Capri, the playground of the rich and famous.  And it really was everything you would imagine it to be!  Walking the Main Street in Capri you see the usual suspects.  Designer store followed designer store, gorgeous model-looking women draping the arms of older gentlemen, a few gorgeous young men helping older, decked-out women along, all cloaked in the finest most perfectly tailored couture clothing.  Laughter and crystal champagne glasses clinking in the background, kisses on cheeks to say hello and goodbye.  We were surrounded by fabulousness!

And yet, I never felt like a second-class citizen.  We were treated to the same amazing, incredible customer service we had become accustomed to in the rest of Italy.  The fabulousness engulfs you and includes you, and you won’t forget this island!

So how do I get there?

Capri is an island.  As a result, you can arrive by ferry or if you want to really switch it up (and pay more), you can arrive by helicopter.

By Helicopter:

Two companies currently fly into the Island of Capri by helicopter. Check out  HoverflySam Helicopters or Capri On Board Helicopters to see which one best suits your needs.

By Sea:

The majority of people arrive on Capri via the Ferry.  Ferries depart from Naples and Sorrento year-round, and the summer adds Positano, Salerno, and Ischia to the list.  Assuming most of you will fly into Rome as there are so many direct flights, you need to make the executive decision based on the ages of your family members and number of stops it took you to arrive exactly how gung ho you’re feeling.  Decide if you want to take the one hour high speed train from Rome to Naples and then take the ferry from Naples to Capri all in one go OR take it easier.  It might be worth it for you to take some time and hang out in one of those cities for a day or two to catch your breath and not begin your trip absolutely exhausted.  If you do decide to take a ferry, use this handy guide to figure out your best route and times.  If you feel confused, please reach out to me! I’d love to give you my suggestions as I understand it much better now that I’ve experienced it.

What we did:

Our itinerary had us transferring from the beautiful city of Positano. Our plan was to stay in Capri for two nights, so we needed some transportation that could accommodate our luggage.  I really wanted to maximize our time on the water, however, so I decided to take a boat tour around the island of Capri where we could see and swim in the grottos and get a 360 view of the gorgeous island, cleverly combining that with our commute to the island.  

This turned out a bit more challenging than anticipated.  A private tour—albeit divine-sounding—would run us between $3,000 and $10,000.  That was just a wee bit more than I was willing to spend for a half a day tour! So I began researching group tours.  I had to find the perfect tour that would have the ideal itinerary for us.  My plan was to utilize a small group tour that saw the sights and dropped off the passengers for some time in Capri.  At that point, we would simply not get back on the boat and would begin our stay on the island.  So the chore was locating a tour that would enable us to enjoy all the sights BEFORE disembarking in Capri.  When I finally narrowed it down to a few companies whose itinerary matched ours, I then had to ensure they could accommodate our luggage.  That narrowed it down even further.  

I finally decided on a company called You Know Boats.  I interacted with Lisa and she was so pleasant from our first interaction. She confirmed we would have the opportunity to enjoy the tour to the fullest, that the boat could accommodate our luggage, and that she would remind the captain beforehand.  We were set!  

I received a confirmation email of my purchase, made note of my reservation number in our personal itinerary, and was told to expect a confirmation email regarding meeting point and time the day before the trip.

When I hadn’t heard back, I contacted the company the day before.  Lisa’s friendly voice answered the phone and informed me she had sent the email but I hadn’t received it.  I asked her if she would recommend I have a porter pick up our luggage and have it sent to the Positano Port instead of schlepping it all the way down the eight million steps for which Positano is known.  There was some back and forth with the language, as she seemed to think I was talking about when we would arrive in Capri.  After further back and forth, we seemed to come to the agreement that a porter would be available at the meeting port, and voila!  She then sent me a text with all the pertinent information.  

The morning of our transfer from Positano, we packed up our bags and were picked up by the car service we had booked the day before.  He was a couple minutes late, but we still arrived at the meeting point with ample time to go grab breakfast after giving our luggage to the porter.  We gave them both our suitcases and Espen’s booster seat.  We kept our carryons, thank the good Lord, and despite my better judgment in trying to “let it go” a bit, I didn’t take their information as they said there was only one port and we would see our baggage there in just a few.

