1. Italy
  2. Amalfi Coast
  3. Praiano
  4. Appartamento Nadina A
  5. Reviews

Reviews of Appartamento Nadina A

Vacation rental home in Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Douglas S.

Cuernavaca

Mexico

Excellent

September 2011 - Very nice, modern property. The 105 steps up (and back down) the hill from the road below are somewhat daunting at first and might prevent some potential renters from seriously considering it. While you're staying here, there's certainly no need to look for a gym with a stairmaster.

We were a tad apprehensive at first about staying in Praiano because it's not as well known as some neighboring towns. But, in the end, it turned out to be a blessing. It gave us some respite from the hordes of tourists in Amalfi and Positano. Because there's not much to do or see or buy in Praiano other than to take in the gorgeous views, most tourists just pass through. That said, there are some nice restaurants and hotels in Praiano.

The apartment is spacious. If there are just two in your party, you'll probably never even go upstairs to the other two rooms. The fridge is small but adequate for a short stay. The apartment is climate-controlled. If you close the doors and windows, the climate-controlled system kicks on and keeps the apt. very cosy.

There is sleeping available for up to six people but a party of that large is probably going to find the living room and kitchen to be smallish [please note that we do not recommend more than 4 people at this apartment]. They're perfect for a party of two but larger parties may feel cramped. The table on the terrace seats 4 so if the weather is nice, eating outside is an option.

Our neighbors sat outside one night and talked rather loudly until past midnight. Unfortunately, it was our last night there and we had to get up early the next morning. It wasn't the best situation but was no fault of the apartment or its owners or managers. It's that some people just think through the consequences of their actions. I'm sure it would never have occurred to those people to sit outside their houses at home in the U.S. and talk loudly until past midnight but somehow it's an OK thing to do on the Amalfi Coast. Go figure.

Travel tips

  • You can reach Praiano by bus or a combination of train and bus or rent a car and drive. Even though parking in Praiano can be a challenge (as it is in all Amalfi coast towns other than Sorrento which has central parking garages), we'd recommend that renters drive, rather than taking the bus or the train/bus combination. This is mainly so you can stop at a large grocery store along the way (don't wait too long because in the smaller towns, the stores are much smaller and offer much less choice) and stock up for breakfast items. Italians usually get by on just coffee and pastry for breakfast. If you don't choose to do that, you're faced with going to a hotel buffet which are going to be relatively expensive and aren't going to offer any hot food normally or fixing your own breakfast which you can easily do at Appartamento Nadina A if you've laid in the provisions you'll need. At the small grocery store in Praiano, you'll find eggs but not smoked bacon which you can find at a large grocery store. You may find some yogurt but not the variety you can find at a large grocery store.
  • Another reason to seriously consider renting a car is that the buses connecting Praiano to the other Amalfi coast towns aren't all that large and don't run very often, maybe every 30 minutes at best, and they don't run very late at night.
  • The best restaurants we found in Praiano were Hosteria Il Pino which provided one of the three best meals we had during our two weeks in Italy. The seafood is outstanding. Restaurant La Brace may aim somewhat lower but the food there is nonetheless very good. Hosteria Il Pino is the more expensive and more romantic of the two. Both are much better than a rather famous restaurant in Ravello we tried and better than the place on Capri where we had lunch on our day in Capri. We didn't dine in Positano. Our one dinner in Sorrento at Restaurant La Basilica was another of the best meals we had in Italy. It's the less expensive sister to Caruso right next door, that you'll pass on your way to La Basilica. Our best meal in Italy was at Avec 55 in Tivoli, about 15 miles outside of Rome. We had many meals in Rome but were seriously underwhelmed by just about all of them.
  • The best place for ceramics that we found was a rather large place on the road between Praiano and Positano. They will ship anything anywhere in the world.
  • The "beaches" in and near Praiano aren't really beaches as you might find in Hawaii or Mexico. They're small and very rocky and the water is murky at best. They do, however, provide access to the sea but could easily be skipped.
  • Another thing that we think could easily be skipped is Capri. Not only is it expensive to get there, when you do arrive, you'll find mainly snooty Rodeo Drive type shops with matching prices. Sure, down by the marina where you arrive, you can buy the usual souvenirs but is that why you go to Capri? To escape the hordes of tourists, suggest you head to Marina Piccola on the opposite side of the island from Marina Grande where you'll arrive. There's not much to do there but the views are great. You can get there by walking but it's a trek which can be downhill all the way if you take the tram to the top. Taxi or bus are other options which are easier on the body.

