in the end I think I like the central valley of Italy and the freedom that renting a car brings to a vacation. I like driving around until I get lost and the adventures and treasures that one finds in rambling about on your own and not depending on the not so dependable Italian bus system!