Laura’s Amalfi Coast Insider Tips

We booked our hotel via Mr & Mrs Smith, which is always my go-to when I’m looking for somewhere chic and boutique – I’m not one for big, grand hotels, I much prefer a more intimate setting. We stayed for two nights at Hotel Capo la Gala in Vico Equense, which is five miles from Sorrento, and it exceeded all our expectations. Tucked into a cliff right on the water, the setting and our room were stunning. The local town was quiet and peaceful, unlike nearby Sorrento and Amalfi, which can get extremely busy at this time of year.

There are so many wonderful places to eat in this part of Italy. On our first night, we had dinner at Ristorante Mustafà in Vico Equense, a beautiful restaurant close to the hotel, with hearty food. We had a delicious oven-baked fish dish and white wine followed by a traditional torta caprese for dessert. The following day, we rented a Vespa and drove to Amalfi. We had a reservation at Da Adolfo, an iconic establishment in nearby Positano that was opened by a war veteran and his wife in 1966. It’s situated on its own beach and can only be reached by boat, which collects you from the pier in Amalfi. I’d recommend the mozzarella on lemon leaves, any fish dish and the seafood pasta. In Sorrento, go to O’ Parrucchiano La Favorita, where you sit beneath a magical canopy of lemon trees. There is so much great food on the menu, my advice is to go for anything that has ‘alla Sorrento’ in the name – it means it comes with mozzarella and tomatoes and will be delicious. On our final evening, we stopped at Cremeria Gabriele in Vico Equense, where we had seen queues outside each time we had passed. We had the most delicious ice cream, as well as coppetta alla fragole di bosco, a dish made from tiny strawberries topped with chantilly, ice and whipped cream.

The Amalfi Coast is famous for its sandals. Look out for the traditional makers of flat leather styles with all sorts of different fastenings and straps – these artisans will custom-make them for you there and then so they fit your feet perfectly. I got the most beautiful pair made at Angela Barba in Vico Equense. A note on what to pack – although I would strongly advise on no heels (you’re up and down cobbled streets and steep hills) I would say that anything goes! I packed the essentials for three days of beach life, with plenty of bikinis and lightweight cover-ups to take me from beachfront to pool to lunch, and two nights out. As always, I like to pick a colour theme and make sure everything goes with everything, which helps with items like shoes and accessories, which can then be worn on different occasions.

For more packing and travel tips make sure you visit our most recent packing guide.