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Live like a local by renting a typical apartment in the centre of Sorrento
Amalfi or Positano. One advantage is that there are no set meal times and your time is your own- a stroll down to the market to get those essential ingredients for a typical Italian lunch. Or to stroll through narrow streets to choose a restaurant for dinner and a pre drink perhaps at a pavement cafe.

Not only choice is important -it is also price. After all the Neapolitan Riviera is not known for the cheapness of its hotels and four people sharing an apartment comes top of the list for value.

Web based tour operator Auto Plan Holidays offer some high quality apartments at reasonable prices. Staying away from high season in June and October the apartments range from 456 per week and typical is apartment El Piccolo which is located just outside the pretty village of Furore and a few miles from Amalfi. It has two bedrooms on two floors and offers superb panoramic views of the sea and area from the large balcony. At just 114 per person per week with rates that include bed linen, towels and energy costs represents a bargain holiday.

AutoPlan Holidays offers a wide range of one two and three bed-roomed apartments and small Amalfi villas. They also offer some small family run hotels along this coastline.

What to do - a short ferry ride to Capri, a full day at Pompeii is an essential visit-guided tours cost around 40 euros with transport to and from Sorrento. Naples they say "See before you die" is accessible by train from Sorrento. A car if you rent one is
very convenient to explore beyond the Amalfi coast such as a drive along the dramatic coastline further south of Salerno to the Greek temples and ruins of Paestum -it will take five hours to view the ruins and the musuem. Whilst here you could travel a little further south both inland or along the coastline, which is almost unpopulated in contrast to the Neapolitan region.

A car is not always essential on the Amalfi coast- the local buses are very convenient serving all the local villages for about 1 for 30 minutes of travel per person. Bus routes also link all the major towns almost the coast from Sorrento to ? and a three-day ticket for the whole regions costs around 16 euros per person(12.00).

Getting there:

Flights to Naples are not served very well from the UK expect for Stanstead and Gatwick with Easy Jet and some charter flights with Tui from southern airports. On arrival at Naples you take the constant bus service from the airport to the Naples central train station. On the ground floor area of the station - then take the private train system Vesuvius Line that stops at Sorrento station before encircling the volcano region and back to Naples central station.

Another alternative is to fly to Rome (more direct services from provincial airports) and mix a stay in Rome for 3 nights-double room rates from 76 per night with breakfasting three star hotels) and then take the direct train service from Rome Termini to Naples central station and return. The cost of the return express services is about 40 per person. One could also rent a car from downtown or Rome airports and motor down to the region.

The author is a Globe trotter who after visiting Amalfi coast has also enjoyed Sicily holidays He has also collected information on hotels in Sicily. For more information he recommends you to visit http://www.autoplanhols.co.uk