After breakfast, we made it back to the meeting point and started piling into the van.  All this began to seem odd to me as I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t just meet at the Positano port in the first place.  It wasn’t until we started driving OUT of Positano, that Sigurd turned to me and asked where we were going.  DEAR LORD THE VAN WAS HEADED TO SORRENTO!!  I had NO idea.  I started freaking out and asking the driver what we would do.  “Don’t worry,  No worry!” He kept reassuring me. WHAT THE BEEP WAS HE TALKING ABOUT.  He told me to call the office, there was “no problem.”  I called Lisa in a frantic state.  She was equally dismayed and we started yet another back and forth with the driver—who turned out to not have understood a word I said.  We started driving back to Positano only for him to realize he wouldn’t the able to get down to the port.  You see, the port in Positano is only accessible by foot or teensy little porter, not massive van.  So then he turned around again.  I was grateful the other passengers weren’t cussing me out.  On the contrary, they all were extremely gracious and understanding.

Lisa asked me the name of the porter company, which I DID NOT KNOW, and I became further dismayed. But she assured me she would somehow send a boat to get our luggage and it would make it to Capri that evening.  It was REALLY hard to not continue to stress about this, as I knew it was basically sitting there with nobody to claim them.  And this luggage was new.  And we hadn’t bothered to put our names on it.  For the first time ever.  Dear Lord this felt like a disaster.

Perhaps one of the best things that happened out of this snafu was the fact that one of the passengers in the car threw up after the windy drive.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a jerk.  But I wasn’t sure if I felt nauseated because of my stress-level or if it was perhaps the motion.  And I was DETERMINED to not feel sick on this magnicifent boat ride.  A sweet couple from Sidney, Australia, who were sitting in the front of the van trying to help me translate with the driver mentioned they had taken some medicine for sea sickness as we waited for our boat.  I was concerned it would make me sleepy, but I had Sigurd do a quick read of ingredients, give a nod of consent, and I popped the pill.  To be honest, I started feeling less nauseous within a few minutes before embarking on the boat.  Who knows if my sickness was from sitting in the way back of the van, reading my phone freaking out about the luggage, or just freaking out, in general. But I’m glad I did it!

At any rate, I was able to take control of my mind and stop beating myself up and worrying (not an easy endeavor), chill out, and the boat tour was AMAZING.  It was relaxing, the perfect speed, the perfect amount of people on board as to not be crowded, and the perfect captain.  We began our trek along the west coast, saw all the grottos, and jumped into the refreshing waters and swam until our hearts’ content.  When we got back on board, the captain served us cold white wine and snacks, and we sipped it as we continued admiring the jutting cliffs of this magnificent island. Espen fell asleep with his sweet head on my lap, and the cool wind in my hair and silence, aside from the rumble of the boat and the ocean, made it all seem like an absolute dream. 

So to make a long story short, you can take a helicopter.  You can take a boat.  You can take the ferry, or you can combine your trek to Capri with a tour of the island with this magnificent company.  But DO NOT send your luggage to Positano port unless you’re REALLY leaving from there.  ;). You’re welcome.

 

 

To say our tour of the Island by boat was breathtaking would be an understatement.  The feeling I had when I jumped into the crisp, refreshing waters at the grottos was one that lingered the entire boat ride.  Looking at this enormous island with rocks jutting into the sky, water illuminated as if by underwater candles.  It just is unlike anything else on earth.

The true magnificence of these formations can be lost until you compare them to something with which you’re more familiar. Check out these people in the boat as they venture inside.  It’s out of this world!

One of the highlights of this sappy gal’s boat tour was my kiss with my sweet husband as we went through the “Tunnel of Love.”  Legend has it, if you kiss your sweetheart while passing through the tunnel, your love will last forever.  As luck would have it, the sweet girl who agreed to take our picture didn’t catch the actual kiss, but maybe that’s even more fun!  The kiss was private, but the love will last forever for the world to see!

 

 

 

My Bikini Top  :  Becca  //  My High Rise Bikini Bottom : Becca  //  Sunglasses :  Amazon

 

We loved Capri!  Do you have any other suggestions of thoughts? I welcome your input!

XOXO

Elisha