Liliana A.

Toronto

Canada

Excellent

June 2011 - We loved Appartamento Nadina A.

We will be back. The view is priceless. The owner was too busy to change the light bubble over the stove but they did not stopped us from cooking :-))

Thank you for all your help Summer in Italy.

We had an amazing vacation and we are recommending your services and your villas to everyone!!:-))

All the best! Until the next summer!!

Travel tips

  • Do not spare the anti mosquitoes spray in the evenings. Even the owner left some to us -- we decided not to use it. The mosquitoes are not kidding over there :-)) But the surroundings are so beautiful so mosquitoes or not we will be back in a flash if we can help it :-)))
  • Use the buses for up and down the coast -- they are very reliable and it is not worth the whole "excitement" driving the ...not so wide roads.:-))

Henry L.

Brno

Czech Republic

Excellent

April 2011 - Wonderful! Look forward to returning to Appartamento Nadina A next year!

Travel tips

  • Terrain is hilly, so get in shape.

Heidi B.

Oslo

Norway

Excellent

July 2010 - Beautiful apartment and magnificent view. Everything was new, clean and the owner was so nice. Perfect for relaxing!

It is also perfect for two families traveling together, because the upper terrace can be opened up in between apartment A and apartment B.

Jacob D.

Austin, TX

United States

Excellent

July 2010 - Appartamento Nadina A was an absolutely lovely and quite literally breathtaking place to spend our week on the Amalfi coast.

It's brand new (we were only the second family to stay there) and beautifully decorated. Remodeling the place was clearly a labor of love.

The owners live on the floor above and were wonderfully gracious hosts, well accustomed to caring for guests after running a family restaurant in nearby Positano for the last 20 years or so.

It's perfectly situated, well equipped, and we highly recommend staying here if you're so lucky!

About the apartment:

Above all, the view is gorgeous. Probably one of the best on the Amalfi coast. From Praiano you are perfectly situated to overlook Positano, and on a clear day you can see all the way down the coast to Capri. You can sit on the patio for hours and never tire of it, and the window in the bedroom is fantastically picturesque. Really, the photos don't do it justice. Everything in the house is brand new and just beautiful - lovely tile floors, nice and well stocked kitchen, great patios, very clean and modern bathrooms.

But perhaps even better than the view, one of our favorite things about staying at Appartamento Nadina were our wonderful hosts. The family is incredibly gracious and hospitality is clearly second nature, probably because they all work at the family restaurant in Positano. It's probably one of the best places to eat in Positano, since they actually care about the food, and they give you a 10% discount as guests. The caretaker, Silvana, gave us a stamped card with the discount on it, but we didn't need it at all. The minute we walked up, she greeted us like family! We enjoyed it so much that we went a second time before leaving.

The overall experience of staying there is just wonderful. We were met by one of the sons, who carried our heavy suitcases (full of wine from Tuscany) up the many stairs, and immediately offered us fresh fruit and cold drinks on our arrival. Do not underestimate the stairs, there are many of them (hence the breathtaking comment above), this location is not for people with mobility problems and you would do well to pack light. And Silvana came by in the morning a few times to offer some sweet Italian coffee or cake, and just to chat to make sure we were enjoying our stay. Her English is excellent, but she was also very kind about humoring our desire to converse in Italian.

