Cinque terra, Italy

This was in June 14 years ago, but we just showed up in Riomaggiore (the southernmost of the 5 towns) without a reservation, and quickly discovered that most of the rooms were unavailable. We found an agency in town with one 3-bedroom place left (more than the 2 of us needed, and more expensive than a 1-bedroom double) and we booked it right away. Having a reservation in a popular place will avoid unpleasant surprises.

Often, when we send an inquiry, we'll get a response, even if the place is full. Other times, we get no response, and that may be that they choose not to bother to respond when they've already got a full house. Are your inquiries in English? That shouldn't be much of a problem, if your desired dates are clearly communicated. In a place that thrives from tourist money, lodging is a competitive business, and a savvy hotel/hostel/B&B/agriturismo manager shouldn't ignore a potential customer. Maybe there was a problem with the first e-mail, so resend it. If you still get no response, there will be other places among the 5 towns that do want your business.

As an alternative, try booking.com for your room reservations. If you recently sent the e-mails, give it a couple of more days as the owners are probably quite busy with their current guests. As for the time of year to go...We went in May and it was very nice weather and the crowds were tolerable. I would suggest going during shoulder season if you can - April/May or September/October/

You may want to check your spam folder

I have never been so happy to see a posting appear! I am having the same problem. It's driving me nuts! We are spending three nights in the CT in April and I have emailed quite a few places. mostly through VRBO and Homeaway. A few have responded that they are available for my days and so I write back requesting the PayPal link and they never send it. I sent a few follow-up emails to try to get them to send the link but it never happens. It's occurred to me that it might be too early to book for April, but numerous places have emailed me back but just not followed through with booking. Today I tried two actual "hotel"-type places with websites. We'll see how I do. But, I must say, I'm pretty baffled as to why I can't make an actual reservation. I've booked an apartment in Paris, hotel in Barcelona, apartment in Venice and hotel in Rome for this trip with no problem at all. But CT?? I keep striking out.

I was there a week or so ago and it was perfect. I found the same issue when I first started looking but then have booked everything through booking.com. (Stayed at a perfect 1 bedroom place in Monterosso called Il portico - highly recommend it). Maybe the businesses that rely on booking agents don't check their emails that often?!? I certainly wouldn't turn up in CT without a reservation. Maybe a single in off season could get away with it??

In Monterroso we always stay at IL Maestrale. Right in old town. Family run by Giovanni and Stefania. A wonderful couple.
http://locandamaestrale.net/?lang=en
You won't be disappointed. Giovanni makes the best cappuccinos. Very close to the center of town, shops and restaurants.

I've been to CT twice, the first time waaaay back in 2003 where a friend and I just showed up in Vernazza and were immediately approached by various people offering their rooms for rent. This was in October. The second time was last year, in September. This time I made a reservation, though within a month of arriving. What I found was that there are always rooms available, if not in the popular village of Vernazza the in any of the other four villages. The difference is that the popular rooms with views and updated, modern amenities tend to get booked up very early. We were very fortunate because we found a room in the heart of Vernazza, on street level. This is not common, most rooms require many,
many stair steps to get to. The owner was an absolute delight to work with. Read my review of her room on TripAdvisor under "Monica Lercari Rooms." The owner, Monica, is featured in RS Europe TV Show, Season 8, the Cinque Terre Episode. In addition, RS' encounter with her is highlighted in his book, "Postcards From Europe." If I were to return to CT tomorrow, that is where I would stay.

Adolfo & Valerie,

It's actually very easy to book accommodations in the Cinque Terre, but especially in the busier times (May - September), its important to get reservations well in advance as many places book up very quickly. It's a bit early to be booking for next April, although some of the larger hotels may be able to do that.

I'd suggest using the accommodations listed in the guidebook, as they're all reliable and website addresses are provided. IMO, it's better to deal directly with the hotels rather than through a third party or booking engine. Everyone here has their favourite town, and I prefer to stay in Monterosso. It's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of accommodations, restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as the nicest beaches.

The Italy guidebook would be an excellent resource for planning all travel in Italy, and not just the Cinque Terre. If you don't have a book available, you can check the lodgings listed on these websites....

• http://www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html
• http://savevernazza.com/visiting-vernazza/

Some hotels that I would definitely recommend in Monterosso are Hotel Villa Steno and Hotel Pasquale (old town) and Villa Adriana (new town). If you have a more "generous budget and want a treat, you could also look at Hotel Porto Roca. They have a swimming pool overlooking the azure waters of the bay that you may never want to leave! I don't have any information on apartments as I travel solo and always use hotels (I also like places which offer a full breakfast).

One other point to note is that from about November to March, many of the businesses close down for the season, so E-mails won't be answered right away.

We've been to CT twice (2008/2012) and both times used arbaspaa.com for our stay. We actually stayed both times in the same room in Corniglia. They book thru all the CT and surrounding towns/villages - anything from a room, B&B, apartments, hotels...they were very helpful. You can search yourself with cost and other parameters, or you can drop them a line and they will let you know what is available. They have a store front in Vernazza, and also arrange hiking tours, winery tours, boat and plane rides...always so prompt and friendly about replying...

http://www.arbaspaa.com/default_en.aspx

I realize it might simply be too early, although I've never encountered a booking problem before and I plan all my trips a year in advance. I've tried about 8 different places in 3 of the villages without any luck whatsoever. I'm loathe to use a booking site as I like to book directly with a business, so I guess I'll wait a month and see what happens. It's good to know I'm not the only one having trouble, though.

thanks to all here, it was nice to see people willing to give advise and help. I will review all responses and make a plan of action.

how is the trip from Pisa Airport to CT via train?
complicated ? easy?

