This apartment is in the the very heart of downtown Castellammare di Stabia, with a balcony that has a fantastic view of the ocean to the west and a verdant mountainside to the east, with a bird's eye view of everything happening on the lively street five floors below. The building is older, vintage and very cool, while the apartment itself obviously has been very recently (and beautifully) renovated because from inside it looks and feels like a place that has just been built. All of the appliances and fixtures from kitchen to the bathroom seem brand new, and the space is furnished and decorated in a modern style, with sleek clean lines, simple and hip and straightforward. Every inch of the place was spotless.
Our hosts were wonderful. They were extremely accommodating, helpful and responsive. We appreciated their excellent suggestions for the best eateries, bars, attractions and most convenient food markets. This bustling vacation town is very walkable. A stroll along the coast can begin just over a block away while a self-guided walking tour up the mountainside, along narrow stone streets and through tunnels under antiquated bridges, is a block away in the other direction. All around the apartment are restaurants, pubs, bakeries, wine bars and cafes.
We traveled from Rome, where we'd rented a car before heading south to Castellammare. If we'd not had plans for adventures further south along the coast to visit other seaside towns in the area, we'd not have needed a car to get to everything we wanted to see and do from the starting point of the apartment. Because we did have a car already, we drove to Pompeii from the apartment, though even that would not have been necessary since the railway station is a super quick walk from the front door and the route can take you to Pompeii and more (see the info in the listing).
Parking a car in a busy city area can be a challenge. There are street parking spaces for a fee in a city civic circle area just below the apartment. With our hosts' help we scored a primo street spot where we parked the first night, but since the area is so popular it's got a lot of traffic, so we chose to leave our car with a parking service for the rest of the time, which is a gated lot accessible from that same circle. Our hosts made a nice arrangement for us with the very friendly lot operator for the duration of our stay, so we could drop off or pick up the car as needed.
ABSOLUTELY A 5 STAR EXPERIENCE!