Two minor issues:

The only thing that was difficult (other than the stairs!) is that there were a lot of mosquitoes, and I was getting terribly bitten. However, about halfway through our stay Silvana bought a portable fan for the place (as I mentioned, the place is brand new) which helped a lot. There were some ants outside on the patio, which would sometimes venture into the house, but if you have that problem ask Silvana for a spray to take care of them.

The patio, while it is gorgeous and decorated with lovely flowers, is well equipped with a private table with an umbrella, shared lounge chairs with an umbrella, a semi-private jacuzzi, and is more private and luxurious than most any hotel in the area; although it is shared by the next door apartment. The bedroom has a door that opens on to the deck directly, and while there is a trellis which divides the deck in two, it doesn't provide full privacy. This was indicated to us before we booked, so not a problem, just something to be aware of.

In sum, this place is perfect for a romantic stay (we were in the smaller apartment) and we highly recommend it!

Travel tips

  • We found Praiano a great home base for the Amalfi coast. It's located right between the two nicest cities, Amalfi (with connections to cities down the coast) and Positano (with ferries to Capri and other lovely destinations). And it is well connected by SITA bus (the line that runs up and down the whole coast) and the local Flavio Gioia bus (service between Praiano and Positano).
  • The apartment is about a five minute walk up the hill from the main bus stop in Praiano. The local bus service is cheap, runs more frequently and regularly than the SITA bus, and runs pretty late, so we found it to be incredibly convenient for getting to and from Positano. You can even buy your tickets right on the bus for an extra 30 eurocents, but they prefer if you buy beforehand. And as an added benefit, you can take the local bus one stop past the main stop in Praiano to save yourself a little walk up the hill. Silvana provided bus schedules for both lines, making it super easy to plan.
  • A note about the local bus, since this took us a while to figure out. It passes through the main Praiano bus stop 3 times. First coming from Positano where it goes up through Praiano and then to the beach at La Praia, second coming back and going up through town again but skipping La Praia, and third going back to Positano. If you are in a rush, like to catch a ferry, board the second time since the bus might fill up before the third stop.
  • There are a several little markets within walking distance at the bottom of the hill for groceries, bread, cheese, fruit etc. And there are a couple of restaurants you can walk to on the main road. We didn't really even explore the actual town of Praiano which is up above the apartment.
  • We hiked down to the beach one day, and it wasn't really worth it -- it's quite a hike! You can take the local bus to a beach called La Praia where there are chairs and a couple restaurants. But we took our beach day on Capri (ferry service from Positano and Amalfi) as we found the island's beaches to be much prettier.

Stephanie B.

Wilmington, North Carolina

United States

Excellent

June 2010 - We just returned from a wonderful stay in Appartamento Nadina A, in Praiano, Italy, which we found through the "Summer in Italy" website.

The villa was beautiful, excellently appointed with everything we needed, immaculately clean, and the view was unsurpassed. Gorgeous flowers graced the tile terrace, overlooking the town of Positano and the island of Capri.

The owner of the villa met us promptly when we arrived in Praiano after a long day and a half of travel and helped us to our destination. We were also surprised with a delicious glass of sparkling wine and our refrigerator was equipped with bottled water and another bottle of wine from her restaurant. Because we arrived late, we were unable to grocery shop for the next morning. When we awakened, the owner once again thoughtfully greeted us with croissants and sweet pastries and showed us how to make delicious Italian coffee. She had also provided just enough coffee to get us going the next day until we could shop. In addition, basic cooking ingredients were provided (like olive oil, vinegar, salt, etc.), which made cooking a fun activity. She had everything from fresh orchids, towels, soap, etc., in the villa, contributing to the unforgettable experience we had. The owners were also quite helpful answering any questions we had or helping us with transportation solutions.

The tiles on the walls/floors/table tops were bright, colorful and added a delightful touch of Italian art to the villa.

This was a great holiday!

Travel tips

  • You must be in good physical shape because the stairs are numerous and steep all over Italy, as well as this apartment.

Unfortunately, Appartamento Nadina A can not be booked at this time.

We would love to help you find a suitable alternative. Please be in touch for personal advice from our staff!