Beach Club | Toscanakiwi

Thursday was beach day. We chose the Fratelli Grassi beach club on Fornillo Spiaggia, although we did think this club was on Spiaggia Grande (the main beach at Positano) when we booked. This led to a little confusion and a walk around the point but we found it in the end.

Beach clubs are everywhere in Italy. The regimented rows of loungers and umbrellas facing the beach with restaurant and facilities behind them. They vary greatly in quality, service and price so picking the right one is a mix of art and science.

We booked online and could specify exactly which loungers we wanted – for us, front row ( a short 2 metre walk to the water) and at the end of a row (so we aren’t surrounded by other beach club goers). We added in towels which came to total of 120 Euros for the day.

Lunch and drinks are extra although there are packages available but these proved too complicated for us to work out so we paid as we went.

Jean is a true beach girl so for her the highlight was time in the water. I’m not really a beach guy so for me the highlight was lunch and the steady stream of drinks that could be ordered as the day went by.

We had heard that Grassi had a good kitchen and the grilled fish didn’t disappoint.

We also discovered that we could use the courtesy boat to get back to the main beach, saving the walk back to Positano. Bonus.

Yesterday we went to our local beach – Spiaggia Arienzo. I blogged about it before in 2011 when we last visited it. In particular, the blog mentioned the number of steps from the road down to the beach – 239. Easy on the way down, not so much climbing back up.

Although the price for a lounger, umbrella and place on the beach at the Arienzo Beach Club has gone up from 9 to 20 Euros in the last 8 years, it’s still worth it with table service to your lounger being a winning idea. Lunch at the beach club was great and it is still amazing they can produce such good food, in such quantity, so quickly for lunch from a kitchen the size of a closet.

At the end of the day the 239 steps up to the road felt a lot steeper than 8 years ago and this old man needed a couple of stops along the way. Ideal breaks to grab a glance at the luxury villas that cling to this part of the coast.