The Best kept Secret on the Amalfi Coast!

We spent 6 amazing days at Casale Villarena. We were a family of 4 with 2 active 14 year old twins. We did not have any expectations when we arrived and everything was perfect ! Guglielmo and his staff provided a professional atmosphere and the service was 5 star. They arranged for us to be picked up at the Sorrento train station which was a lifesaver after taking the local train from Naples; Next time we would take a taxi from Naples to shorten the journey. We felt relaxed as soon as we walked on the property. The property was organized so that you could sit outside an have your own privacy. The pool area was comfortable with enough lounge chairs for everyone. The rooms were well appointed with a pretty view of the bay. The kitchen was a bonus although we did not use it to its full potential. The staff arranged all our excursions that were beyond any expectations! Our first outing was a hike to Jeranto Bay with a guide from a society who protected the land and bay. She was very knowledgeable about the history and surroundings. As well, what their society had done to protect the natural surroundings. Once we had a swim in the turquoise bay, we had an amazing lunch overlooking the bay. Our second outing, was kayaking along the coast with SUD kayaking. Matteo was our guide. We left from a bay a few minutes away and we instancing swept away with the beauty of the sea, steep cliffs and local fishing coves. We stopped at a cove and went swimming and my 14 year old twins enjoyed jumping from the rocks. We went to Pompeii and Vesuvius with driver and guide for Pompeii. The trip was arranged by Casale Villarana and again did not disappoint. Pompeii is a once in a life time experience that is a must see. We went to Positano for the day with Guglielmo. What a perfect end to our trip. The staffed packed our lunch for the boat and we form Marina Cantone in a hired boat. Guglielmo was the perfect host and showed us the natural beauty of the coastline, amazing beached to swim at and a visit to Positano. After seeing Positano, I was glad we were staying in Nerano away from the tourists. Can't wait to back for another vacation sometime soon!

Wish we could have stayed longer!!!”

My sister and I picked this place for one leg of our Amalfi Coast vacation. We only stayed 4 nights at Casale Villarena, but knowing now what we didn't know then, this is a great place to serve as a peaceful and oh so beautiful base for travel along the Sorrentine Peninsula as well as the Amalfi Coast. It was so much fun!!! The hosts, Guglielmo and Mariateresa were so helpful with everything. I would recommend contacting them with your sightseeing "to do" list and let them plan your excursions. We were not so organized. The location is pretty remote, so if you don't have a car, you will need to arrange for transportation. The beach is walking distance, and full service. Guglielmo arranged a FANTASTIC day trip to Capri with Mario for just our party of six. It was relaxing and we got to see everything (the caves and glorious views of the island from the boat) as well as time to explore the island. Even after we left Nerano for Salerno, Guglielmo continued to help us enjoy our vacation by arranging a top notch, expert guide, Andrea, for our day at Pompeii. The food at Casale Villarena is EXCELLENT. The attention to detail was greatly appreciated. I mentioned in passing that I do not eat cheese, and thereafter, my menu was modified to replace cheese with special non-cheese dishes. Nice touch. We booked the cooking class, and that was a really fun activity. We loved our stay at Casale Villarena. I would recommend this place without hesitation!!!

Fantastico!!!

My Wife and I visiting from Pensacola FL enjoyed this beautiful bed and breakfast nestled in the mountains of nerano Italy and the Amalfi Coast. My wife has family in Formia, Italy so it was a short train ride from Naples to Sorrento then a hotel pickup to this destination. The location is just simply breathtaking and the beach is a short walk from the apartment, the rooms are clean and well kept, we loved the church bells and the friendly locals at the shops restaurants', The owner and staff were very professional and made my wife and I feel right at home during our stay, very nice building which has an awesome backdrop at the foot of breathtaking scenery. It is our first choice when ever we return to the area.Satisfied and impressed.

Fantastico Nerano - busy Sorrento von der anderen Seite

Wir haben wunderschöne, ruhige Tage im fantastisch gelegenen Casale Villarena verbracht, nette Gäste kennengelernt und - viel wichtiger - eine äusserst hilfsbereite und freundliche Belegschaft (schon fast Freunde?) vorgefunden. Wir waren wie in der eigenen Familie aufgehoben. Über allem natürlich der Patron Guglielmo. Der Tausendsassa betreibt biologischen Anbau ums Hotel und einen frischeren, besseren Salat werden sie nirgends mehr kriegen, dann organisiert er ein phänomenales Abendessen in seinem noblen Weinkeller, anderntags eine persönliche Boottour mit Schwimmen im offenen, kristallklaren Meer mit anschliessendem Prosecco an Bord oder gibt viele nützliche Hinweise um die verschiedenen Sehenswürdigkeiten zu erkunden (oder er bucht gleich einen speziellen Führer für Pompeji). Genial, bitte nicht zuviel weitersagen. Wir kommen wieder.

Great place for a relaxing holiday

Stayed here for a week. Enjoyed it totally. Very friendly and helpful staff, beautiful apartment (vetara), nice building (lot of stairs) and gardens with swimming pool, free parking and a good restaurant. The great thing is that it is just outside the craziness of the Amalfi Coast but close to everything. Definitely worth visiting.

Excellent service and hospitality

We had a wonderful stay at Casale Villarena. Skandinavian ladies tour - Three girls were well taken care of by Guglielmo and his staff. A comfortable place to be, relaxing atmosphere while you have an active vacation by visiting Sorrento, Naples, Capri, Vesuvius, Amalfi Coast etc. Fantastic food in the restaurant! We had a very good time here an will soon be back - can be recommended! Arrivederci.

