When we started thinking about our honeymoon, we turned to Katie of Ever After Honeymoons for some serious guidance. We got married in March but our honeymoon wouldn’t be until mid June. It’s not too often that two adults with full careers, an MBA program (for Peter), and a child are able to take 2 weeks off… from it all! So we felt pretty lucky. Of course, our budget wasn’t unlimited, so we had to do some careful planning. With Katie’s help, we decided we’d go to Italy and Greece and stay in 3 cities.

First Stop: Amalfi Coast, Italy

With Katie’s guidance, we opted for the stunningly gorgeous Palazzo Avino in Ravello. We spent 4 nights and 3 full days there. Immediately upon arrival, despite a torrential downpour outside, we were greeted with an extremely warm and helpful welcome by Antonio and his staff. I thought that the rain would ruin our trip, but it was just the opposite. The colors sparkled and this magical little town felt almost even more dreamy.

The view from our terrace just moments after we arrived in the rain.

The view from our terrace just moments after we arrived in the rain.

The gorgeous grounds and pool at Palazzo Avino.

The gorgeous grounds and pool at Palazzo Avino.

Day 1

After an incredible breakfast, we headed down to their private beach club. The hotel provides a free shuttle to the beach club which is about 15 minutes down, down, down and around the windy roads. (How people drive here is beyond me!) The gorgeous views down below at the sea of Minori and Maori were as spectacular as the ones from above. It rained towards the afternoon but nothing a little wood fired pizza and Italian beer can’t cure.

View from the second level at the beach club.

View from the second level at the beach club.

Our beach chairs for the day. Can you say: Relaxing???

Our beach chairs for the day. Can you say: Relaxing???

DSC_0275

 

Lunchtime! I could not get enough of the Castelvetrano Olives!

Lunchtime! I could not get enough of the Castelvetrano Olives!

Fresh, wood-fired pizza with proscuitto, mozzarella, arugula, and shaved parmesan, topped with basil picked right from their garden.

Fresh, wood-fired pizza with proscuitto, mozzarella , arugula, and shaved parmesan, topped with basil picked right from their garden.

Coming back from the day at the beach. The front entrance of Palazzo Avino.

Coming back from the day at the beach. The front entrance of Palazzo Avino.

That evening, we happily took our umbrellas with us and strolled into town. One of the reasons we chose Ravello over Positano was (Palazzo Avino. Period) because it’s known to be a lot less crowded and “touristy” than other towns like Positano. This was absolutely true for most of our stay. As we headed towards the piazza, along the cobblestone streets, it was like we had our own medieval village. It was gorgeous and everyone was very friendly, especially at the family-run Cumpo Cosimo. One of our best meals the entire trip! “Mama” literally comes out of the kitchen and greets you. So fun!

The sweet streets of Ravello.

The sweet streets of Ravello.

DSC_0426

 

DSC_0879
Owner Danillo at Cumpo Cosimo was a blast. He shared a second bottle of wine with us. A meal we'll never forget!

Owner Danillo at Cumpo Cosimo was a blast. He shared a second bottle of wine with us. A meal we’ll never forget!

Day 2

The off and on rain for our first two days was gorgeous, but waking up to a beaming sun over the mediterranean was extraordinary! We ate breakfast on the terrace outside of Rosselini’s (Palazzo Avino’s acclaimed Michelin rated restaurant).

Breakfast on the terrace.

Breakfast on the terrace.

We were thrilled for sun because we arranged for a private boat ride along the Amalfi Coast that day with a special lunch stop at Lo Scogglio da Tommasso, located in the tiny seaside bay of Nerano. We were picked up at the hotel (literally, everything was arranged for us without having to blink), and taken into the town of Amalfi. There we were greeted by our boat driver and the fun began…  To say we felt like a king and queen would be an understatement. It was one of the most special days of our lives. From the boat, we saw the towns of Maori, Minori, Praiano, Positano,  Nerano… and the inside of a gorgeous grotto!

At sea...

At sea…

Positano… I spy Le Sirenuse somewhere in there, can you?

Positano… I spy Le Sirenuse somewhere in there, can you?

Inside the Grotto! (Note* the hair was all sorts of frizzy that day!)

Inside the Grotto! (Note* the hair was all sorts of frizzy that day!)

From our boat: The view of Palazzo Avino's Clubhouse by the Sea carved into the rocks.

From our boat: The view of Palazzo Avino’s Clubhouse by the Sea carved into the rocks.

Lunch stop! A water taxi took us up to the restaurant.

Lunch stop! A water taxi took us up to the restaurant.

