Amalfi Coast & Positano: Private Boat Tour with Flexible Stops

4.72

(137 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing I remember is the blue — not just one shade, but layers of it, shifting under our little 40hp boat as we left Praiano behind. Our skipper, Antonio, waved off my clumsy attempt to tie a knot (“It’s okay, you’re on holiday!”), then pointed out Vietri sul Mare in the distance. Ceramics everywhere along the shoreline, flashes of yellow and cobalt on the houses. There was this salty tang in the air that made me want to breathe deeper than usual. I think I grinned like an idiot for most of that first hour.

We drifted into Cetara after maybe ten minutes — it’s still a fishing village at heart. Some old men mending nets by the dock gave us a nod. Antonio handed me a tiny bottle of anchovy sauce to sniff (wow, strong), and told us about how it’s made here. He laughed when I tried to say “colatura di alici” properly. After that we passed Maiori and stopped near a pastry shop in Minori — Sal De Riso’s place. The lemon cream pastry was so light I almost dropped it overboard. Sunlight bouncing off the water made everything feel unreal for a second.

I didn’t expect to swim under a waterfall that day — but there we were at Marmorata, cold spray mixing with sea salt on my skin. We had time to wander Amalfi by ourselves; I got lost in side streets smelling faintly of espresso and laundry soap. Later we floated off Conca dei Marini where some folks jumped in for another swim (I just watched this time — still shivering from before). Lunch was an option at one of those tiny seaside places where nobody’s in a rush.

Positano came up almost suddenly around a bend, pastel houses stacked like someone spilled gelato flavors down the cliffside. We had free time there too — honestly, I mostly sat on a bench watching people take selfies and eat granita. On the way back Antonio let us steer for a bit (he kept his hand close to the wheel though). The sun was starting to dip when we finally pulled back toward Salerno. Still thinking about that lemon pastry now and then.