Cinque Terra apartment with few stairs--an oxymoron?

Corniglia as you probably know is the one town of the five that is on top of a hill. The train station is at the bottom. There is free shuttle service up and down the hill, if you can wait for it. The deterrent of the hill might make the town less crowded at night, I guess.

You might consider Levanto, where I've stayed twice. Nice town but more of a conventional "beach town" than the five villages. The train station is up a slight hill from town - but not like the big hill Corniglia is on. It's about a ten minute walk from Levanto's train station to the center of town. Not sure about the kitchenette - I'd go on booking.com and find a place with that feature.

I wouldn't let "ferry service" be a factor at all in choosing a town. The train service through that whole area is frequent and easy. You can buy hiking passes that include unlimited trains too. Take the ferries from whichever town is convenient to where you wish to ferry to and use the train to get there.

Levanto, Bonassola, and even Mineglia are great towns just minutes away. I particularly enjoyed Moneglia in my youth.
However, if you absolutely must stay in one of the 5 villages, you should look into Monterosso. It’s a little flatter than the others, it’s also a bit bigger, therefore you will have more choices of accommodations, including some more modern ones, especially on the new district of the town called Fegina.

There are rooms along the main street or around the piazza in Vernazza. I found this one for example, but there are certainly others: http://www.camerenicolina.it/index_eng.htm

We stayed at Villa Steno in Monterosso, which I highly recommend. They sent a cab to pick us up at the train station; I believe the charge was about 10 euro.

Julie,

Corniglia is probably not the best choice for someone concerned with stairs. In order to reach the station, you'll either have to use the small shuttle van or climb down/up a lot of stairs. If you're going to be visiting other towns in the evenings, you'll have to deal with that issue each time.

While Levanto is a possibility, you'd have to deal with a 10-15 minute walk each way from the station, depending on where you're staying in town. It has a nice beach and lots of nice hotels and restaurants. I'm not sure about facilities with a kitchenette? One other point to mention is that once you reach the station, there's a fairly large stairway to go up to reach the station building. If returning to Levanto after dark, part of the walk from the station into town is not particularly well lit. Not sure if that's a concern?

Based on your criteria, I'd suggest looking at Monterosso. It's the largest of the five towns, and therefore has the largest number of accommodations, restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as a nice beach. THIS is a view of the beach in the new town. The town is reasonably flat, so easy walking between the old town and new town. There are a few stairs at the station to go from the platforms to street level. Have a look at THIS list for accommodations. I'm not sure how current the list is, but it will give you a place to start. Finding a place in the old town will probably be a bit quieter and there's at least one grocery store there as I recall.

Note that a lot of places in the Cinque Terre will now be closed for the season, so you may not get an immediate reply. When is your trip taking place?

Adding to Ken's post....
I don't know what your complete itinerary is but it's good to be aware that accessing many accommodations in Italy (and other places in Europe) can involve stairs; if it's a very old building, it's not possible to install lifts. If your luggage is going to be an issue throughout your trip, you'll want to be cautious when booking.

We stayed in a family-run, waterfront hotel in Monterosso that was an easy walk from the train station AND had a lift to the upper floors. It does not have apartments but as I'm guessing you'd only be there for a couple of nights, maybe you can work around that with pre-purchased breakfast items which don't require prep.

It's very popular and may already be booked up for your dates but thought I'd throw it out.

http://www.laspiaggiahotel.com

I believe that they do rent a couple of apartments in a different building but no idea if it has a lift.
As previously mentioned, trains serve all 5 of the CT villages and are usually the quickest, most economical way to get around. A ferry trip is great for a look at the coast from the water but I wouldn't use them as your primary method of transport (and you already know that you will need the train/bus for Corniglia).

Not sure when you're traveling but the ferries do not operate in the winter.

Monterosso- two hotels that are recommended:
Hotel Steno
Hotel Porto Roca

Monterosso - Hotel La Colonnina in the Old Town. It's a small hotel, but they also offer 3 or 4 apartments consisting of a bedroom, living room, and kitchen. We've stayed there a few times and it's very comfortable and SUPER reasonable.

Another vote for Levanto. Love the town and it is just a very short train ride to the CT villages. We bought all day train pass and were able to visit all the towns and had a great day.

Thanks for the fabulous detailed suggestions. Levanto sounded good in reading Rick's book because we love walking along the coast, but a post here has me now considering Monterosso. I'm canceling the Corniglia lodging. Our trip to CT is May 26-31, 2018.

I think Corniglia is/was not the best choice for you.
I can see it have major appeal for those really into hiking and wanting to escape the crowds with the focus more on scenery than water activities.

The fact you mention a dislike of stairs and way you mention the lack of ferry service makes it sound like you selected Corniglia without doing too much background research. When you visit you will understand why there is no ferry service.

Glad it got sorted out, it is a lovely area I am sure you will enjoy!