I found this restaurant very randomly… but very luckily.  Once we decided on staying at Palazzo Avino, I headed to Barnes and Noble to buy a book on the Amalfi Coast. In the travel section, a man noticed I was looking at a book on Amalfi and started up a conversation… He and his wife had been going there for 25 years etc etc. For the next 20 minutes or so, he gave me so many wonderful tidbits and ideas for excursions, including the idea of a private boat up and down the coast and a MUST SEE/ MUST STOP/ MUST EAT for lunch… Lo Scogglio da Tommasso. The family-run restaurant is known to be farm to table and fish to table. The vegetables come from the garden and the fish comes from the sea. Like in front of your eyes.

We started with fried squash blossoms...

We started with fried squash blossoms…

A platter of fresh vegetables plucked right from the garden… Eggplant, green beans, swiss chard and more…

A platter of fresh vegetables plucked right from the garden… Eggplant, zucchini, yellow string beans, broccoli rabe, swiss chard and more…

Zucchini spaghetti perfection.

Zucchini spaghetti perfection.

Linguini with an assortment of fresh fish…. clams, mussels, calamari. Heaven!

Linguini with an assortment of fresh fish…. clams, mussels, calamari. Heaven!

Our fresh fish! Picked and plucked just for us. Red snapper we think… not sure! It was cooked in a light lemon and olive oil sauce with potatoes and capers. They deboned it for us table side.

Our fresh fish! Picked and plucked just for us. Red snapper we think… not sure! It was cooked in a light lemon and olive oil sauce with potatoes and capers. They deboned it for us table side.

A table with a serious seaside view!

A table with a serious seaside view!

In a full food coma, the boat ride home was lovely and serene. Before heading back to the hotel, we had a chance to walk around the town of Amalfi which was fun and gave us that full “tourist” town vibe that we realized we were definitely NOT missing.

DSC_0768
Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi

Believe it or not, after that insane meal at Lo Scogglio, we still ventured out for dinner. Please, you think I was willing to skip a meal? No way! It’s Italy and there’s always room for more! Mangia, mangia!

Before heading to dinner, we wandered through the piazza and small town again and headed to Villa Cimbrone. The garden and views there were breathtaking and some of the foundation and sculptures date back to 11th Century AD.

DSC_0800

The hair was just not cooperating with the humidity.

DSC_0851
Villa Cimbrone

Villa Cimbrone

DSC_0840
Cheers!

Sipping champagne in the clouds. Cheers!

 Day 3: 

With Rome and Santorini next on our agenda, it was hard to feel too terribly sorry for ourselves on our final day. But wow, Palazzo Avino is not an easy place to say goodbye to! We started our last day off by the pool. As soon as we put our towels down, however, it started to pour. The weather was always warm though, so it wasn’t that unpleasant. Plus, eating more olives, drinking a fabulous bloody mary, and playing Scrabble with my husband (note* we played a total of 42 times on the iPad the entire trip. I won 27 of them) as the weather subsided, is not the worst way to start your day.

Bloody mary, olives, and husband. Life is good.

Bloody mary, olives, and husband. Life is good.

Once the weather calmed down we soaked in the sun by the gorgeous pool.

DSC_0873 DSC_0876

 

Later in the day, we decided to head back to the beach club for one final dip and, of course, the incredible pizza.

DSC_0329

Margherita Pizza with that Fresh Basil!

 

Going for it!

Going for it!

Can you find me?

Can you find me?

When we got back to our room that afternoon, we were greeted by the most spectacular rainbow just outside our terrace. I mean if this isn’t an indication of our 4 days in heaven, I don’t know what is!

DSC_0903

I can’t wait to share with you details about Rome and Santorini. But I have to say, if you’re ever in Italy and considering a stay along the Amalfi Coast, I would without hesitation recommend Palazzo Avino for a five-star, once in a lifetime experience. Of course, I hope this isn’t it for our lifetime. I couldn’t think of a better place to come back to for a special anniversary… One year too soon???

*Special thanks to Katie for a wonderful start to our trip!*

FILED UNDER: A Little Life
TELL THE WORLD!

