Best cinque terre town to stay in for 4-5 nights?

Erin, If you're planning to be in the Cinque Terre this September, the "best town" will likely be the one where you can find lodging. It's a bit late to be booking so you may have to take what you can get and adjust your budget accordingly. The best beach is in Monterosso, however the other towns also have water access. In the C.T. I normally start booking accomodations in March for travel in September. The cheapest lodgings in the C.T. are the Hostels. The "official" Hostel is in Manarola, but there's another in Corniglia. You could also check with Mar-Mar Rooms in Riomaggiore, as they offer a good range of accommodations. If I can think of any other suggestions, I'll post another note. Happy travels!

Ken's right that you're not going to have a lot of options to choose from. At this late date, you might try booking.com and venere.com which allow you to plug in your travel dates and then they show you only those places that have openings. And FWIW, Monterosso has the best beach in the CT. Good luck.

Erin, definitely a bit late to be looking for rooms, but if you cannot find something there (and I would find 4 days much too long for CT although I love it) you might consider LaSpezia and take the train (cheaper lodging) and I have also stayed in Allesandria and taken the train in but only for one day. I always have a car but it can be a pain in CT so if I stay out I just leave it at the train station or hotel and take the train to CT for the day.

Erin, If you decide to stay in Monterosso and can't find accommodations, you could also consider staying in Levanto. It's only a few minutes by train from Monterosso, so still very accessible. Have a look at these two websites for lodgings in Monterosso and Vernazza. Monterosso Vernazza If you need further suggestions, post another note. Cheers!

Thanks Brad! Yes, we've been avidly looking at individual websites through Save Vernazza, Travel Advisor and from Rick Steves' book. I also found that if you use Google satellite, you can see locations of many places and click to get their website. We have multiple options now, but do wish we had started much earlier as the amazing places with sea view terraces and decent prices are gone. I am a little concerned about the current condition of Vernazza since the town was fairly destroyed from mudslides last October. Some places are still not open. Looks like many of the trails have been re-opened, but many of the areas near the water are not.
I haven't been able to get reviews or info from folks that have been there in the last month or so -- may have to ask that question in another post.

Cinque Terra is a great place to travel without reservations, the locals work hard to find you a place. If you prefer reservations, however, I'd suggest making phone calls to some places in CT (from a guidebook's listings) rather than trying to book online. We went in October, so shoulder rather than high season but there were plenty of options to choose from. People literally wait for incoming trains to offer rooms. It's probably toughest on weekends when the weather is good. We stayed in Vernazza, which I thought was the most picturesque of the five. The best beach (still tiny and rocky), with some nightlife and least stairs would be in Monterosso Al Mare. Our family of five arrived without reservations, checked out one place offered at the train station (but too small) then went to the hotel closest to the water and told the clerk what we were looking for. A lady from the hotel went into the street, conversed with several other ladies, then offered us a great two-bedroom apartment at a very rasonable rate. We didn't have a view but it was clean and comfortable.

You want an impossible combination, Erin. If you are travelling this September, you need to chose whatever is still available. My favorite, strictly speaking, Terre is Corniglia, followed by Manarola. Vernazza is the one I like less, despite the fame and hype.