Holiday for mind and body!

A great place to get away from "the maddening crowd", maybe somewhat hard to find the first time but once you get there it is just lovely. Very welcoming and helpful staff, great food and excellent wines. The grounds are very pretty and make you want to stay and relax instead of rushing off to all the sites one feels obliged to see in that area. But Casale Villarena is also a good starting point for excursions to Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Pompeji and for a great walk to a beautiful little beach. The only thing you will not get is a sunset but the smile on Guglielmo's, Mariateresa's and Antonio's faces will make up for that! This is a marvellous place for a stay with family or friends, as a couple or solo.

Zeer mooie Agriturismo

Prima ontvangst (flesje wijn mee naar de kamer) en hulp met bagage (97 treden). Onze appartement was zeer ruim met een (klein) balkon met schitterend uitzicht. Maaltijden zijn van uitstekende kwaliteit met dito wijnen. Wijnprijs zit iets boven het gemiddelde van de tot nu toe bezichte Agriturismo. Appartement ligt naast kerk, dus ieder half uur de klok. De wegen naar Nerano en omgeving zijn erg bochtig en smal. Denk hieraan bij de autokeuze.

Excellent rooms, friendly staff, good food & amenities

We stayed here in May (that's either low or mid-season, depending on who you ask) and had a good experience. The grounds are unquestionably beautiful and the exterior of the place is very pretty day or night. The terraced sitting/pool areas are great, though the sun dips below the mountainside early, at around 4pm, so the sea breeze can turn things chilly fast...at least, in May. A modest, well-maintained pool is no doubt a requirement for the hot months. We stayed in the Grand Vetara apartment on the top floor. It was very comfortable for four people (a cot was added for our little one) though we weren't around long enough to make any use of the kitchen, which looked well appointed. One nice, big bathroom, one smaller--and those tiny Italian shower stalls! Simple but effective. As with any old building, it's very dark inside so you must open every shutter and tie back every curtain to see anything (the photos on their website seem overexposed IMO). The outside terrace/balcony is lovely. But be warned: Nerano is on a hillside and, thus, everything is stairs, stairs, stairs. Trust me when I say that walking from the gate or restaurant to the top floor is a workout. They of course don't mention this on the website. We were traveling with a 75-year old and he routinely had to rest halfway up; so needless to say, I would have considered this carefully had I known about it. The food is quite good; there is a slant towards fish/seafood but I found their pastas to be best (gnocchi with anchovies--yum!). Breakfasts, while plentiful, are a little ho-hum in that European-buffet-style-cold-breakfast mode...you won't easily find eggs here, and forget about cheeses or ham, let alone bacon! That being said, the breakfast cook bent over backwards for our senior member's very American palate (grazie mille!). Evidently I am not a fan of automatic coffee machine coffee; we ended up ordering cappuccinos each morning :) Location: The area was more built up than I had expected, regular beach traffic etc but in the evenings it was calm. Caution: it was a chore driving here; I had driven in Rome and found that to be the most difficult in all my travels, but the drive from the mainland via Sorrento to Villarena was a close second. It takes about 90 minutes of white-knuckle-fast-as-hell-tiny-road-driving. Bear in mind, then, that a trip to Pompeii requires a full day. And we found kids here; lots of kids. German, Dutch, French, British, you name it. Our 5-year-old obviously loved it, but we hadn't expected a veritable schoolyard! Plan accordingly ;) All in all this was a good find; a short walk down to the beach (and the walk back UP which might as well be Everest!), nice area hikes, good nearby restaurants (Taverna del Capitano--pricey but top notch) and a very friendly, attentive staff. Grazie.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "I'll be back"

We booked a week's family holiday at the Casale Villarena on the strength of a Lonely Planet recommendation, as well as numerous positive reviews on tripadvisor, and we were not disappointed. The first thing to say is that the staff are extraordinarily helpful and welcoming. Guglielmo, Mariateresa, and Antonio were on top of things at the accommodation, knew the area well, were always helpful, able to communicate well in English (and, I gather, a number of other languages), and went the extra mile - for example, Guglielmo took a number of us guests on a day outing to Vesuvius and Herculaneum, sparing me the effort of driving in unfamiliar conditions, after which he took us to a couple of local eating spots, and all of this at no cost to us whatsoever. In fact it was typical of the Villarena staff that there were no extra unpleasant surprises with regard to costs - quite the opposite. And that's just the staff. The location is gorgeous, with fabulous views across the Bay of Salerno, and a quick, albeit steep, walk down to the little Marina del Cantone beach. Sorrento and Capri, and a number of interesting smaller villages such as Termini and beaches such as Mitigliano are within easy striking distance. And of course Naples and Ischia, which are ferry rides away from Sorrento. And yet the village of Nerano, where the Casale is, is quiet quiet quiet. It's hard to imagine a better location. The rooms were spotless, attractive, and comfortable, and the entire Casale was interestingly and attractively laid out. Wi-fi was available, albeit only in one location in the complex (which, for me, was a positive). There was a playground for the kids, as well as a clean and bright swimming pool, and the food was excellent, much of it typical of the Sorrentine Peninsula. One warning, for those who don't know the area: driving is very challenging. Roads are narrower and more twisty than 99% of people will be used to, and oncoming cars and buses are many and, by the standards of many countries, reckless. I wouldn't hire a car next time around, as public transport is perfectly adequate and can spare you a lot of stress. This negative comment is, of course, no reflection on the Casale Villarena, and shouldn't discourage anyone from visiting this wonderful place. We certainly will do so again.