Leave a Comment

Comments

  1. barbara Alpert
    Friday, August 15th, 2014
    great pictures! Beautiful couple and Congratulations to ha ve a wonderful, healthy, life love Barbara
    • Tuesday, August 26th, 2014
      Thank you so much, Barbara!
  2. Nicole
    Wednesday, August 20th, 2014
    We're headed to Palazzo Avino in a month for our honeymoon! This was so fun to read. Could you share details on your day boat excursion?? Thanks!
    • Tuesday, August 26th, 2014
      Hi Nicole, sorry for the delay. You will absolutely LOVE Palazzo Avino. How many nights do you plan to stay there for? We had Antonio arrange the private boat excursion for us. We were given a couple options on kinds of boats but as I recall, a private boat (with driver) was about 300 euros. (Friendly reminder- they like cash for this as they prefer to pay driver/ company directly. But talk to Antonio about this). Anyway, we had a taxi (which the hotel arranged… I think it was like 20 or 30 euros?) take us down to Amalfi which was about 20 min or so away. Maybe more- can't remember. From there, our captain met us (the driver and hotel had it all arranged). The boat was lovely. Small but there was a covering and two comfortable areas for sitting. We took off at about 10ish from Amalfi and then headed down the coast past Ravello to Minori and Maori. Unfortunately, the Emerald Grotto was too choppy for boats to vist/enter that day, so He stopped to show us a small grotto that we got to take the boat into too. It was awesome. The driver's English wasn't great but it was enough to understand what towns we were looking at. It was marvelous to see the coast. From there, we went back up the coast (past Ravello and Amalfi again), and saw towns of Praiano and Positano and then ended up in Nerano where we had lunch reservations at Lo Scoglio da Tommasso. I would say from the time we left Amalfi to the time we got to the restaurant (which you pull up to by boat taxi) it was about 2 1/2 hours. Because we didn't know what exact time we would be getting there (and because they don't have a website), this was also something Antonio at Palazzo Avino arranged for. I must tell you- it was INCREDIBLE. Best meal of my life I think- from food to experience. It was just lovely. We had about a 2 hour lunch (our driver waited for us at the restaurant) and once we were done, we cruised back down the coast to Amalfi. I think by the time we got back it was around 3:30 or 4. If you're curious, this is a good time to walk around Amalfi and check it out as it's definitely not worth making an extra trip back down or leaving gorgeous Ravello to visit. My only wish is that we got to actually see the town of Positano (I would have loved to have seen Le Sirenuse). But honestly, if it's anything like Amalfi than I'm certain we made the right decision in how we spent our days and I have NO DOUBT that staying at Palazzo Avino was the right choice. It was a dream come true. Have an AMAZING amazing time!
    • Tuesday, August 26th, 2014
      PS. Nicole, I mentioned Cumpa Cosimo in my post re: dining in Ravello. But if you're looking for a quick and very inexpensive bite, we stumbled on this great little pizza place in town (it's on the way/ same path towards cumpa cosimo). I think it was called Villa Sofia or Pizzeria Sofia. Nothing fancy- it's a counter inside and maybe two or three tables outside. But the pizza was great and it was an easy and super inexpensive meal under 20 euros. The last night in Ravello we ate at Villa Maria which was pretty good and has a gorgeous view.
  3. Axle
    Thursday, August 21st, 2014
    We stayed at the Pallazo Avino earlier this year.
    Absolutely beautiful.
    Going back next year.
    Ravello is a must.
    • Tuesday, August 26th, 2014
      Thanks for your comment, Axle. Yes, I agree. Ravello is a must and from what I experienced and can tell, it is the gem of the Amalfi Coast and worth the splurge.
  4. Kim
    Monday, August 31st, 2015
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful honeymoon trip! We are leaving in a few days for Italy and we are staying at Palazzo Avino for 4 nights after 2 nights in Rome. I am so excited, especially after seeing your gorgeous pictures!!!

    The first 2 days at PA, are on our own, then our travel agent booked a luxury boat tour for 8 hours on the coast. She said we will feel like Rock Stars...just like you said! :) Then the next day we have a driver to take us sightseeing for 8 hours. We have a guided stop in Positano on our way back to Rome.

    I've really enjoyed your blog!
    • Kim
      Monday, August 31st, 2015
      PS...It's our 20th Anniversary :)
    • Monday, August 31st, 2015
      Hi Kim, thanks for checking out my blog. You will have the most wonderful time. I'm so jealous! Try to have lunch at Lo Scogglio during your boat excursion. I still dream about it.
      Happy anniversary! Have a great trip
  5. Sunday, April 13th, 2025
    I am really inspired along with your writing skills as neatly as with the structure to your blog. Is that this a paid subject matter or did you modify it your self? Anyway keep up the excellent high quality writing, it's rare to look a nice blog like this one these days!
  6. Sunday, April 27th, 2025
    A lot of athletes resort to steroids to max out muscle gain and perform high-intensity coaching periods.
    Virtually all bodybuilders make use of steroids to get some additional
    help in their training classes. It’s of foremost significance
    to level out that the unfavorable penalties deriving from anabolic steroids go far past
    these seen after the first use.
    Its premium method incorporates BCAAs,(1) Whey Protein, and
    other pure elements that improve muscle growth and recovery.
    D-Bal can additionally be recognized to extend nitrogen retention, which
    is important for muscle growth. It is made by Loopy Bulk,
    one of the most trusted legal steroid vendors in the industry.

