I fell in love with Sorrento. I am not sure if its the warmth of the Italian sun and people or the carved cliff-faced landscape overlooking the Bay of Naples with the specular Mt Vesuvius as a backdrop.
The love romance didn't start well though! The most economical way to get to Sorrento from Naples is via local train. Easily described as an old 70's New York subway carriages covered in graffiti. That's fine, no problems with that. The problem we encountered was a mass of thousands of teenage climate change protestors deliberately blocking any access to the local trains. So, for a mere €300, we were delivered by a lovely private taxi operator after a pleasant 50 min drive. The train would have been €16 each for 4 of us.
Bellisimo .....
Instantly in the centre of town, the Piazza Tasso had all the old world charms with a bustling hive of tourist activity. The narrow view through a gorge to the Marina below highlighted how many steps you'll be going down to reach the waterfront and the first realisation that we made the right decision to book a property 'on top' in the centre of town and not down near the water.
We chose to stay in a family-run Short Term Rental apartment called 'White Mermaid'. Very close walking distance to the Piazza Tasso and local restaurants. We could all learn a lot about communication from our host. Francesca was a delight to deal with from the onset. She lists her property on Booking.com for a very reasonable price, well suited to a family of 4.
The third-floor apartment was tastefully decorated, clean and comfortable with filtered views of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. Fully equipped with the comforts of home.
"Understanding hospitality..... do you? "
Our host Francesca was forthcoming to tell us she was new to renting her family apartment and appreciated any feedback. I believe, some people just have a true understanding of hospitality. Francesca communicated fantastically and was very accommodating and flexible arranging someone to meet us on arrival after our delays in Naples. A very generous welcome basket awaited us including fresh bread, local wine and fruit.... lemons of course. A little introduction to Sorrento.
After our arrival, I received a welcome email from Francesca that was nothing short of an extensive list of recommendations of places to visit in Sorrento. I'll be honest, at first, the email was so long I didn't read it all at once. I was too excited to just get out and explore the surrounds.
On taking the time to review the email in more detail, I realised Francesca had gone to extraordinary trouble to point guests to a number of small independent or family-owned businesses outside of the 'touristy' centre. We decided to take up her advise, and sincerely glad we did. From restaurants, bars, activities, limoncello and gelato, Francesca had it covered. Now, I'm no gelato connoisseur, but the small shop called 'Raki' she recommended was once awarded 10th best gelato in Italy and was certainly the best we had tasted between Venice, Florence and Rome. Fact is, we would have most likely walked past this small shopfront for a more prominent larger operator.
The fact is, our host improved our Sorrento visit and proves that providing local recommendations is adding value to the guests' experience. We all want that unique local experience off the beaten track or something special outside of the traditional touristy cookie-cutter environment. This is why good hosts communicate well with guests before, during and after their stay. Hotels will also offer recommendations, but in many cases these are for commission-based operators and will not always be as unique as small independent businesses can offer.
(I received no payment or free accommodation from White Mermaid. Despite always trying to BookDirect with owners, this property was only advertised on Booking.com at the time of reservation. I paid full price as advertised on the platform for a family of 2 adults and 2 children in October 2019)
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