Perche

Sorrento is great if you are using it as a base for daily side trips, because of its location. You can go to Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Naples, Procida, Ercolano, etc. For your case though, no beach. If you get down the cliff to the beach, which is possible, there are only private beach clubs, and one very tiny breach with wall to wall beach umbrellas. And it's not very nice, because Sorrento exists for cruise ships. So that is what you would be looking at, a harbor full of ships. The water is not deep enough for the cruise ships to land at a dock, so there is a constant flow of medium size boats taking the day-trippers from the boats and shutting them to the shore where the beach is. Then about 30,000 of them crush the town of Sorrento looking for gelato and pizza. It is beautiful, but just not what I'd be looking for, unless it was "free," as in points, and I was only going there to day trips, and be gone when it is packed with tourists looking for souvenirs.

One thing that might or might not be important to you is, you originally asked about the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is not part of the Amalfi Coast, although most people think it is. Sorrento is part of the metropolitan city of Naples, in the Province of Naples, on the Gulf of Naples. From this part of the Province of Naples you can make day trips to all of the towns on the Amalfi Coast which are all located in the Province of Salerno, on the Gulf of Salerno. Minor point, but staying in Sorrento is not staying on the Amalfi Coast. It is staying in the Province of Naples, where you can make day trips to the Amalfi Coast.

rickg523

Not to belabor this sidebar, but just a data point. I spent a week with kids in Sorrento last June. There was in that week one cruise ship parked in the bay for one night and day. It looked to me like a 2000 passenger ship. Sorrento was NOT Venice with behemoths dominating the skyline and thousands of daytime tourists making Pza. Tasso look like Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Also those kids loved that beach because it's sheltered. It's below the cliff, but there's a lift through the cliff, which happened to come up right across the Piazza from our rental's front door. The town is small enough and safe enough that within two days these children were comfortable enough to head out on their own, unlike Rome where they were always worried about getting lost. Finally, beach clubs are a southern Italian "thing," don't you think? They're everywhere. In Sorrento, the one the kids used, charged 5 Euro for the towel, lounger, umbrella, and water bottle. Snagged them a couple of masks and snorkels and they spent hours out by the sea walls.
​​​​​​I'm not trying convince the OP that Sorrento is his ideal destination, but just to counterbalance a characterization (imo, overstated) as some overcrowded touristic hellhole that the town really doesn't deserve. (Otoh, maybe dissuading people from visiting a place I frequent is a service. )

highlanderfil

Points well taken. Re Salerno vs. Amalfi - not super important. Geographical proximity was all I was after.

Perche

Salerno is part of the Amalfi Coast, just not the most desirable part because it is an industrial port. Amalfi is one of the towns on the Amalfi Coast. This can get confusing.

It is interesting that so many people knock Naples, but like Sorrento, when Sorrento is part of Bella Napoli.

JMN57

Relative to Sorrento, the right hotel with beach can be a quite nice getaway. I spent a long weekend with a girlfriend at the Parco dei Principi in 1981 and we had a great stay. Elevator down to private beach and we also hired a boat for a day. It picked us up at the hotel, we sailed out to Capri, circled the island and stopped at White & Blue Grotto dropped us off at the harbor so we could explore for half a day and then took us back to the hotel. Packed snacks and drinks for us. Great day.

Now that's close to 40 years ago and I have no idea of the condition of the hotel these days. Having driven through Sorrento and gone to Capri more recently I can certainly say that both are much more crowded than before and if one heads anywhere in that direction (Amalfi Coast included) one better be prepared for crowds and traffic.

