Beautiful Capri

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Inna made reservations for a small boat tour of Capri from Sorrento. After reviewing multiple torus and companies, she settled on the following boat tour hosted by YouKnow:

• Capri & Blue Grotto Boat Trip-Prime Experience with max. 8 guests from Sorrento

We were picked up by a small tour bus at 7:30 in front of the church and arrived at Sorrento's Little Marina at 8:00. We paid 5.00 euros/person (for departure to Capri) and were assigned boat #15.

We removed our shoes and stepped on the deck of the small powerboat, skippered by Giovanni. After finding room in the bow to lie down, Giovanni started motoring out of the marina.

As we motored out, Giovanni gave us some snacks, including chips & peanuts. I was happy to eat something (as we missed breakfast due to the early departure time).

Our first point of interest was the Faraglioni di Terra/Mezzo rocks through which we sailed. It was a very scenic moment. We were allowed to swim, and both Inna and I jumped into the warm Tyrrhenian sea, overlooking the beautiful island of Capri. It was pretty refreshing to swim around, though the water was quite choppy (due to the wind).

Giovanni made many funny jokes on the cruise and played Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On  (from the 1997 movie Titanic)  on the boat's speakers when we approached a famous grotto.

When we reached the Island of Capri, Giovanni turned the boat toward the White Grotto. We took turns with other ships navigating around the grotto and taking photos.

We then continued toward Green Grotto. We repeated the same procedure as in the White Grotto.

Since marine conditions were quite choppy, Blue Grotto was closed. We wanted to see the Blue Grotto, a marvel of nature with crystalline blue water and silver reflections.

We continued toward the Marina Grande (large marina), where we were dropped off at 11:00. (We had to return to the dock by 15:00)

Before stepping off the boat, Giovanni gave each of us a sandwich (which we ate after we landed on shore in Capri). This helped, as we needed help with timely service at multiple restaurants on Capri.

We took the bus to the Piazza Umberto I but really should have taken the Furnicular, which reaches the top in 5 minutes vs. 20 minutes for the bus.

At Piazza Umberto, we took photos of the giant sculpture Walking in Beauty. We then decided to stop by a cafe for a cappuccino and a light snack. We sat at a table and waited for 15 minutes but were ignored by the nearby waiters. Eventually, we just left and decided to walk to Giardini di Augusto (the famous gardens of Augustus).

On the way to Giardini di Augusto, we stopped by a lemonade stand for a few drinks of lemonade. It helped, as it was scorching, and we were dehydrated. Inna also stopped to smell the world's oldest perfume in a shop nearby.

We continued toward the gardens and then got in line to purchase tickets to the viewing area, where some of the most scenic views of the cliffs were accessible.

We wandered around and took many photos. Unfortunately, the rest of the gardens appeared to be closed.

After resting and doing 2 turns around the gardens, we decided to eat lunch. We first stopped by Capri Rooftop restaurant. We sat at the table but got no service for 15 minutes and decided to leave. The menu prices were crazy high - 10.00 for one cappuccino. Lousy service and sky-high price combinations don't work for us. 

We left and found another restaurant that had timely service (though food was still overpriced). At AI Farglioni, we ordered the following items:

• Boris: Pomodoro Mozzarella Salad
• Inna: Pomodoro Mozzarella Salad
• Drinks: 2 bottles of Sparkling Water

The Tomato Mozzarella salads were good but quite overpriced. The 15% extra charge added was annoying.

After lunch, we hurried to Piazza Umberto I and took the Funicular to Marina Grande. It took 5 minutes to return to the marina, instead of 20 minutes by bus.

We quickly found our boat, boarded it at 15:05, and were back in Sorrento by 16:00. It was a fun trip with amazing views from Capri's Gardens, but we needed more time to see the villas.

Capri Trip Report

Highlights

• Views of the cliffs from Giardini di Augusto
• Views of the cliffs from Piazza Umberto I
• Views of the White and Green Grottos
• Having a fun skipper on the boat ( Giovanni made the trip much more memorable and enjoyable)

Lowlights

• Inability to visit the Blue Grotto due to foul weather
• There is not enough time to see any of the villas in Capri town
• Poor restaurant service at many restaurants, including:
• Capri Rooftop
• Many highly overpriced restaurants that charge exorbitant prices for basic drinks
• Grand Hotel Quissana (15.00 euros for 1 cappuccino)

Small Boat Tour Itinerary

• You'll get picked up

  See departure details
• 1
  Il Porto Marina di Cassano

  Stop: 15 minutes

  See details

  Pass by

  Marina Grande - Antico Borgo Marinaro
• 2
  Bagni Regina Giovanna

  Stop: 10 minutes

  See details & photo
• 3
  Cala di Mitigliano

  Stop: 10 minutes

  See details & photo
• 4
  White Grotta

  Stop: 10 minutes

  See details & photo
• 5
  Green Grotta

  Stop: 15 minutes

  See details & photo
• 6
  Blue Grotto

  Stop: 40 minutes - Admission excluded

  See details & photo

  Pass by

  Natural Arch

  Villa Malaparte
• 7
  I Faraglioni

  Stop: 10 minutes

  See details & photo

  Pass by

  Punta Carena Lighthouse
• 8
  Piazza Umberto I

  Stop: 4 hours

  See details & photo

  Pass by

  Il Porto Marina di Cassano

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