“Daniella,
What a fantastic and wonderful trip you planned for us. Everyone had a great time and we have wonderful memories.
I had sent you an email right after the Florence portion telling you how fabulous the Hotel Number Nine. The rooms were all different and unique but all were elegant with great bathrooms and space. The staff was very helpful, efficient, friendly. We enjoyed breakfast where the presentation and quality were outstanding. We all loved this place and it was so convenient to the Duomo and other sights. Everyone enjoyed sights from revisiting the Duomo to Boboli Gardens and of course the shopping.
The Amalfi trip was also a great adventure. Though the transfer in Rome was a little tight but we made it. A portion of the underground connection to the bins was closed so we had to go into the station itself and then go to the correct bin for the train to Naples. Everyone enjoyed the train ride. Our guide/drivers were very efficient, friendly, knowledgeable and always trying to make our trips very pleasant. We certainly enjoyed the insight they provided on many topics from food to culture.
The Miramalfi Hotel was situated with fantastic views of the sea and the coastline. We all enjoyed watching the boats and the fantastic sunsets. The upper bar area was great on Saturday evening with music. The rooms themselves were a little “tired”. The furniture was old and the curtains dirty and ours would not even close. The air-conditioning in the suite with 5 people did not work efficiently where some were cold and other is the same suite were very hot. We tried addressing this with the hotel but they said it was the weekend and nothing could be done and there were no rooms to change them. The pool and surroundings were wonderful and the kids loved swimming both in the pool and the sea. I would say the towels in the hotel and pool were great-fluffy and very absorbent. The shuttle service to Amalfi only runs every 2 hours so we had to call for a taxi several times and they charged us 20 euros for the short ride. Though when we needed to go to the boat at a an off time they did take 7 of us in the shuttle as they couldn’t get a taxi for us. The rest of the group walked down. The staff was friendly most of the time but we did encounter a slight issue. We asked about dinner at the hotel and were told the men needed pants-and one of our men forgot to bring his. They said the would ask the maître d if he would allow it and he said that was fine. But when we got to dinner no other man had long pants and one of the women had a bathing suit on and several others were dressed like they were going to the beach. This offended me as the front desk said we had to get permission to have one of 14 people in shorts. All the rest of my family was appropriate dressed for dining in the evening. In no way did this cloud our wonderful time visiting Amalfi but I knew you would like to hear my impression. We all loved the Amalfi trip .
Amalfi Marina showed us a great day. They adjust the schedule to our desires and showed us some great swimming spots. We went to Nerano for lunch at Ristorante Il Cantuccio and thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the great view from the restaurant. Angelo, one of the drivers, was informative, friendly and very engaging. The boats were clean and neat.
Da Gemma-words are not adequate to describe the culinary experience we so enjoyed. All the entrees were fantastic while the service was impeccable and efficient. The view from the outside porch was another great asset. We loved this place and thanks again for making the reservation.
Pompeii-a treasure that impressed everyone. Though it was very hot, the guide kept us all engaged and he included things the kids would enjoy.
It was so nice meeting you after all these years and thank you for making all the arrangements that we enjoyed. I know I will be contacting you again in 2017 for the next family trip.
I apologize for not writing sooner but it has been very crazy since we returned. We have never been gone 5 weeks and many things need to be addressed when we returned. And our internet connection to the house has finally been fixed- it was going out every day for several hours.
Thank you again
Karen
I thought you might enjoy seeing our family all together at the villa in Umbria.”
Karen Maggio (Glen Ellyn, FL) – JUNE 2015
Sunset view of bridge Ponte Vecchio. Florence, Italy
Ravello, panoramic view of the Amalfi Coast, Italy
View of Pompeii streets, Italy
