What's it all about, Amalfi?

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Lotte Jeffs10 April 2012

Crashing past Capri's secluded coves on a speedboat, girlfriend sunbathing on deck, Campari chilling in a cool box, surprised someone actually let me drive this thing without a licence, I felt finally that I'd 'arrived'. I could at last relax and enjoy this sojourn on southern Italy's Amalfi coast because, prior to stepping off the ferry at Marina Grande that morning, we had been in filthy, Mafia-run Naples and, frankly, the less said about that the better.

To describe Capri as crowded in high season doesn't adequately convey the hot crush of well-heeled holiday-makers squeezing through the island's narrow boutique-lined alleys, laden with Vilebrequin shopping bags, melting gelati and sticky children. Thankfully the Capri Tiberio Palace Hotel & Spa is far enough from the mayhem to feel cool and calm. It's only a five-minute walk to the Piazzetta (Capri's main square), but the sublime sea views create a sense of space and tranquillity.

Our days at the Tiberio started with a dip in the pool before the daddies and babies arrived armed with inflatables. After a lazy breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Med, which seemed to whisper 'Come on in, the water's lovely' with every lapping wave, we'd walk to the beach. And by 'beach' I mean a small slash of pebbles and tiered concrete platforms dense with leathery semi-naked Italians who had paid 25 for the privilege of sunbathing there. The water was indeed lovely, but southern Italy is just too chic for sand.

Bagni Internazionali occupies the bay of Marina Piccola, one of the most popular on the island due to its views of the towering Faraglioni rock formations. But the best way to see Capri's beaches is to hire a speedboat from Marina Grande and explore them at your leisure. You can anchor up anywhere - just avoid the Blue Grotto (it's a tourist trap) - and dive straight into the sea.

The most convenient way to travel around the Amalfi coast is by the ferries that chug between ports. It's just 20 minutes by ferry to Sorrento and the rich history of nearby Vesuvius and Pompeii. We scaled the crater of the volcano before the midday heat hit. It's a manageable 25-minute trek to the top and well worth it for the views and the dreadfully thrilling possibility that it's due another big eruption. Our guide told us that were Vesuvius to explode today, the 600,000 people living in its shadow wouldn't stand a chance. The visit to Pompeii that afternoon compounded this in gory detail. The eruption buried the town under almost six metres of ash and pumice and it was lost for nearly 1,700 years before its re-discovery in 1749. I would have loved to have explored all 163 acres - examining the fantastically rude frescoes, and plaster casts of bodies contorted in fear, preserved in the solidified ash. But it was 34C and seven cruise ships had just deposited their bumbag-wearing cargos.

Instead, it was back on the ferry and back to la dolce vita, this time in Amalfi, which is even more beautiful than Capri. From Amalfi's quaint marina, arches lead to the Piazza del Duomo, dominated by a beautiful late-Baroque cathedral. By night the labyrinthine streets around the main square are lit by candles flickering on the tables outside bustling restaurants. We ate pizzas so large they spilled off the plates and drank limoncello as a distant piano played.

By day Amalfi is all colour - from the pink bougainvillea that cascades down every wall to the neon lemons, azure sea and brightly painted houses. There's no better place to take it all in than from the Hotel Santa Caterina - just ask Hillary Clinton, she's a regular. There's a beautiful garden spa, a pool and a private rocky terrace with direct access to the sea, and the suites are large and sumptuous, with sea views. The five floors of this 70-room hotel tumble down to the water in a series of landscaped natural terraces. The 'beach' is accessed via a glass-fronted lift that cuts through the cliff face on which the hotel is inconceivably built.

After another deliciously cool swim around Santa Caterina's exclusive bay, I picked a sun lounger near the bar and ordered an 18 glass of juice. Amalfi is one of Italy's most expensive areas, but as I sipped an ice-cold glass of liquid gold, surrounded by beautiful people in one of the most stunning locations in the world, my bank balance was a hazy memory. This was Amalfi, and I'd never felt richer.

GETTING THERE

Lotte flew to Naples with easyJet; fares in August start from £104 one way (easyjet.com).
A three-night stay at Capri Tiberio Palace starts from 1,470 including breakfast, one dinner, an airport transfer or spa treatment (preferredboutique.com/CapriTiberio). Visit phgoffers.com/Italy for details of this special offer.
The Leading Hotels of the World offers stays at Hotel Santa Caterina from 425 per room per night based on two people sharing and including buffet breakfast (00 800 2888 8882; lhw.com/scaterina).
Tours to Vesuvius and Pompeii can be booked through sorrentotourism.com.

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