Natale speciale

Siamo arrivati la sera di Natale, io, mio marito e il nostro piccolo di 21 mesi. Siamo appassionati viaggiatori ma era la prima volta che ci recavamo al sud Italia per una vacanza. Ci siamo innamorati immediatamente, di Guglielmo, il proprietario del Casale che ci ha ospitato, di Nerano (incantevole e pacifico villaggio), della costiera e della gente. Ho trovato tutto speciale, l'accoglienza, il sole, la luce, lo splendido giardino, il panorama, il silenzio e l'aria. Non posso dimenticare il vino, la costiera amalfitana, gli ulivi, il colore del mare. Ho già pregato mio marito di ritornare al più presto. Per il piccolo sono stati 15 giorni straordinari, si è sentito a casa, ha dato da mangiare alle galline e mangiato i mandarini direttamente dall'albero, tutto è stato una scoperta entusiasmante...anche tirare i sassi nel mare (che dice essere pieno d'acqua...). Tornare a Parma è stato ...lo lascio immaginare... la prossima fuga potrebbe essere in una stagione diversa, ma l'inverno, il Natale in questo posto sono una delle esperienze più piacevoli che io e mio marito abbiamo condiviso. Isabella, Francesco e Corrado.

Authentic, relaxing, and truly worthy of the praise!!

We returned from Casale Villarena feeling relaxed and happy that we'd found somewhere special.Casale Villarena is worthy of the praise it receives. Situated on the Sorrentine Peninsula it takes about 45 mins to drive to Sorrento, however ditch the stress and take the local bus, tickets from the trabbachi. It is an ideal base to explore the local area, Pompeii, Amalfi, Capri etc. The beach at Marine del Cantone is a 20 min wander through olive groves, the return journey is a fairly steep trek but we enjoyed it or catch the bus back. You can hire boats etc from here and Guglielmo can arrange this. Our children loved jumping into the water from the pier, there are bars, restaurants and ice cream too. Guglielmo and staff make you feel very welcome and the standard of food was superb. Dinner each night was delightful, salt crusted fish delivered to your table, fresh tuna,amazing pasta not to mention the range of antipasti dishes, they were a meal on their own. My favourite dish was the ravioli, mozzarella and baby zucchini served with a prawn and zucchini sauce. "Pizza night" didn't sound special, held in the beautiful cellar (of the ancient church above) we sat with fellow guests at a trestle table and were served the most fabulous selection of antipasti dishes, a selection of cured meats and several cheeses made by Casale Villarena. Homemade pizzas cooked in the pizza oven outside the cellar were served followed by desserts,lemoncello and a traditonal liqueur made from hazelnuts!!It was lovely to chat to fellow guests too. Guglielmo even managed to arrange a cake for my son's birthday. Oh and have to mention the tranquility of Nerano where we told the time by the gentle tolling of the ancient church bells.

Perfect place for a special occasion

We celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary at Casale Villarena. What makes this place truly special is the owner Guglielmo. Extremely service oriented - he really went out of his way to make this an unforgettable experience for my family. His place is full of charm, and the food was excellent! We will definitely visit his place again, and we have already recommended Casale Villarena to several of our friends.

Truly magical!

If you are looking to experience the warmth of the local people and explore one of the most beautiful unspoilt, yet not completely remote, places of Italy, Casale Vilarena is the place to go again and again. Guglielmo welcomes you like he would his friends and family into this ancient, lovingly renovated Casale, set up with a few simply beautiful rooms with captivating views. You can spend the day exploring the nearby sites either by taking the local bus, where, once you have adjusted to the narrow twisting roads you can relax and enjoy the breathtaking views along the route, chat to the locals or other visitors aboard. Take the bus to Sorrento and enjoy its beauty or then take the train to, say, Pompeii, or another local bus to Positano or Amalfie. There is always a helpful bus driver or local on board to make sure you get on and off at the correct stop on the way back. For those who like boats, enjoy a day trip to Capri. For a quieter day, spend a day at the local beach, or just relax, read or listen to music under the ancient lemon trees of Casale Vilarena near the pool whilst the kids splash in and out or play in the play area or watch a DVD “cinema” style. Guglielmo will always ensure your plans suit the day or give you excellent alternative ideas for you. In the evening dining in Casale’s Dolce Far Niente restaurant is a must: the food is just delicious and all freshly prepared, with a different menu each evening. There are few special evenings through the week: join in and help make pizza’s on pizza night, send the kids off to the play area whilst you enjoy the cheese and wine tasting, have an evening dancing to live music (sing if your brave enough) and, if in a large group, you can even take a cookery class. Just make sure you enjoy and make the most of the wonderful dishes, cheeses and wines Casale offers, they are so delicious and I’m still yet to find any of them back in the UK. Casale is one of life’s gems, captivating and magical, hard to find and when you do you will want to return to it again and again to enjoy Guglielmo and his staff’s hospitality, to explore further and find out more about the place and people, or to just relax and enjoy the delight of doing nothing. Fabulous, loved being here and just didn’t want to leave!