Perche

That's absolutely correct, in my opinion. I didn't blow off Salerno. I pointed out its charms, and its minuses. I don't think it is going to be anywhere like 40 years ago. I don't believe it was even a port for the shipping industry back then. Now, it is one of the busiest ports for shipping on the Tyrrhenian Sea, and is a busy cruise ship terminal too, although it absorbs them easily. It has its charms, no doubt about it. For people who advocate for Sorrento, Salerno is actually closer to many things. I don't believe the harbor was used as a port 40 years ago. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. My understanding is that they built it to get out of the depression they were in during the 1970's. Now it's a flourishing harbor, one of the busiest commercial ports on the Tyrrhenian Sea. I just want the OP to know, because my ancestral home which I visit when I'm in Naples requires me to drive through there to get to it. I like Salerno, but there are a lot of, "it depends." It is certainly not like it was 40 years ago.

If the OP really wants the Amalfi Coast, staying away from the super hot spots, small towns like Minori, which has a sandy beach, or Cetara could work. S/he might find a place there. Both are cities on the Amalfi Coast that are pretty much untouched with tourism, and s/he might find good prices there, an be able to take the local bus to anywhere.

highlanderfil

So, we've changed our geographical preferences. Recognizing that the first half of August is one of the worst times to go to Italy, we are a bit pressed for choice, so would like to make the most of it. So now we are looking for the best available and least crowded option within, let's say, a five-hour drive from Milan. We've been to Recco (Liguria) before - nothing super special, but it was serviceable. Any other ideas? The other side of the country works, as well. Le Marche was mentioned in this thread - any more detail? I haven't found a definitive location to focus on during my own research, so personal experiences would be good here...

Perche

It's not even sure what you are asking for anymore. What was the original question? Can you restate it as a new question that includes all of the change-ups and curve balls? I have no idea why you would go to Recco, and place that was bombed to smithereens in WW II, and consists of 1950's apartment buildings.

Where do you want to go, and what are you looking to do? You expressed a desire for the Amalfi Coast, the most touristy area, and now Le Marche the least touristy area. Le Marche is on the internet, so you can do some research, and then ask specific questions about it. It has isolated beaches, mountains, hikes, is something like Abruzzo. It's the part of Italy that people haven't discovered yet, but will.

highlanderfil

I did re-state it: looking for a decent beach with in a four-five hour drive of Milan. The quieter the better, considering the time of the year.
I'm not sure there's a point in questioning a decision made in 2012. We went there and liked it. Easy access to Genoa for exploring the city and Cinque Terre and not awfully expensive. But there's a lot of Italy that we still haven't seen, so no interest in going back.
And that's exactly why I said that our criteria have changed. Someone in this thread tipped me on to Le Marche and I wanted to know more. More specifically, if there's a town in Le Marche that someone has been to which has hotels within walking distance of it, because, from what I've been able to tell so far, lots of beaches there require driving to them.

Perche

highlanderfil

JMN57

I'd offer an opinion but my personal taste would be to do an AirBnb inland with short drive to beach areas as I might hit the beach for a day or two but not every day. I'm more into the seafood than the sand.

This is a decent overview with links to some of the beach areas. Marche Voyager - Beach Guide

Maybe you can review and then, if you have questions, post more detailed questions.

highlanderfil

Thanks! Reading now.

highlanderfil

Any opinions on Pesaro?

JMN57

Never been - had a great lunch at Alla Lanterna in Fano - which is one town down the coast. I've spent more time between Ancona and Ascoli Piceno. Pesaro is the second most populous city in March (Ancona is a little larger). Your original post says you want quieter and, if so, I'd avoid the bigger cities.

I know you've stated that you'd rather a hotel and to keep cost/night < €150 -points won't do you any good in Le Marche - I can't think of a single chain hotel in the region. I'd seriously recommend you at least look at AirBnb's and be willing to drive at least a little to get to a beach. There's some stellar options in Marche. I stayed in a medieval hilltop town last summer and had a remodeled, two bedroom apartment, built into the side of the wall of the town with a gorgeous terrace for €60 a night. The hosts were really great people (we made friends and email regularly now). It's not seaside but probably a 30 minute drive to the beach. You can find a lot via AirBnb and VRBO (which is a little more prevalent in Italy although I personally prefer Airbnb as it's much easier to zero in on a good choice with them).