Gocce Di Capri Residence

“Nothing is perfect, but Gocce is trying very hard to be.”

My wife and I visited for a few days during our Italy holiday this autumn. I had wanted to visit Sorrento and found Gocce di Capri, of which my wife approved (she's the usual destination chooser). Gocce di Capri is located a few miles west of Sorrento itself and is quite remote in what is in the … more

My wife and I visited for a few days during our Italy holiday this autumn. I had wanted to visit Sorrento and found Gocce di Capri, of which my wife approved (she's the usual destination chooser). Gocce di Capri is located a few miles west of Sorrento itself and is quite remote in what is in the immediate vicinity. The bus (more on that later) dropped us off in the small village square of Termini from which Gocce di Capri is just a few minutes walk. Arriving at the resort we were greeted with gorgeous views overlooking the Gulf of Naples. Our arrival was welcomed warmly by Mike and another young lady whose name I fail to recall. We were checked in quickly and given directions to our apartment towards the end of a complex. The atmosphere is incredibly relaxing and chilled and carries a very Mediterranean feel (strange that). The apartments are all completed in whitewash with terracotta tiles to the exterior giving it a very clean and well kept finish. The whitewash finish extends to the interior of our apartment with contrasting tiles of shades of blue. You'd think it would feel clinical and stark but it felt incredibly welcoming and just lovely. Our apartment consisted of a small kitchenette with fridge/freezer, kettle and toaster, sink and drainer and some wall mounted cupboards for the usual kitchen stuff. Opposite the kitchen area was a sofa-bed and small table & chairs. A short walkway passed by a good sized bathroom with walk in shower and into the large bedroom area. Furniture was basic but adequate throughout. The bed was firm but comfortable and the apartment had very efficient air conditioning. Not so much a negative point, but the bedsheets must be laundered with a high starch content as I felt a bit like a mouse in a crisp packet getting into bed. Once in and settled it was all fine, though. French doors in the bedroom pass onto a large balcony with views overlooking Capri which looks particularly stunning in the morning sunlight. Overall the apartment was really nice and while not huge, would be just the kind of thing single me would have loved to live in - a perfect space for a holiday for two. It's worth noting that the walls of the apartment were uber thin and we could hear with clarity everything happening next door, and that obviously works the other way too. If you're thinking of doing the horizontal bedroom tango then you'd need to be very discreet and if you tend to have noisy bathroom events then just be aware that if your immediate neighbours are home, they are going to hear. Food at the resort is really nice and not overpriced considering they have a captive clientele. Breakfast is plentiful and with enough options to keep most people satisfied. The main restaurant could do with a few more options on the menu but is still very good and the service was always swift and pleasant. A big thanks to Toni for looking after us in the evenings. We were visiting out of season so the bar didn't seem to stay open late, but again the prices for drinks were very reasonable and we were always made to feel special by Andreas, so a big thanks to him and the rest of the staff there. Outside the bar there are the same great views over the Gulf of Naples and on a warm evening it's a lovely place to sit out and enjoy a drink. Opposite the bar there is a lovely pool area with loungers aplenty. The water is a nice temperature - refreshing but far from freezing. Now, a bit about the location. As previously mentioned, Gocce di Capri is a short walk from Termini. Termini is a very small village with one cafe/bar a small shop with an ATM outside, a church, a pharmacy and a shop selling earthenware gifts. There's a small place under some large trees with tables served by the cafe and the same views overlooking Capri. It's a small but quite busy little village square. Busses run on some sort of schedule between here and Sorento. Sorrento isn't far in terms of distance, but the roads look like a child's scribble drawing so they do take a while to get anywhere, and from the experience we had they seem to turn up only when they want and not to the official timetable provided. We were caught out twice, first on getting from Sorrento to Gocce and then later in the week after we'd been out for the day. To cut a long story very short, we didn't find that busses could be relied on, and when the bus you're expecting just doesn't turn up you have no choice but to use a taxi, and taxis from the bus station are quite expensive - one might even suspect the bus drivers and taxi drivers are running a racket, but far be it for me to say ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I thought it worth mentioning - if you just want to come here, enjoy the peaceful surroundings, eat and drink, swim and maybe go for a walk in the hills then Gocce is perfect. If you're a doing kind of person and you need a way to get somewhere then public transport isn't reliable so you might want to consider hiring a car or scooter - a scooter for the day will be about the same price as a taxi from the bus station to Gocce di Capri. Of course, none of this is a reflection on Gocce di Capri and they are in no way responsible for the busses so please don't think I'm finding fault with the resort. We thought Gocce di Capri was charming and quite wonderful and we really loved being here. At the end of our stay it was the first time I felt oncoming separation anxiety since I was a boy. Would I recommend coming here? Absolutely!

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