Loved Villarena

In 2011 we stayed in Positano and Amali, this year we wanted something on a smaller scale and a little less touristy while still being able to enjoy the Amalfi Coast. We found that at Casale Villarena. Our room was spotless and it seems they have thought of everything to make you feel welcome and enjoy the area. The food is outstanding - breakfast was simple but very adequate which is great because you need to save room for dinner! Guglielmo was the ultimate host and genuinely seems to want everyone to enjoy his wonderful accommodation and food. We spent a few days at the beach which was an easy walk down. We would most often take the SITA bus back up the hill - it was very easy! We also rented a boat (Guglielmo can help with that) - for three days... it's a wonderful way to experience the Amalfi Coast. You cant go wrong with Casale Villarena - it was wonderful.

Heaven exists at Villarena

I first discovered Villarena in a Sunday Times holiday supplement. After reading the review I wanted to experience it for myself. After looking at the website for a few hours I booked! That was back in March! My hubby and 2 kids aged 7 and 8 flew out to Rome and hired a car to drive down to the Amalfi coast. (Take note, get the smallest car you need, the hair pin bends exist on the narrowest of roads - size matters. The smaller the better. Plus.. take a Sat Nav )3 hours later we arrived in Nerano desperate to get inside Villarena. We were not disappointed, the grounds are filled with lemon trees, the pool was perfectly sized and looked welcoming (but cold!) and the property itself looked rustic! We were greeted at the top of the stairs (there are a lot of stairs) and shown our room. There our adventure started. We were escorted up numerous flights of stairs and through corridors until we reached our room (there was a small room on the way up which housed a washing machine etc which is essential when you have kids!) We were staying in La Rotonda. The room was perfect, its much better than the pictures give it credit for. The bed much larger than I had though.. the Sofa bed was made up into a double bed for my son and an additional bed put out for my daughter who refused to sleep with her brother. Although the sofa bed was more than adequately sized. All decorated very tactfully. The balcony opens out to view the islands in the distance. Lovely! Kids quicky dashed off to play in the pool whilst I unpacked. We were looking forward to dinner after all the reviews we had read of the restaurant.. Guglielmo provided the menu of the day. Which consists of 3-4 starters, pasta and main courses. Nothing obviously for children initially. MY 8 year old son is particularly fuss (hes a pizza or chicken nuggets boy I hate to admit!) But he happily tucked into deep fried courgettes to start, followed by local courgette pasta (YUMMY!) we practically licked the plate clean. The kids then had veal with Lemon (I did tell them it was chicken) but again they cleared their plates. It must be Italian Magic, because they would not eat this at home. They enjoyed Gnocci with whole prawns one evening, pasta with local fish etc etc. The food was fantastic. If needed they would also knock up a quick spag bol for those who dont fancy the daily menu. Very accommodating overall, always washed down with a limoncello - home made - of course! So.. food was great, breakfast was typically cereal, fruit, yoghurts cakes and pastries. Plus coffee. What should be noted when staying at Villarena is the level of relaxation that you encounter. The phone signal is crappy and there is one room to access WIFI, forcing you to read your book, throw your watch away and use the services of the local church bells to figure out the time. Its the first time since I have had children that I have truly felt relaxed! Nerano is a quaint little village, it has 2 shops in which you can buy what ever you need, including some interesting shaped cheeses! You can even pretend your a local by purchasing a beer and sitting roadside! You can walk down to the beach along the pavement, its pretty steep and will do your toes some damage if you wear flip flops! The beach is pebbly.. but the sea is warm (in August) if you pay for a sun bed you get access to a shower, toilets etc. We caught a bus back up the hill, my kids were far too hot to make the steep journey back. But the bus is regular and drops you right outside Villarena. Whilst we were staying at Villarena, we visited Positano (note to self : don’t bother driving around Positano looking for an alternative restaurant .. roads are far too scary) Guglielmo organised for us to go to Capri for the day, its a must do trip. I think the kids were not quite as excited as me, but they enjoyed the hour long boat trip, which sails around the island before dropping you off for 5 hours) Make a point of joining Guglielmo on Pizza night, where dinner is served upstairs in the cellar?!?! I was even allowed to make my own pizza! We did wine and cheese tasting one evening, also lovely and certainly makes the evening enjoyable! One evening Guglielmo layed on an Italian Buffet which was attended by guests and locals. We ate away from the main restaurant, in a marquee in the lemon grove. The kids loved it.. playing in the children’s play area (which the had decided before we arrived was for little kids!) We set them on assault courses around the play area much to their delight! But a great little area with shade from the midday sun - and somewhere to sit and play with ipods under! To summaries, Villarena is just lovely. What it isnt is : 5 star all inclusive, with childcare, fancy swimming pools with slides and 10 restaurants, crammed with people hogging all the sun beds. What you get is rustic, authentic charming and elegant facilties with an outstanding host named Guglielmo and his fantastic team of staff who collectively cater for your every need. Do not hesitate to book, its everything you expect it be an more. I will defiantly be going back, this is not your average holiday location. Its an experience that I will never forget and cant want to try again!

