Quote Originally Posted by A-Tex Devil View Post
I can always count on a search through DBR to find what I am looking for. I am getting married labor day weekend, and the current plan (for now) is to do pretty much the same thing Jason said up thread (just 21 years later ).

I've been to the big cities (Rome, Florence, Venice) and Cinque Terra before. Rome was by far my favorite, so the plan is to start there for a few days. My fiancee wants some "life experiences" as part of the honeymoon, and I thought Rome might be that for her. I know I've been dying to go back.

The rest of the trip (5-6 days), relaxation is key. Isle of Capri and Sardinia are a little out of our budget, so we are thinking Amalfi Coast since the beaches are supposed to be great and neither of us has been there. Can you sit on the beaches of the Amalfi coast, go to the spas and have dinner, and not get bored? Or is it pretty necessary to make day trips each day to make the trip fulfilling.

Generally what she wants is 2-3 days at a bucket list city, then 5-6 days relaxing with little to no travel. If I could combine Rome with 2 days at a higher end all-inclusive Caribbean resort, I would. Unfortunately, Greece and Hawaii are out for various reasons. So as alternatives to the Amalfi coast, if we are looking for more of a sun & snorkel "inclusive" type locale for the second 2/3rds of the trip, are there any recommendations within a 2 hour flight from Rome? Can Amalfi fit that description?

Thanks!!
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A-Tex - first of all, congratulations!

We honeymooned in Italy too, although I can't believe it was 9 years ago already. We had both been to Italy a couple of times prior, mainly to the big cities, so we decided to not do Rome or Venice, and just went into Florence for one day. Instead, we started on the island of Ischia for about 4 days, which was beautiful, had one day on Capri, and then spent time on the Amalfi Coast, several days in Tuscany, and then finished up on the Italian Rivera. All were fabulous in their own ways. Happy to describe further if you like.

As for the Amalfi Coast in particular, while there are a couple of quasi-"sights" to see, it's not really about that at all. There are a number of charming and beautiful towns that make up the Coast area, and you can day trip easily to all of them. You should know, though, that we didn't get a terrific beach vibe from this area. It's not Hawaii. The weather is not consistently hot, a lot of the beaches are rocky and small -- it's just not that kind of culture. We actually found the beaches up on the Riviera to be more enjoyable -- bigger, sandier, and really more a part of life there. There are a number of gorgeous towns that constitute the Italian Riviera too -- don't miss them! Big picture is that all of these areas are extremely relaxing and beautiful. Not in a "sit on your beach chair and drink fruity drinks" kind of way, if that's what you and your wife-to-be are looking for, but in a more, well, European way.

Hope this helps and again, congrats!