Drive Amalfi review

[Frequent Floater]

Hello to all Med cruisers.

I would just like to say that if you are looking to book a private hire tour for Naples, Messina Sicily and Livorno Florence/Pisa. Salvatore from Drive Amalfi is the man to make you tours with.

I had a group that ranged from 10 to 42 persons that wanted to tour privately so I started researching early for our sailing Sept. 30th.

I contacted Salvatore to see what he could offer us. At first I thought his prices were high but after much research found that they were not.

Salvatore set up 3 vans for 8 persons for our Naples tour a bus for 42 persons in Messina and 4 vans in Livorno for us.

Since Salvatore was available as a guide on our day in Naples I asked to be placed in his car. What a most wonderful treat for those that joined me, not just in my van but the others as well. All of the drivers were good but Salvatore was the most passionate guide I have experienced to date. He had set up a licensed guide (Gianni, was excellent) for our tour in Pompeii as well. We had the most wonderful lunch at the Ristorante San Giovanni in Ponte near Ravello. Excellent food and homemade wine. We even purchased some of their wine to take back onboard the ship. A truely wonderful day was had by all touring the Amalfi coast with such professional guides.

Salvatore had arranged our guide and the bus for our Mesina tour. Unfortunatly it was raining so we had to skip Mt. Etna but instead were offered a tour to Catania and then on to Taormina and the Greek Theater. Again a wonderful day.

Then in Livorno, Salvastore again arranged for our guide Paola to have 4 vans waiting for us. I had the pleasure of riding with Paola another wonderful passionate guide. We visited Pisa and Florence with many stops in great locations along the way.

Truely a most wonderful way to experience a full days touring with excellent guides.

E me if you want further info.

[High C's]

Thank you for taking the time to post this review. I have Salvatore booked for an Amalfi tour next year, and I am very much looking forward to it. It's nice to know I made the right choice in Drive Amalfi!

[Frequent Floater]

You will not be dissapointed.

[Browezilla]

...and we have him next week. I'll pass the review on to our group. thanks

[Frequent Floater]

Please say Hi from Renee to Salvatore.

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

Thank you for posting the wonderful review. My DH and I usually don't like to go on "private tours" - there are only the 2 of us. When we go on "tours" we like to just see the highlights - "city tours" , etc. (guess we are not down and out "tourists" at heart - we just like to cruise !) - We are booked on the 12 Day Med (Liberty) next fall - just starting to do research on possible "sights to see" - and have read many posts re: Amalfi Coast -

What would you recommend for us ? - Still use this tour guide ? Go on this tour ?

Thanks !!!

[Frequent Floater]

Thank you for posting the wonderful review. My DH and I usually don't like to go on "private tours" - there are only the 2 of us. When we go on "tours" we like to just see the highlights - "city tours" , etc. (guess we are not down and out "tourists" at heart - we just like to cruise !) - We are booked on the 12 Day Med (Liberty) next fall - just starting to do research on possible "sights to see" - and have read many posts re: Amalfi Coast -

What would you recommend for us ? - Still use this tour guide ? Go on this tour ?

Thanks !!!

 

I would encourage you to book this tour on your own. Salvatore has you back to the ship in plently of time so no worries about that. The drive along the Amalfi Coast is breathtaking but it does have many curves so the bus option that the ship offers would be harrowing in my opinion. Maybe you can post to see if any other cruise critic persons are interested in sharing the tour with you, that way it is most reasonable. You will visit Pompeii as well and Salvatore set up the best guide (Gianni) there. All the drivers and the guide spoke English well.

Hope this helps in your decision making.

Renee

[errandbiz]

We used Salvatore with DriveAmalfi in September. He was truly wonderful. I had no experience since I had never been to that area before so it would be hard for me to know what I wanted to see. Salvatore did a great job of showing us wonderful sites. He also pre-arranged for a guide in Pompeii for our group of 8. Her name was Maria and she was also wonderful and spoke great English.

 

ccliff5- since you are not going until next fall, I am sure you will find a few more people that would be more than happy to share your experience.

[lv2cruz]

I booked him over the weekend for my Sept. 2006 cruise. Can anyone share with me what exactly their Itinary was for the day. What time did you meet, what was the first place you went to, how long were you there etc. Can you stay longer for lets say lunch or Pompeii???

Just wanting to get a feel of what our day would be like.

Also, since someone used his company for Taormina what was that like??

Thanks :)

[Frequent Floater]

Salvatore seems willing to adjust to your needs.

Our tour started at 8 am. We did Pompeii first which was nice as it was not crowded at all when we started, but as we finished all the tour buses had gotten there. Then it was off to drive the coast line, seeing all the differnet villages along the way..

Time to shop a little in Amalfi and lots of photo ops.We had plenty of time for a nice lunch. Not rushed at all until we decided to have them add the homemade wine to go which took more time that we thought. Of course with about 8 couples ordering it, its no wonder.

[Frequent Floater]

Just found my info from Salvatore with the itinerary.

 

A full day tour of Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast which typically

includes a two hour stop at the famous ruined city of Pompeii (where you can

choose to hire an Authorised Archaeological Pompeii Guide or take the Audio

Tour) followed by a full tour of the Amalfi Coast with visits to the famous

towns such as Amalfi, Positano,and Ravello and of course the famous Amalfi

Drive. We stop off at a hilside village near Ravello to enjoy lunch in a

small traditional restaurant way off the beaten track with extensive views

of Ravello and the Coast.Your itinerary is entirely flexible and can be

changed to your personal wishes and we are at your disposal for the whole

day.

 

We would meet you pierside following disembarkation at 08:00am with your

name clearly displayed on a sign and return you to Carnival Liberty not less

than an hour before its scheduled departure time of 18:00pm.

[harrodsfan]

You will love salvatore...my son and I had a fabulous day with him in Septermber..he was so professional and so interesting. the best...welll worth the $$$$$. You get what you pay for ...and I don't usually use private guides.:)

[lv2cruz]

Thanks frequent Floater, your information gives me a good idea of what we will be doing for the day.I have a long way to go before i go on this cruise , but i am glad i already booked because his name is appearing all over the place:)

[spenceandme]

Do you have the information so I can contact Drive Almafi? Thanks!

[Crusier98]

We also used Salvatore of DriveAmalfi from Naples and it was the best tour of our cruise,he is a total professional.The little restaurant in the hills he uses is fantastic value and the homemade wine is delicious ! (we would of took some back to the ship if we had known they do takeouts) .Salvatore is at *****

[Breezey]

We used driveamalfi but since Salvatore was booked on the day we were in port, he assigned us Adriano. It was the best day of our entire trip. Also, since we didnt want to spend the time in a restaurant, he adjusted our day so we could do a bit more wandering and we had fantastic pizza and gelati in the town of Amalfi. We delighted us with song and recipes (he used to be a chef) and appreciated his fantastic sense of humour. A wonderful day had by all. So much so, that we hope to do the Amalfi coast by land for our next trip.