Very pleasant stay, good clean rooms for price in the area. Tricky to transfer to and from Naples airport unless hiring a car.

Lovely clean accommodation in the heart of a small village. Quite a steep walk back up the hill if dining by the shore but buses available during the day. Shore has a number of beach side restaurants with seafood, delicious pizza and gelato- yum! Restaurant at the b&b reasonably priced and provides tasty local fare, changing menu. The host is able to organise tours of nearby Positano, Amalfi and Ravello for 50 euros each. We decided to do boat trips instead to Capri but other boat tours were available around the coast. Host was rather pushy for us to join a tour he had organised and was rather put out when we weren't interested. Perhaps all a bit lost in translation but a few awkward chats! It's tricky to get from Naples airport to Nerano by public transport unless arriving at 'opportune' times of day. Our flight was at 11.30am from Naples and it would have been impossible by bus. Taxis are prohibitively expensive. Transfers are available and cost 50 euro per person. Our host forgot to arrange our transfer so ended up taking us himself for the same price. Breakfast a bit limited. Overall a very enjoyable stay.

Real Italian charm!

We expected a very quiet, laid-back place to relax for a week. Well, we had a great time for sure, but being in the centre of a small village (Nerano) with the only road to the beach winding through the village along the Casale, it was lively. And we started to like that very much. We stayed in apartment La Rotonda, which was very comfortable, and large enough for the four of us. The small balcony with sea view, and the terrace at the entrance of the apartment were great. The back door is a funny way to exit alongside the church entrance. Even better than La Rotonda is apartment La Vetara, with a spacious balcony with sea view. A good choice as well is Il Gallo Lungo, but this apartment has not got too much privacy when sitting outside, as it joins the wine cellar/garden. La Brigante does not have a balcony, but a big lovely terrace outside, but other guests cross this area as well. Hotel room L'Isca is very small and you have to step out your room to get to the bathroom just right. The pool was just fine, with some sun beds available. Breakfast was fine, sitting outside in the garden. We did not have dinner at the Casale, but other guests were very positive. Some evenings movies were shown for the kids on a wide screen just below the pool area. Guglielmo and his staff will do all they can to make you have a perfect stay, all questions answered immediately, all issues taken care of in a minute. The great charm was being part of Italian village life: walk down to the beach for an espresso, do some groceries at Olga's Alimentari, have a chat with Olga who was able to get all the fruit and vegetables we wanted, have a drink in the bar, watch the local kids playing football on the church square, just enjoy life! My son wanted to play football, and he was introduced very friendly by the local youth and had a great time very evening. The footballs were shot across the square and hit cars, buses, ended up in the grocery shop, but no one complained, they only made jokes and laughed. Life as it should be! Visit Casale Vilarena and have the time of your life!

Casale Villarena 4ever

Our family (parents and two children 6 and 9 years) came to visit the Casale Villarena for the second time. We have had a great time last year and wanted to repeat the experience, we were not disappointed! There are three things I would like to grade as exellent: the location, the food and the service. We rented the largest apartment La Vetara, which is perfect if you want a little space. The view from the balcony is breath-taking and we perfected the "joy of doing nothing" there. But there is also lots to do if you want to be more active, with Pompei just an hour away, and small villages and nice beaches in the area well worth visiting. The food in the restaurant on site is absolutely fantastic, everthing we had was delicious and consists of locally or even organically grown ingredients. You can choose from a small variety of dishes (menue changes every day) and the owner Guglielmo will try hard to accommodate your taste or special dietary needs (children/ allergies). This is a good example for the high level of service- mindedness of the staff. Everybody working there is cheerful and ever trying to help. Guglielmo is always coming up with ideas for day- trips or activities for the evenings to make sure that your visit will be a memorable one. We have found our perfect place for holidays!

...l'ho scelto per sposarmi!!!!!!!!!!

Io ormai sono una cliente abituale del casale...per me è un posto fantastico, al punto che l'ho scelto per sposarmi... ed è stato tutto perfetto! l'atmosfera, la cucina, l'intimità e l'ospitalità!!! ma è il posto ideale anche per trascorrereun fine settimana all'insegna del relax o al contrario il mix perfetto tra la confusione e la bellezza di sorrento e la tranquillità di massa lubrense... ah dimenticavo...si mangia benissimo!!!!