In Rick Steve's video/ script of Cinque Terre he says mentions
"Rentable private rooms — called Affitti Camere — are the best values throughout the Cinque Terre. Each town is honeycombed year-round with a range of rooms and apartments for rent — generally simple and inexpensive. We’re staying here, right above the piazza back in Vernazza." Can someone give me more details please.
A group of about 8 friends are planning a trip to Cinque Terre mid Sept 2015. We are looking for an affordable place to stay. We do need to be in the same town but not necessarily same accommodation. Together will be a bonus.
We would also love to do a cruise 5 - 7 days in Italy at the same time. Any suggestions would be welcome.
We are South African and the Euro Exchange for us is 13.97 euro for 1 South African rand which translates to "very expensive" to whatever we do.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Just stayed in this apartment Due Fari last month. It can sleep 8 people in 4 double beds if you rent both the upper apartment and the two extra bedrooms downstairs. I was very reasonably priced.
One of the challenges in the CT is the number of stairs required to get to some rooms. Our first trip we had 67 to climb every time we wanted to go to the room. That was our first trip to Italy. Now we are somewhat used to it (our Roman apartment has 64 steps to reach it, but also an elevator), but I still prefer to spend my energy hiking versus climbing stairs to my room. So if stairs are an issue for anyone, be sure to ask how many there are.
By the way, we prefer Manarola now to Vernazza. We go eat in Vernazza at least once each trip, but Manarola is quieter. Be sure to carve out enough budget to eat at Trattoria da Billy!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Rick's guidebook does list some of these rooms, as well as mentions that they can be a last-minute booking option by asking around town when you arrive. For instance, see www.dapaulin.it and www.ariadeimare.info, both in Manarola. Or AirB&B may also have some relevant listings.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Try here:
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
gail,
Are you committed to only considering Vernazza for your "home base" in the Cinque Terre? Especially with a group of eight, you might also consider staying in Monterosso. It's the largest town of the five, and therefore has the greatest number and variety of accommodations, as well as more restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as a full service rail station. Wherever you decide to stay, for travel in September I would HIGHLY recommend getting room bookings VERY early. I normally start booking in about February for travel in September, and even then sometimes have some trouble finding a vacancy in my preferred hotel.
Are you interested more in a self-catering apartment, or would you prefer a hotel with a wider variety of services? Many of the accommodations in Vernazza don't provide breakfast and some are only accessible via a lot of stairs. If any of your group has mobility issues, that's something to consider. Hotels often provide a breakfast in the cost of the room, which is a feature I really like.
I'm not sure how current these lists are, but they will provide a list of most of the accommodations in Monterosso or Vernazza.....
http://www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html
http://savevernazza.com/visiting-vernazza/
The Italy guidebook also provides listings for reliable accommodations in all five towns. The 2015 edition is available now and given your location, you could also have a look at the E-book version. The Kindle version is currently shown on amazon.com for $8.82 (I'm assuming there's a South African version of Amazon?). If you're going to be travelling with an iPad, iPhone, PC or Mac, you can download the free Kindle Reader. The guidebook is also available on iBooks for those using iOS platform, but at considerably higher cost.
If you'd like to consider Monterosso and need any further information, post another note and I'm sure the group will be able to help with that.
Posted by
30 posts
We (2 couples) are also going to the CT in Sept 2015. We have been 4 times before and stayed the first time in Vernazza. The last 3 times we stayed in Riomaggiore in a flat about 70 steps up in an old building on the harbor. Loved the view! But this time we have booked two adjoining flats in Corniglia. The price was great (80 euro per night for 4 nights each flat). One reason we went for this is the terrace the two flats share. When traveling in a group, it's so nice to have morning coffee and afternoon wine on a terrace. Also, the flat allows for making some of our own meals, which can save tons of money with a larger group. Fun, too! We eat lunch out while exploring and make a simple pasta dinner when we are just ready to relax on the terrace at the end of the day. Whatever you do, make reservations now. September is a popular time in the CT and rooms are already booking.