    Buying D-Bal from their official website ensures that
    you're getting a legit product and protected by their
    money-back guarantee. This legal steroid helps increase your lean muscle mass within the first cycle
    by as a lot as 20lbs.
    They comprise ingredients similar to amino acids, nutritional vitamins and plant extracts.
    These ingredients help increase of blood flow and boosts nitrogen retention. All the side effects of DecaDurabolin have no place whenever you use Deccabolan.
    They are designed to improve efficiency and recovery, improve muscle mass, and boost strength.
    What makes Trenorol efficient is its collection of
    natural ingredients that work synergistically to ship amazing results.
    D-Bal is a pure bodybuilding supplement developed by
    CrazyBulk that aids men in enhancing muscular development
    in a natural way.
    In this article, we'll explore the world of legal steroids, inspecting the highest options on the
    market and helping you establish if any of them
    are right for you. We have sourced our options from reputable online retailers, supplying you with an effective resolution without the necessity for you to go out to
    Walmart. When comes to purchasing legal steroids, it's best
    to buy them from the producer's website as a substitute of Walmart.
    Whereas Walmart might provide comfort and accessibility, shopping for from the manufacturer ensures that you simply're getting the real deal and not a counterfeit
    product.
    By utilizing legal steroids from CrazyBulk, you'll find a way to count on fast outcomes from high-quality products – with no side effects.
    The three are one of the best steroid stacks for bulking in the bodybuilding world.
    When utilizing steroids, you should be cautious of the unwanted facet effects (34, 35).
    These steroids, on their very own, are highly effective enough to assist give you the bulk and energy you want.


    It is not like anabolic-androgenic steroids that are usually considered to be dangerous and illegal.
    In order to decide which would be greatest for you, have a look at our
    list of the top 5 alternate options to steroids for bulking and evaluate ingredients, benefits and unwanted effects.
    Lastly, converse with your healthcare provider before including to your regimen to seek out the safest and legal addition to your exercise regimen.
    They embody all the benefits we are in a position to anticipate from progress hormone optimization, together with serving to to reverse the natural decrease ensuing from getting older.
    HGH is a superb, supportive, and synergistic hormone to use with steroids as a end result of glorious
    synergy they've and differing mechanisms of action. HGH will enhance and construct upon the effects of steroids,
    helping you to get much more out of a cycle. By taking GHRH in its pharmaceutical kind, you
    get a more even and steady launch of HGH. This contrasts with the spike
    in HGH that can occur when taking pure exogenous growth hormone.

    Somatostatin, the expansion hormone inhibiting hormone
    peptide, prevents a blood sugar enhance by inhibiting the
    discharge of HGH.
    The method improves VO2 max, lowers cortisol
    levels, and reduces physique weight in weeks. In the world of health and bodybuilding,
    authorized steroids have gained significant popularity as secure and effective options for
    enhancing muscle growth, strength, and overall
    performance. This part will present an outline of a number
    of the greatest legal steroids available in the
    marketplace. Legal cutting stack steroids are designed to assist achieve a
    leaner, more defined physique while preserving muscle mass.
    Choosing the best slicing stack is decided by particular person preferences, goals, and tolerability of the precise components.

    If you want the best authorized steroids, you're
    going to want a purpose that is deemed legal; assuming you reside within the United States.
    For years, the most typical causes for acquiring such a prescription was suffering from a severe muscle losing illness, cancer and
    aids have been both primary. Burn victims are additionally generally prescribed, and curiously sufficient those who want to stay a transgender lifestyle.
    In any case, efficiency enhancement isn't deemed
    a legitimate medical need; it's a want and one not protected by the regulation.
    Of course, the will to reside a transgender way of life is not a necessity, it
    is a desire, however this is an argument finest served for another day.
    Whereas the above talked about had been for years the
    only way to obtain a prescription, in recent times
    different means have been made available, and rightfully so.
    If you endure from any of these circumstances, and many men have no
    idea they do, you presumably can easily acquire a prescription for some of the greatest legal steroids cash can purchase.


    References:

    Decanoate Steroid