The 'Glamourous' Capri Island

The view of the iconic 3 rocks of Faraglioni from Capri Island

Capri Island, the little island on the coast of Italy or known to the world as the playground of the rich and famous. The island made popular by the likes of Jackie O, Sophia Loren and Clark Gable has made its way to the list of the must visit place in the world by many. Was I intrigued? Not really but as Captain always say, "Once in a lifetime, why not?"

There are a few ways to get to Capri but they all involved boats.  You can either chose to ride the ferry/hydrofoil with all the 'mortals' or hire a private little boat with your own skipper and travel at your own pace. We were attracted to the idea of travelling at our own pace but at almost 400 Euro, we decided to go with the crowd on the hydrofoil. It was kind of fun basking in the sun on the deck with the sea breeze grazing our faces the whole 20 minutes of the journey from Sorrento and I was thinking what difference could the 400 Euro have given us? 

 Arriving at the main port of Capri, Marina Grande

Since we were spending only a day in Capri, we decided to take a guide with private transport with us. Our guide, Salvatore, was one funny guy and he made sure we get to see all the 'must see' in our short time in Capri. If you don't want a guide, it is also easy to explore Capri by public transport or the other way called 'on foot' if you are up to climbing the 400+ steps up the hill and down again to the other side of Capri. Had the day not been so hot (the hottest days of June in years according to the locals) I would have taken on that challenge!

The highlight of our day was the trip into the famous Grotta Azzura or Blue Grotto, the sea cave with a small 'crack' as the entrance. The sun reflectes on the surface of the super blue water creating a blue reflection that illuminates the whole cave. The entrance was so tiny that it could only allow one small boat that fits 4 at a time of which upon entering all four must lie low to avoid knocking the roof of the entrance. Sounds like an adventure, right? Bear in mind that the grotto might be close on certain days depending on the condition of the sea.

At the entrance of Grotta Azzurra.  Notice the little row boats? 

 The view of the entrance from inside the cave. Stunning!

Piazza Umberto.  Best visited after sunset if you want to brush shoulders with the celebrities and the locals

We took a break for lunch and boy, wasn't lunch an event in Capri. The restaurants in Piazza Umberto served elegant lunch by waiters that dressed in white jackets with price starting from nothing below 20 Euro for starter and wine list that could put some hotels to shame. You could also try some of the set lunch served at some restaurants outside of Piazza Umberto at a smaller price. For me the highlight of my F&B in Capri would be the granita or the ice-blended lemonade made from the lemons from this area of Italy. The lemons were so sweet, added sugar barely needed. The lemons, according to Captain can be eaten just like that, like you would an apple!

It was nice strolling by these little walks with boutiques on the left and right..

Scents of Capri.. make great gift or souvenir

The succulent lemons, famous in the Gulf of Naples. They were huge! As big as the young coconut some were! They made fabulous granitas or ice blended lemonades.

The cold, refreshing granita or ice blended lemonade

After a day of going around Capri and seeing a lot from the beautiful houses of the famous, the gorgeously dressed immaculate girls to the hilarious chatter among the boat-men of Grotta Azzura, I could see the charm that Capri possess. I could also understand the lack of privacy the locals must be feeling with tourists, thousands of them flocking their backyards throughout the year, to the point that life starts after the sun down to them as that's when the tourist would go away with the last ferry out. Honestly I can say that there are better, more beautiful and less crowded or expensive islands in Italy and thanks to the stars, songs and films, Capri has turned to be yet another 'Disney World' for the tourists, leaving the glamour a thing of the past.






:: Linking up with :: A Compas Rose Unlocking Kiki