Exploring Capri

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Sorrento, a perfect time to visit the beautiful island of Capri.

Located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just off the Sorrentine Peninsula in a region of Italy called Campania, we set off after breakfast and took the hydrafoil over. I think it cost around 35 euros for a return journey, but prices may have changed since May 2014. Enduring stunning views along the way, we arrived about 45 minutes later and before my flip-flops could touch the ground I fell in love with the island. I mean, just look…

I was eager to get on a boat to see the Blue Grotto, a sea cave on the island, as it’s on my bucket list to visit. As we only had a few hours we decided to spend our time exploring the main island of Capri instead, giving me an excuse to revisit in the future and check it off my list (not that you would really need a reason to go back!)

We took a walk around taking in the sights and enjoyed looking at all the lovely shops that we passed. I knew that Capri was meant to be an expensive place to visit so I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant prices we were being lured in to. You can’t walk very far before waiters and shop workers are vying for and catching your attention (these Italians really do get away with chatting the ladies up, there were no complaints), but it was Ristorante Augusto that got our vote.

With seafood, pasta, pizza galore on offer, you will understand why we needed some time before ordering. Our lovely waitress must have known it’s not good to make important decisions on an empty stomach so she brought over some curly crisp bites to nibble on with our iced teas. With a view to kill, we sat flicking through the menu (a few times) before finally choosing our dish. I was craving pizza. Proper pizza, and Italians do it best.

A couple of pizzas and three Iced Tea’s later, our stomachs were content. After resisting dessert, we were given free shots of Limoncello to toast our trip – if that’s not enough to persuade you to visit this serene setting then I don’t know what is. The waiters were attentive and eager to find out where we had come from, it felt like we were having a conversation with old friends! We said our goodbyes and promised to return soon.

The queues for the cable car were long. People watching and admiring the surroundings made the time pass quicker but I began feeling anxious about the journey up. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about – and I suppose the views weren’t too bad…

The only way is up, baby.

I felt like I had stepped out onto somewhere completely new. The crisp white buildings against the beautiful clear blue sky made the place picture perfect. The architecture was captivating, I think I spent the majority of my time with my camera in hand snapping away at every given opportunity. It felt more crowded than down below, but it’s not too hard to see why this place is a tourist hot spot. I fell in love with this floral tree at the top of the steps of the Hotel La Palma.

The island suddenly got more expensive and luxury was at every corner. It was like walking onto Rodeo Drive, everyone looked tanned and immaculate wearing the latest designer purchase. If you don’t shop at Prada dahling then you won’t be able to shop at all…

Of course there’s always Dior, Moschino, Chanel etc if you can afford the purse damage – sorry, no Primani in sight!

As we sat down to enjoy the scenery, I imagined what life would be like living on this island. The way of life felt simpler there, the energy was calm and peaceful and I couldn’t imagine waking up and seeing anything other than beautiful surroundings. After finishing off our bottles of water (the heat was real and my skin was turning a shade of pink), we made our way back to the cable car.

This view.

If you need only one reason, and one photo to persuade you to visit this island – it’s this. Also great if you’re obsessed with palm trees like me. I could have stayed there forever, looking out to sea in the glorious sunshine.

Alas, we had to leave. We hopped back on the cable car to ground level and soon back on the boat to Sorrento.

You can see more of my trip to Capri (skip to 2 minutes in) here – I captured it all on video, of course!

Next week I’ll be exploring the Amalfi coast!

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