Oh my gosh, this post has been long overdue! I feel like I had to dust a layer off my notebook of notes from this trip since it has taken me so long to write this one! Capri was our last stop after Nice, France and Positano, Italy and honestly lived up (and even surpassed) all expectations! Matt and I had the shortest amount of time here (2 nights, 3 days), but made an effort to get out and explore, and pretty much checked everything off our list with plenty of time to relax as well.
DAY ONE:
We left Positano early in the morning and caught one of the first ferry boats to Capri. When arriving, we found a cab to take us and our luggage up to our hotel. They also offer porter services for your luggage because the taxi can only go so far once in the main part of town, but with our hotel it was only a short walk and doable so we held onto our belongings. The taxis are SO MUCH FUN! They are these old school cars with the roofs ripped off and a bunch even have a canopy to help block the sun. They love listening to oldies. It is really such a fun way to get from one place to another. Just a little FYI, they don’t come cheap – every cab ride was around $25.
We stayed right smack in the middle of Capri town at the Grand Hotel Quisisana. There are two main areas of the Island where people stay: Capri or Anacapri. Capri is more expansive, as far as the shopping and restaurants, and generally has a more plush feel. Anacapri is slightly more laid back but also has a ton of nice dining options. We didn’t spend a ton of time in Anacapri so hard to say which a is better choice, but from what I saw you can’t go wrong either way.
I loved having the Quissanna as our home base as it made walking around and getting to and from places easy. They also offered a complementary breakfast, which was delicious and had a beautiful pool! When we first arrived, we weren’t able to check into our room, so we checked our luggage and headed off to lunch at Da Paolino.
I was so excited to try this spot, it is one of the more well known restaurants in Capri where you eat under the lemon trees and a ton of dishes are infused with lemon (and to die for)! Sticking to the theme, we ordered the lemonade, lemon pasta, and ended our meal with a limoncello. True fact, this was the only place during our trip that I actually enjoyed the taste of the limoncello!
After lunch our bellies were full and we made our way via taxi to the other side of the island to Marina Piccola. Matt and I had packed a swimsuit and change of clothes and decided to post up for an hour or two and relax a bit. We rented beach chairs at one of the local beach clubs for $7 Euro per person. After being lazy for a bit we decided to nix the cab and walk back up the (many) stairs into Capri. Although most people waited for a cab or bus, the walk was quite honestly not that bad and much more direct than taking a cab all around on the windy roads. When we reached the top (and were back into town) we headed over to check out the Gardens of Augustus. My favorite part of the gardens was looking down onto the winder path that was once used to get you from the beach back up to the town of Capri. Due to falling rocks they have closed this path off, but it is pretty awesome to peer down at from above!
The garden were only a short walk from where we were staying, so we headed back to catch a few last sun rays by the pool and enjoy a glass of sangria before getting ready for dinner. One thing to note, especially for going out at night in Capri, is that it is MUCH more dressy than Positano and the rest of our trip. I am so thankfully I packed one pair of block heels because almost every gal I saw was wearing them. Matt and I were grabbing a drink on our hotel’s patio this night before dinner and actually both went back up to change because we felt too underdressed! After our last minute outfit change, we headed to Ristorante Il Geranio and enjoyed a selection of shared plates and a delicious bottle of red wine. The service here was impeccable and an all around fun atmosphere.
DAY TWO:
Matt and I woke up early since this would be our last full day on vacation. We headed downstairs and grabbed breakfast at the hotel before hopping in a cab to check out Anacapri. We knew we wanted to take the chairlift to the top of the island in the morning and our plan was to get there around when it opened to beat any line (mainly from the cruise ships arriving) and it surely paid off! We arrived at 9 a.m., paid 11 Euros each, and hopped right on what appeared to be a ski lift and headed on up to the top of the island. It really isn’t scary, but you do have to sit by yourself on the chairlift, the ride up is about 13 minutes. Also be cautious to hang on tight to any loose belongings, including your shoes! We were the only people (as you will see below) on our way up, but when we came back down every single chairlift was packed and a line formed at the entrance.
Afterwards, we walked around Anacapri a bit, popping in and out of shops. I finally had the chance to get a pair of custom sandals made (a must-do while in Capri) from Capritouch! You get to pick every single detail out from the color of leather, style of sandal, etc. My pair totaled 60 Euro and was hands down my favorite souvenir ever! Plus, it was fun getting to watch each step of them being made.
From here, we took a taxi back down to the Marina Grande where we rented a boat for a few hours. I can’t recommend this enough! Our captain was amazing, he had water and beers on the boat, so informative and took us all around the island including the Blue Grotto.
The Blue Grotto was definitely a favorite experience of the trip. To get in the grotto we waived down one of the small row boats, which will come to your boat, pick you up, bring you in the grotto and back. The cost is 14 Euro per person, plus a tip for the row boat captain who got us in and out of the grotto (you have to go under a small passageway and duck your head, which was only slightly terrifying)! With the time of year we visited (mid-May) we headed to the grotto around noon and we only had about a 10-15 minute wait. We were told however that the line gets to be HOURS to enter depending on the time of year and high season.
Instead of circling back to where we started, we continued all around the island, and then we had our captain drop us off at a tucked away beach club, La Fontelina. We made lunch reservations way in advance (a must as they only have a 1:00 pm + 3:00 pm seating) and also a reservation for our beach chairs. Although pricey, it was the best money ever spent! The whole experience was absolutely incredible from start to finish. Our lunch consisted of a lobster asparagus pasta, the most delicious octopus, a caprese salad and bottle of rosé. We took our time for lunch, then made our way back to our beach chairs and soaked up the sun for as long as possible. We both honestly did not want the day to end, this place was perfect.
We decided to hike the steep stairs back up to our hotel instead of waiting for a boat and then getting dropped off downtown and needing to cab back to the hotel. This hike up was no joke, I was dying!! Although it was beautiful, between the heat and a few glasses of rosé we weren’t sure if we’d ever make it haha. If I had the choice through, I would choose this way again; so much more affordable then getting a boat and taxi to get back to Capri town.
Once back at the hotel some relaxation was needed and we both decided to have a low key night and wing our dinner plans. We enjoyed happy hour at the hotel, gelato before dinner (#duh) from Rosticceria (homemade cones and gelato), and then grabbed a casual Italian meal before calling it a night, as we had such an early morning wakeup call. To leave in the morning, we took the big cable car down to the Marina, which was actually so easy and affordable. It ended up dropping us off right where we needed to catch the boat back to Naples, where we then took a taxi to the airport and headed home to NYC.
Overall, I absolutely loved Capri. I know a lot of people only come here for a day trip from the Amalfi Coast, but if you can swing it, I would definitely stay a night or two. It’s such a beautiful and romantic island, and like no placed I’ve ever been!
Source: styledsnapshots