I never dreamed that one day, I will be cruising around Capri island in Italy onboard a 40 feet private boat. But just like what I said before, even the things you never dreamed of will come true if you follow your heart. And so in August, I followed my heart and went to Italy for a week with two of the most important people in my life. I undeniably had one of the best experiences ever.
We originally planned to take the boat tour on our last day in the Amalfi Coast, which was the middle of the week. However, when I checked the weather two days before, the forecast was rain. Therefore, we decided to move our boat trip forward and cancelled the boat that we initially booked via Capri Relax Boats. From what I have learned, it is better to book a boat tour at the beginning of your holiday week so that you have more opportunity to reschedule just in case the tour gets cancelled due to bad weather.
We booked a last minute boat tour with Positano boats. The owner, Francesca was very helpful and answered all my queries. They only had two boats left when I called- the 22ft Corallina and the 40 ft Crowne (their biggest vessel). I initially booked Corallina (€350) as it was obviously cheaper, but J was worried that it didn't have enough shade and wanted the bigger boat instead. After discussing with Farrah, we opted for the Crowne. We paid €1,100 for a whole day private tour as we made the booking in less than 24 hours. Otherwise, it would normally be €675.
We met our skipper (or captain)Francesco in Marina di Praia at 1000. The Crowne was definitely beautiful. It had a bedroom downstairs and a toilet. It also had a bar. Drinks such as water, soda and prosecco were complimentary as well as some nuts and biscuits. Snorkelling gear was also available. Francesco was lovely and very knowledgable of the coast. He had answers to almost every question we asked. He made our boat trip very comfortable and enjoyable. And despite being seasick, I really had a great time.
Highlights
As soon as we started sailing, I knew that this experience would be one for the books. Passing by Positano was one of the highlights of our boat trip, although we only berthed briefly to pay for the boat. Perched on a hill with pastel-coloured buildings, Positano is truly beautiful, more so from the water.
As we sailed on, Francesco went through our itinerary for the day. We would stop for a swim, sail around Capri island and then have lunch in one of the islands around 2 or 3 pm. I didn't go for a swim because I can't swim for my life, but J and Farrah did.
We sailed through the Sorrento coast then to Capri island, passing by really fantastic sights like the dramatic Faraglioni rock formation and the Punta Carena lighthouse in Anacapri.
We made the wise decision to just stay on the boat and not stop by Capri island because from what I can remember from 9 years ago, there wasn't anything really interesting to do in the island unless you want to shop for expensive stuff perhaps. It was and still is, as far as I know, very touristy and expensive. So instead, we admired the lavish island from afar whilst our captain Francesco went through each and every house of famous people that we passed by, like Sophia Loren's villa.
Photos by Farrah
We also wanted to see the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto), but there was a long queue and the wait was up to 3 hours, so we decided to give it a miss. Besides, the entrance fee was €14 per head. Francesco reassured us though that there was an equally beautiful grotto not far from where we were called " The Heart Grotto", and it would all be ours - no boats, no tourists. It wasn't really the same, but to be fair, it was quite romantic. He took us to a couple more grottos after that which were very nice.
After about 5 hours cruising around Capri, it was time to go for a quick lunch in the small fishing village of Nerano. It seemed very busy in the island that day with numerous boats already moored in the marina. A complimentary boat from the restaurant came to pick us up as Francesco docked our boat quite far from the shore.
Photo by Farrah
After lunch, we headed back towards Praiano. We still wanted to sail through Amalfi town, however, Francesco suggested that we should go back as the rain was coming. He was right because as soon as we got off the boat, it rained cats and dogs. We were stranded in front of Trattoria Da Armandino for more or less than half an hour. When the rain settled a bit, we decided to walk up the hill to get a bus. When we got to the bus stop, it was ridiculously busy, so we thought we'd take a taxi instead. But there were no taxis passing by either. This was when Nonno Raimondo came to mind. Do you remember him? I mentioned him in my previous blog. Somehow, the universe sent him our way as J spotted him driving towards Praiano. And so, with my very limited Italian language skill, I called him and asked if he remembered me. He said, "Ah, Cristina. Si, si!". He said something like I drove you from Ravello to Praiano yesterday. After I confirmed that it was indeed myself he was speaking to, I asked if he could kindly pick us up from Marina di Praia. After roughly 10 minutes, he arrived.
The 10 minute journey from Marina di Praia to our Air BnB hotel went smoothly until it was time for us to pay. Nonno Raimondo asked for €90 for a 3.7km taxi ride. I was in shock so I asked him a few times whether it was €90 or €19. He had to write it down and when I realised he really meant €90, I was speechless. The three of us looked at each other and all we could say was, "this is total rip-off". I didn't see the point of arguing, so we amicably paid €90. As much as Nonno Raimondo was cute and sweet, he was crafty as hell. And because we trusted him, we didn't negotiate the price before we boarded his taxi. Oh well, another lesson learned.
Anyway, that evening, we travelled to Positano to try the Michelin-starred restaurant that a lot of people have been raving about. We took the local bus on our way to the restaurant for €1.30 per person, then hired a taxi on our way back for €35.
Overall, this day is truly unforgettable, despite the sea-sickness that left me feeling unwell until dinner, and being ripped-off by an old Italian man. First of all, the private boat ride was a once in a lifetime experience for me. I've always thought that cruising on a private boat in Capri was only for the rich people- (well, not anymore lol). It might be expensive, but once in while, we all deserve some luxury. And saying that, luxury is of course, better experienced with the right people.
Where we ate
1. Il Cantuccio- Massa Lubrense 80061, Marina del Cantone, Nerano
- This restaurant seemed like a tourist trap at first glance, but definitely not. The constant busyness of the restaurant is probably down to the fact that it has connections with boat companies and therefore, they bring all their clients to eat there. To be fair, there were also a few regulars when we were there. They seemed to know everyone and called each other by first name, so it was all good.
The service was friendly and quick considering the amount of people in the restaurant that day. We were seated as soon as we got in and our food came even before we realised it. J ordered the squid, Farrah the spaghetti alla Vongole (which is highly recommended) and I ordered the grilled shrimp.
2. La Sponda- via Cristoforo Colombo,30, 84017, Positano
- As people who love to eat, we wanted to experience Michelin-starred dining in the Amalfi coast and so we booked La Sponda. With its grandiose interior lit up by some 400 candles and amazing views, it is no surprise that this restaurant is one of the most recommended in the Amalfi coast. Perhaps not that mind-blowing kind of food experience, but it was good nonetheless. Service was rather slow. There was a lot of waiting in between courses. My fish was lacking some spice and seasoning, but other than that, the rest of the food was good. There was also a complimentary tiered sweets and a take-away lemon sponge cake which was very thoughtful. On top of that, their musicians Franco and Andrea provided us with a very good entertainment. It was definitely a good night.
Photos by Farrah
TIN x
