“Based on the pictures we saw online, our expectations for this villa were very high. I thought it would be impossible to exceed those expectations, and was worried that we would be disappointed. I was wrong! I Due Golfi was all we hoped for and more. What an extraordinary, gorgeous place. At the end of our trip, we took a family survey to see what everyone’s favorite part of the trip was. Rome? The Vatican? Pompeii? Capri? Unanimously, the answer was I Due Golfi.
The property itself is enormous, and yet very welcoming and comfortable. Our rooms were all incredibly spacious. We had a party of 15 and there was plenty of room to spare. The beds were very comfortable, the rooms clean, the bathrooms wonderful (including great shower pressure!), the kitchen homey and large, and the grounds just astounding. I’ve never seen more flowers in my life. In particular, we were concerned the pool would not be as large as it looked; we had 6 older children in the party, ages 9-15. The pool was actually larger than expected, crystal clear, and with incredible views of the city of Torca and the ocean below us. We were literally above the clouds.
The location, in the small town of Sant’Agata, was absolutely ideal. We were a 20 minute bus ride to Sorrento, and 40 minutes to Positano. A 1.5 hour drive to Pompeii and a 30 minute ride to the Bay of Nurano, where we all got on a beautiful boat to go to Capri. Meanwhile, the town itself, Sant’Agata, is very charming, and very much Italy. I would much rather stay there than in one of the touristy locations nearby. We walked into town every day, and the people there were warm even by Italian standards. By the end of the week, the people at the stores and restaurants were in our family pictures, hugging the kids, and the parting was hard. Having this gorgeous estate in such a perfect location as our home base transformed the trip entirely.
I cannot recommend the staff highly enough, either. Alessandra, with whom we managed the original booking, was very informative and responsive in communication. Services offered were extremely reasonably priced, and we took advantage of those! An invaluable service was having the staff pre-stock the villa with groceries and essentials (detergent, paper towels, and the like). A nominal fee and the cost of the goods (which were far less than they would be in the US) were all extremely reasonable, and of very high quality. Meats, cheeses, fruits, wine, were all of extremely good quality and reasonably priced. We also chose to have the aunt of the property manager come in to cook for our family for the night. The dinner was incredible, with groceries only costing 80E – for 15 people! The labor was also incredibly reasonable, and after consulting us on what we wanted to eat, the team of two ladies did all of the shopping, prep, service (with linens on the back porch), and clean up, for half of what it would have cost us to go to a restaurant. What an experience!
The two people who helped us the most while on site were the property manager, Tiziana, and the woman who maintained the villa for us while there, Maria. We spoke with Tiziane every day, and she helped to arrange all of the excursions we wanted, getting us reasonable prices for a driver/van to Pompeii, and an all-day boating excursion (including snorkeling!) to Capri. Considering we had 15 people, she had a big job accommodating us day-to-day, and did a beautiful job of it. All experiences she helped us arrange exceeded our expectations as well. Maria, who came daily to clean and help in general, was incredibly warm and gracious. What a lovely couple of ladies.
The only issue I have now is wishing I could go back and spend a month there. Thank you to Alessandra, Tiziana, Maria, and Tiziana’s family, for your warm and gracious help. I travel for my business, and I can’t imagine every staying at a more beautiful place. It was the trip of a lifetime. We all hope to see you again one day – preferably sooner than later. Be well!”
Alessandra, we mean every word of this. Thank you, again, for everything.
Warmest regards,
S.
