Hi Karri, I spent 3 weeks on the Amalfi coast in 2011. Within that time I had a 3 night day trip to Capri and a possible day trip to see the greek temples in Paestum. In my research for a home base I originally thought about staying in either Positano, Amalfi or Ravello. Since I was staying for three weeks I wanted to stay in a vacation rental versus a hotel. I looked at places in Positano, Amalfi and Ravello but after reading about the town of Praiano which is a very small town on the main road between Positano & Amalfi from another traveler (Mimi), I knew that Praiano was where I wanted to base. I even rented the same vacation rental that she did. I swear every night there was the most gorgeous sunset. They are listed on here on Slow Europe
Summer In Italy and the apartment is called Casa Matilde. The owners are just lovely and easy to work with. The other plus to Praiano is it is a short Sita bus ride to Positano (15 minutes) and Amalfi (20 minutes) which is the major hubbub for connections to other towns like Ravello, Bomerano, Maiori, Salerno, Sorrento. And the town is so small that it felt like home to me. If you wanted to stay in a hotel, I did see a couple of hotels there but I can't vouch for them as I didn't stay there. I can't speak for Sorrento because I only stayed there for one night many years ago and hardly remember it except for when I went there to catch to ferry to Capri. I love Praiano, but if I didn't stay in Praiano I think from all the other places, i would probably pick Positano next.
I too suffer from motion sickness due to a very mild case of vertigo. I have it the worst on planes and ferries/boats and cars (sometimes, less if I drive or sit in the front). I rarely have it while taking the trains and buses. So needless to say when reading about the winding roads on the Amalfi coast I was worried about my motion sickness. I took a train from Rome (my fly in/out city) to Salerno then hired a driver (arranged by my apartment owners) to pick me up and take me to my apartment. You could easily also take the Sita bus too but with my luggage and not knowing the area a driver pick up was my preference. During my entire stay there I relied and took the Sita bus everywhere and never got sick. I think part of the reason was that most of the drivers were very good (ie., smooth drivers). There was only one time when I got just a tad weasy because the driver was kind of rough on the breaks but that was the only time. All the other drivers were very smooth and I never got sick.
I took a combination of the Sita bus and train to get to Paestum & Napoli and took the Sita bus to Sorrento and the ferry from there to Capri. That was the only time I was forced to take the ferry and I took a Dramamine just in case. I traveled in November but surprisingly the waters wasn't too rough.
I noticed that parking was very scarce in Amalfi. I think for me the only time a car would've been useful for my itinerary was for my day trip to Paestum because although doable from Praiano it was a long travel day. But everyone is different. I travel solo so I prefer taking public transportation over a car and to be honest I drive 40 miles RT everyday in LA and so this gives me a break from driving. The Sita buses were very convenient to take between towns. I went to Positano 3 times, to Ravello 2 times and also checked out the town of Maiori. Another thing to keep in mind is when you are traveling. I went in November for perspective. The buses did get pretty full with school kids during certain times, but for the most part I had no problems getting on the buses. A few times I had to stand up. If you travel during high season, I'm not sure how it will be.
Btw, I ate at Chez Black in Positano 3 times and I loved the Vivaro Wine Bar/Restaurant (Via G. Capriglione 156) in Praiano just a 5 minute walk from my apartment on the main road. The owner is also the chef and he is so nice and his food is fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is very friendly and it is a place that both locals and tourists frequent. I think Pauline said it was okay to mention our blogs here so if you are interested in seeing more photos I did several live posts on my
blog. Maybe I'll to try to figure out how to add it to my signature.
Whatever you decide to do, have a wonderful trip. This is a photo of the sunset that I was treated to every night except for when I was away on my day trips.
