Capri, Italy

• More about your oliver guide: Corre Larkin
• Trip type: Adult, Beach
• Activity level: easy
• Ideal length of trip: 10-14 DAYS. IF YOU ARE ON A TOUR OF THE AMALFI COAST BASE YOURSELF IN CAPRI AND DO DAY TRIPS TO SORRENTO, RAVELLO AND POSITANO.

to & from

• Flight from LAX to London (where we visit our family and friends for a week) then we flight from Gatwick to Naples.
• From Naples take a taxi down to the port and then every hour on the hour there is a ferry to Capri. There is a set price for the taxi from the airport to the port. If you are not aware, the taxi driver will overcharge you. Look at his rate card and only pay that rate.
• Be very careful of your belongings at the port, if you are not careful you will find yourself with your passport missing. (Once you get to Capri you can relax. No one is going to steal your watch or passport on Capri!!)
• The ferry is 45 minutes and takes you into Marina Grande on Capri. There is no need to pre-purchase ferry tickets, buy them in the port.
• When you arrive on Capri your luggage will travel separately (don't worry they won't lose or steal it) to your hotel or villa, you will take a taxi up to the piazzetta and walk the remainder to your hotel or you take a taxi to the Anacapri side. (Always remember to pack a swim suit or change of clothes in your purse as the luggage can take up to 4-5 hours sometimes to get to you.)

Where to Stay

• Our favorite hotel (and I have stayed at many of them on the island) is Hotel La Minerva. The service is out of this world. The two owners are brothers whose grandfather started the hotel, they are genuinely like family. The hotel is only18 rooms and books up way in advance. If you aren't lucky enough to stay at Minerva, the other hotels I love are:
• Hotel La Canasta : A few doors up from Minerva, owned by the Minerva brothers Uncle. Slightly more rustic but has the same family feel.
• Villa Brunella: Some of the best views in town.
• JK Place: Beautiful but not walking distance to the piazzetta.
• Casa Morgano, La Scalinatella are both great.
• Grand Hotel Quisisana: If you want to seen and be seen, then stay here. You are sure to spot a celeb having a drink on the terrace.
• Capri Palace Hotel and Caesar Augustus: Stunning hotels on the Anacapri side where I have only had dinner or drinks. I prefer to be able to walk to everything when I am in Capri.

Where to Eat and Drink

• My favorite lunch places on the island are Fontelina and Il Riccio. Both are beach clubs and require reservations made way in advance. Drink the sangria--not sweet and is full of gorgeous fruit. Eat the Linguine Fontelina, pasta with uni (riccio in italian), or octopus. Drink the local Falanghina white wine. Il Riccio has a Michelin star, but don't let that throw you. The atmosphere is laid back and the food is exceptional. Leave room for their famous Dessert Room.
• Have a drink in the piazzetta or the terrace at Quisisana before dinner.
• We like drinking at Bar Piccolo. If you are staying on the island for awhile then find one of the cafes in the piazzetta and stick with it. The waiters are all about loyalty!
• Perhaps my favorite dinner spot is Gelsomina on the Anacapri side. They meet you in the square and take you in their car up tiny streets to the top of the island. Walk through the restaurant to Via Migliera and take in the incredible views of the light house and Faraglioni (the famous rocks). Their grilled calamari and grilled lamb are to die for as is their pacchieri with shrimp. I typically just tell them to bring me whatever they want and am always happy. Other favorites are:
• Da Paolina : Order the chicken under a brick with lemon risotto.
• Pulalli Wine Bar: Up near the clock tower in the piazzetta - order grilled calamari.
• Le Grotelle: A hike but it's worth it for the family feel and the rabbit penne.
• Da Tonino: Fabulous food and again off the beaten path, more gourmet.
• Lo Zodiaco: On it's own in Marina Grande and often full of Caprese people out trying to escape the tourists!

What to Do

STAY FOR AT LEAST 2-3 NIGHTS. A day trip to Capri is like going to Napa and not tasting the wine or eating the food. You get to see a pretty place but you don’t really get to experience what the island has to offer. No one who stays on the island is out and about during the day when the ‘daytrippers’ are there. We all are tucked away comfortably at our beach clubs or pools at our hotels. We wouldn’t dream of taking a stroll to the piazzetta at 2pm. If you only come for the day you will never ever truly see Capri for what it is. People who come to Capri every year, of which there are many of us, can’t imagine staying for less than 7-10 days. No, you won’t get bored.

• Take a boat trip around the island.
• Shop on Via Camarelle.
• Take the chairlift up to Monte Solaro.

inside scoop

• Dinner isn't until 10pm at the earliest.
• Ask your hotel concierge get you on the list for the local 'nightclub', Anema e Core, for either a Friday or Saturday night. Get there early (in Italian time) meaning no later than midnight. It is nothing like a nightclub that you would expect--think Italians singing Italian folk songs, kids and grandmas singing next to young models dancing on tables... it is not abnormal at all for someone like JLo or Reese Witherspoon to get on stage. It is possibly my favorite night out of the year.

skip it

The restaurant Aurora. Yes there are celebs there. But there are celebs all over the island. At Aurora their thin crust pizzas come with a whole lot of attitude. Marina Grande during the day. It’s chock full of day trippers and madness and the food is overpriced and bad. If the restaurant has a plastic menu of the food with pictures to go with it, skip it.