Praiano, I love thee.

Are you looking to spend some time on the Amalfi Coast? I know some stuff.

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Why Praiano?

Whether you have already read a ton of recommendations on which town to stay in while on the coast, or you're starting to now, you know there will be a lot of information about why every town is great. They're all correct. Every town has it's charm but every town also has it's tourists. Positano is, by far, the most photographed town and probably the busiest. It's absolutely a great day trip, but if you want to just relax and enjoy the views...Praiano will be much quieter.

Convenient store wine enjoyed on the balcony

Rather than the well seen views of the tightly stacked houses in Positano, Praiano gives you a scenic coastline spread. This is, of course, if you stay at or near where we did. If you stay in the center of the city, you would have the opposite view. Which is fortunately also great as you'll be facing towards a different coast line, as well as the next town over.

Where to Stay?

There are a lot of great options when it comes to hotels on the coast. There are not a lot of great options when it comes to parking. We not only chose our stay based on all of our wants, but also because it had a place to park our car. Once you drive along the narrow coast, you'll spend some time pondering how people trust their car parked along the winding roads. Especially with having a rental car, having a designated space for parking along the coast is crucial. In our case, that was a solidifying feature for us to choose our hotel: The Grand Hotel Tritone.

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This hotel checked many options for us: breakfast, parking, view, AC, location, shuttle (they offer pick up and drop off to city center). We truly could not recommend it enough. If you do not want or need all of this, there are some other great options we also found:

• Hotel Tramonto D'Oro. Beautiful hotel with breakfast included and a private parking lot. Huge pool that overlooks the coast. In a great location - extremely close to the city center.

• Maresca Hotel. Has parking, but at an additional charge. Beautiful white exterior. 2PM Check in, Noon Check out. At least get the sea view room.

• Hotel Pellegrino. Garage parking. Panaramic balcony views. Great reviews on service and breakfast. Extremely close to One Fire Beach Club.

Food & Drink

Let me start by saying that some of the most incredible meals that you have during your time in Italy will surprisingly come from here. The pasta is fresh. The seafood is fresher. The lemon squeeze in your water is everything you didn't know you needed. The food here, alone, made this a place that I will return to.

You will notice that the towns in the coast thoroughly respect a work-life balance. If you are an early eater, you'll need to adjust a bit. Booking a hotel that provides breakfast is not only crucial here, but really anywhere you stay in Italy for that reason. Our hotel provided a delicious buffet every morning that was served on an ocean front balcony. Most sea view hotels also offer this.

While our hotel also offered dinner, it serves as a fine dining establishment and therefore was a little out of the amount that we cared to spend on meals. We were craving some authentic Italian pizza and pasta, and boy did we find that.

**Always see if they take reservation.**

Here are some places we loved:

• Che Bonta. Great, authentic italian pizza. Not an upscale establishment, which is a good thing. They deliver (get a pizza to the beach).

• Voce 'e Notte. One of our top 3 meals from the entire trip. Service was exceptional and gave the most creative appetizers. Their rooftop is a great place to watch sunset for dinner and/or drinks.

• Trattoria da Armandino. If you're going to eat seafood, this is the place. You can't go wrong with ordering everything else, as well.

• Bar del Sole. Great spot to get a cappuccino, gelato, or croissants. Nice outdoor patio facing the water. Grab a night cap or cocktail here and watch the crowd disappear with the sun.

• Ciali Bistrot. Great vegetarian options. Get a limoncello spritz. Beautiful plating, several options, and some of the best Mediterranean food you'll ever have.

What to Do

Why stay in the quieter city on the coast? Take a day trip to Positano and you'll know why. It's a great place to spend a day, but maybe not the rest of your evening. Don't get me wrong - the cities are fascinating. You don't see this type of coastline in the US, but you can only do so many activities here. If you don't want to spend additional money on excursions or rentals, don't worry. The best part of being here is relaxing seaside and basking in the views.

There are some things that we did and some things that we wish we did. Here they are:

• Lay out on a private beach. Our hotel had it's own and we had direct access. If you don't stay there, you can buy a day pass to their beach. You can also choose from several others. One very popular one is One Fire Beach.

• Hike Path of the Gods. The path goes through the entire coast and if you do the whole thing, it's very long and strenuous. You can join at points and do specific routes to enjoy it for less, if you want.

• Rent a vespa to travel between cities. I recommend booking it in person. A lot of times you will be charged more using online services.

• Take a private boat to the nearby island of Capri. Another thing to book in person and if you are at a beach club, typically they'll arrange it for you.

• Stop at a roadside stand. The lemons are the best here...and you know if it's on the side of the road it's good.

Tips & Advice

Do not drive at night. Unless you have to or just a brave soul. You'll learn quickly that driving on the coast is a different beast. Now imagine that beast at night.

Keep a case of water in your car. Everywhere charges 6 Euro for one bottle and it's not liquid gold. Ice is also not common in Italy. Take some in and put them in your mini fridge.

Make reservations. Most, if not all, restaurants either require or strongly encourage having one.

Wear comfortable shoes. A lot of the walking is steep and you are literally right on the coast so you want purpose and comfort as much as style.

If they take card, use it. Save the cash for places/things that do not accept card. You'll be happy you did.

Make sure you try something lemon. Amalfi Coast is home to the best lemons and it shows.

Get used to a late dinner. Most establishments are closed for the middle of the day and don't open again until 7-730PM.