I just got back home yesterday. Hope everyone made it home safely.
Super trip. Just a few minor quibbles from me which I will elaborate on in a moment.
To start at the beginning. My first time using Stansted airport. I stayed overnight at the Premier Inn, which I would heartily recommend especially if you are travelling in by coach or train. As a single female traveller I felt SAFE! The meal I had was nice, the bed was so comfortable and the staff were friendly. Also it was one of the quietest hotels I have ever stayed in considering it is so large and they were very busy. Shuttle bus to and from the airport was easily accomplished and very efficient.
The following morning Stansted was very busy (4am!) but I managed okay and I was able to meet up with some of my fellow travellers at the gate 🙂 Flight out by Easy Jet was okay. We were met at the airport by a Just You rep, and had to wait a short period of time whilst the Edinburgh flight came in, but I spent the time indulging in my first Italian beer of the holiday:P
Unfortunately our transfer out to St Marco was not great. The 6 of us travelled in a mini bus which blew out more hot air than air conditioning. 😕 For a 2 hour transfer in what was hot weather that was not a good start to the holiday. I had expected that when we got to the hotel that the tour manager would already be there, but unfortunately he wasn't and we were left to deal with our own bags etc.
Evening meal in the restaurant that night was waiter served and delicious as always. We were told that for the rest of the holiday that there would be a buffet which I welcomed as the only slight complaint I had last time was the slowness of the service at night.
The Gatwick crowd finally arrived about 9am and Rob our Tour Manager was with them. From then on everything went totally uphill.
To generalise about the hotel. Lovely, big clean rooms with super big beds. Friendly staff, great bar service. Buffet breakfast was HUGE, and included eggs and bacon and boiled eggs. Dinner which again was a buffet this time was greatly improved from my last visit. Lots of variety to choose from and your choice of meat or fish was cooked as you wanted it. A nice choice of desserts too.
The excursions: I know that some one on Mick's review was asking about these.
1. Castellabate and Santa Maria. (Included). A nice gentle start to the holiday. Great to see more of Castellabate this time, but for anyone going on it there are quite a few steps so sensible shoewear is needed:)
2. Paestum. (included). A little commercialised. Too long in the museum for my liking, but the ruins are wonderful. I took the opportunity to wander off on my own and afterwards spent a happy hour sitting at a bar by the local church watching the world go by. Great photo opportunities at the ruins. Again solid footwear required.
3. Salerno. (included). It's a big city, But great views on the waterfront, and the medieval part is very interesting. The cathedral is a dream. Rob was very attentive, and walking everywhere to keep an eye on the various groups.
4. Velia (included). A half day excursion down the wonderful coastline. The ruins are amazing, and we had a terrific walk through them. Quite a long walk with some inclines and solid footwear is essential I think.
Optional excursions.
Amalfi and Ravello. After a lot of thought I went on this this time. Amazing day. Great driving. :thumbup: Amalfi was very, very busy and quite beautiful. Great to stock up on some ceramics. Ravello is a dream. amazing views, but we really could have done with a bit more time there. Again, very busy. It's a wonderful excursion. Don't be put off by the price, but really you need decent weather for the views. We were VERY lucky.
I didn't go on the Cilento National Park excursion because I did it last time but I understand that most people really enjoyed it. Terrific scenery.
Rob. Our Tour Manager par excellence. :thumbup::thumbup: A WONDERFUL guy, seemingly everywhere at once. Pure efficiency, and very friendly. THANK YOU ROB!!!
By the way the transfer back to Naples was far better. It's a pity for the Gatwick crowd though that they miss the first day of their holiday with the later departure from Gatwick. Shame that for some reason that Just You aren't using the earlier departure time so that everyone could link up together at the airport. It would make things such a lot easier for everyone.
I'm not linking up to my photos as Mick's are far superior to mine. :D
To finish.
Sensible footwear needed where indicated. Mosquito repellent as they were a bit of a pain at night. A sun hat. Water shoes for the private beach. and plenty of sun screen. And you get free water and wine at night at the table which sure helps with the bar bills. :thumbup:
If anyone has anymore questions please ask. 🙂
