Our group of 7 just returned from a spectacular week at Villa Margi. We drove from Naples to the villa where we received a welcome from our lovely host, Margi. The drive up the hill from the main road was a bit challenging, but became easier with practice. The house is lovely -- elegant yet casual, with plenty of space to spread out together or be apart. The 4 bedrooms were all perfectly adequate with comfortable beds and typical European bathrooms (handheld showers & smallish shower stalls). We had plenty of hot water for our large group. The living room and dining room are enormous, with tons of windows and natural light, very high ceilings, and comfortable seating. The kitchen is very well stocked with plenty of dishware, silverware, glassware, cookware, etc., and there is a breakfast table as well. The patio areas are breathtaking. We spent most of our time relaxing outside and watching the boats go by. Sunsets every night were spectacular -- we couldn't bring ourselves to dine out in town as we didn't want to miss the sunset, so we cooked all of our dinners there. The patios have plenty of lounge chairs & regular patio chairs for quite a crowd. We didn't use the swimming pool, which is smaller than it looks in the photos, but certainly large enough to cool off and splash around on a hot day. Getting into Vico Equense was difficult without a car, so we are glad we rented one. The walk downhill and by road is pretty nerve wracking, as there is little sidewalk and lots of fast moving cars. There is a path above the house that takes you to Vico – It's about a 25 minute uphill + downhill walk. It was fine, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it every day or with groceries. I would definitely recommend renting a car. The drive from Naples was easy, and we stopped & visited Herculaneum along the way. The villa is in a perfect location for visiting nearby sites. We spent time in the next town over (Castellammare di Stabia), with a lovely harbor and many nice waterfront restaurants as well as a funicular to the top of Mount Faito. There are also very interesting ruins of Roman villas in town. We visited Scavi di Stabia which was very interesting and free to visit. We shopped at the LIDL grocery store there as well -- it is large and well stocked.
As far as I'm concerned, there is nowhere better to stay on the Sorrento peninsula. Villa Margi is a gem, & should I find myself in that part of Italy in the future that's where I would want to stay.
