Positano has to be one of the highest-built towns off the edge of a cliff on the planet, and we happened to book one of the highest outlooking air bib locations possible in the town, and let me be honest with you – I was nervous.  How were we going to get a suitcase, a pram, bags, and a travel cot up all those stairs to our apartment?! 

We transited by taxi from Meta Sorrento to Positano to our airbnb without knowing much information, already sweating to our ankles on a 40-degree day, luckily the stunning drive made it all worth it, the windy coast of Italy can’t be matched with many views.   Our arrival wasn’t much, just a roller door, but eventually, we realised the door opened and with some luck, the airbnb happened to have a lift installed in the back of the garage to our apartment!!   So with not too much effort all our belongings suddenly felt like they were worth a lot more, because of the stunning view appearing before our eyes.  The smell of fresh tomatoes, basil and cucumbers was wafting from the garden, the terracotta tiles were cool underfoot, the 20m deck with wicker furniture inviting us and the view of the ocean to the horizon.

There really aren’t many words to describe how incredibly stunning the view of Positano is from any point, particularly from such a high point on the cliff. You can see right out to the ocean’s horizon and every bit of the Amalfi coastline which has to be at the top of the list of prettiest things to experience.  We could see everything from up here. Every yacht, ship, boat and all the happenings of Positano.  I thought you had to be really rich to get this kind of view. 

The airbnb was also so incredibly stunning, with a Positano touch to every room. The balcony was as long as the apartment and had a pizza oven, bbq and deck chairs to keep us cosy for the next five days.  We’d hit the jackpot and I suddenly checked the bank account just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming we’d only spent pennies on the accommodation. 

My toddler took one look at the extra large airbnb and fell in love, she was running around saying “wow” wow! So worth all the transit energy we’d done. It was the best decision and we had the most wonderful stay, cooking fresh seafood dinners, Italian cheese platters, and collecting fresh vegetables from the garden below.  It was just a slice of heaven at this Airbnb.  The Italian life suited her.  My husband and I suddenly lost a taste of the restaurant nightlife and immersed ourselves in the local area, markets and fresh food shops to collect our dinners. There was nothing to miss with a view like ours.

The next few days were some for the memory books and will be treasured forever. We immersed ourselves into the Positano lifestyle of lunching, beaching and cooking up fresh seafood dinners. 

The must-do’s in Positano: 

1. Hire a boat and see the scenic coastline of the Amalfi. The boats are easily hired, near the Port of Positano. You can choose as many hours as you like and what size boat you want.  They instruct you how to drive it and off you go, as far and wide as you want to travel.  It’s the way to see the coastline. Positano’s picturesque cliff of coloured buildings is something people dream of seeing.  There is nothing like jumping off a boat and diving into the water wherever you want to swim.  Pulling up closer to a cliff or rock face usually is a calming spot to dock your boat and do the jump.
2. Go to the local shops and eat the gelato. The local shops of Positano are stunning.  They are known for producing a lot of linen clothes, pottery and artworks.  The endless amounts of pretty things will make you want to buy an extra suitcase to bring home to your wardrobe, kitchen and home.
3. Go to Marina Di Praia on the bus for the day –  easily the prettiest, petite beach I’ve ever layed eyes on. It’s positioned between two giant cliff faces, hidden below the bridge. It offers multiple restaurants to choose lunch/dinner. A small but very quaint beach where you can hire umbrellas and chairs, and also has a rock jumping area and a concrete jetty for sunbathing. It’s what everyone dreams of when they talk about going to the Amalfi coast. Something hidden you think no one has ever seen with the best pizza and pasta you can find.  If you plan on doing this, it might be worth trying to book ahead to ensure you get a spot at the beach – but honestly, we just winged it and it always seemed to work out. 
4. Get the ferry to the Amalfi. We booked return tickets from Positano Port to see Amalfi itself, a short ferry ride away and plenty of boat companies to choose from.  It’s also just as stunning as Positano with plenty of shops, restaurants, and the clock tower to see.  You can’t leave without having some gelato perhaps in a lemon (lemons being a huge part of what the Amalfi Coast produces) along with its Lemoncello. Visit Tonino’s beach Amalfi Coast – this stunning beach club on the front of the town. Easy to hire your beach umbrella and chairs and set up for the day. We chose this one as it has the best views looking back on the Amalfi town centre, and so easy to access with prams, a short walk from the ferry and restaurants are so close. Also easy on your feet with the beach having the black Amalfi sand.  
5. Have a drink at Franco’s in Positano and sit and watch the sunset if the night permits (more so your toddler permits) – and especially if you’ve come with family or friends who can help babysit your toddler 😉 one drink out just the two of you, if time allows. Why not!?
6. Have a Basil Gin and Tonic and a Lemoncello spritz to make you feel as Italian as you can, at Hotel Villa Gabrisa hotel high up on the Positano cliff while your toddler naps in the pram.  You sit outside under an umbrella across the road from the hotel watching the incredible landscape, yachts, cruise liners and the beautiful ocean. 

On our first day, we made a huge mistake. We thought we could make it down to the Boat Port in Positano by foot in 40-degree heat – it’s only a few steps we thought – what were we thinking? We embarked on about 2000 step journey with our backpacks and our “little” 10kg toddler travelling in the travel pram. My husband’s biceps and calves really got a workout carrying her down every single step, I mean, it was really hard for me (dripping sweat) and that was without a baby.  We felt every single step and every single incline (even though it was all downhill all the way).  There were multiple meltdowns (literally) and we were certain we were never going to do that again. So I’m here to tell you what to do – find the bus stop near your hotel. The road in Positano travels one way around the hill, so catch the bus down one way and then on your return you’ll have to travel the other way up and around the steep hill to make it back to your hotel. It’s a quick and easy ride from the centre of Positano. Very well used by locals and tourists, a queue often forms in town at the back of the shops for the bus so getting to the front of the queue is sometimes a win.  

The sound of the town is not just the ocean lapping on the shoreline but hearing the small bike engines revving up the hill, friendly (but constant) bus and car horns tooting to let people know they were coming around the bend and the chatter of people commuting down and up the hill is what really makes it Positano.  The road though very skinny is shared by all three of those commuters, buses, cars, bikes and people on foot. We had to quickly get used to waiting on the side of the road to allow cars to pass, sharing the road with bikes revvying past and just getting used to pushing a pram in the middle of the road like that’s a normal thing to do. That’s just how the Italian coast is.  Somehow though it doesn’t feel dangerous, it’s just normal to share the road and part of the journey.  Like everything here, we embraced it and remembered the alternative was off-road winding down the steep steps of Positano and decided road sharing was for us! 

So my toddler met Positano head-on and fell in love. She was an Italian brown-skinned, fish-eating, smiling baby by the end of the week and made friends with all the locals.  Her taste buds now skewed towards basil, pizza and clam pasta and she’d experienced the incredible crystal clear Mediterranean water.  It’s hard to top memories like this.