Adolfo,

The trip from Pisa Airport will be easy, but of course that will depend on whether you're used to public transit in Italy.

Depending on when your trip will take place, the first step will be travel from the airport to Pisa Centrale. At the moment transportation is via Shuttle Bus, but next year the new "people mover" will likely be operating. When you arrive at Pisa Centrale, buy your tickets on the next train to Monterosso, either from a Kiosk or staffed ticket office.

There are a few direct trains from Pisa Centrale to Monterosso, but most will have one change at La Spezia Centrale. You can see all the solutions on the Trenitalia website. The first segment will likely be via one of the "fast" trains which require compulsory seat reservations (provided with the ticket) and the second segment will be via Regionale (DON'T forget to validate prior to boarding the train). The trip from Pisa will be about 1H:10M to 1H:45M depending on which train you use.

Adolfo, I wasn't sure what you meant by "flexibility," whether that was a central location with easy access to everything or whether it meant that you did not know when you would arrive in the Cinque Terre. It now sounds like you will make plans before you arrive, if you are booking a flight to Pisa. From the road, of course, booking a few days ahead can beat zero days ahead. When availability is really tight, flexibility can mean being willing to move on to a less popular town.

The issue with hotels not replying (assuming you are contacting them during their open season) is a reason to "cast a wide net" instead of trying to choose one, perfect hotel. Whether you start with computerized availability searches or by contacting several places simultaneously, the properties who respond are the winners.

Dear Laura, thanks for your reply. I did not mean to be so vague about "flexibility", sorry about that.
I am planning my trip in 2016, I do not like big crowds and very hot temp. I like the idea of swimming without freezing ( kidding).
I meant with flexibility is : I like to be in a location that I can use as a home base and explore all 5 towns. I like to sleep in a nice place in Monterrroso for example and the next day take a train and go to the opposite town and walk to the next one and if I get tired jump in a train and go back to home base. The next day will go back where I left and explore and enjoy the locals and the cosine and walk to the next town and do the same . I can walk the whole 5 towns in a day in one shot but I would not enjoy it ( IMHO).
I would like to spend 6-7 days in CT.
I hope that explanation help to with the flexibility issue.
Adolfo

how is the internet in CT?. I will bringing my Ipad with AT&T international data plan or will purchase a SIM card from a local company to use the internet.

Adolfo, you'll need to check with the owner of the room/apartment that you'll be renting to see if they offer free wifi. The place we stayed at did offer free wifi and my guess is that most places will these days (the competition for your business is quite fierce). Our wifi was strong and reliable. As for public wifi at restaurants and cafes, I really couldn't say. Before leaving the States I registered for a global voice/text/data package with my mobile carrier (AT&T) and so most of the time when out and about I would just use my phone like I would back home, off of the data provided for in the package.

As for the lack of response....as far as I'm concerned, that's usually my first indication of their service. These places are not big chain hotels like in the cities. They are operated by individuals, small families, and local business owners, so the person that responds to you may very well be the owner, unlike at a hotel where there is front desk staff or booking staff. So if they are not responding to you in a timely manner, that doesn't speak to well to their level of service and unlike large hotel operations, there's not much recourse for that poor service once you are over there.

Adolfo,

If you're bringing your iPad that has an AT&T international data plan, why would you need to buy a local SIM? Your hotel will most likely have Wi-Fi so you'll probably only be using cellular data occasionally.

Monterosso would be a perfect home base (IMO) for the type of exploring you mentioned. Try contacting Hotel Villa Steno or Hotel Pasquale first, as they may be able to process reservations for 2016 now.

I'm wondering if it makes more sense to start a new thread for this, but, @Ken - Hotel Villa Steno is one of the 8 or 9 places I've tried that did not respond. I've given up and will try again in September, I guess. I've never run into this issue anywhere before.

Try La Spiaggia in Monterosso: good location not far from the train station, has some rooms with small balconies offering a view of the water (request one), and is very close to the beach. They may not get back to you right away (especially not if booking during the winter months) but we had no issues with them not getting back to us at all. Do be aware that payment is cash only: not unusual with small, family-run accommodations in Italy. This is a VERY popular hotel which fills EARLY.

http://www.laspiaggiahotel.com

Try to adjust your expectations just a little, though? Even in shoulder season, the villages are going to be very busy during the day, and you'll be seeing more visitors than locals. Those locals probably won't have a lot of time to "mingle" very much as they're not on holiday, as you will be. However, if you stay at La Spiaggia, you'll most likely see quite a lot of the owner - Andrea - who will talk to you all day if you give him the time. His pleasant, very helpful daughter, Maria, runs the desk.

As far as hiking between the villages, you'll also need to be aware of which trails may be closed. Those can change at any time depending on storm damage or just routine deterioration. The park's website is a good reference there, as well as the office in Monterosso. The trails are a good way to escape the midday crowds, though, and unless there's a really, really nasty spell of weather, you'll find enough of them open for good - abet strenuous - hikes (they are not "walks" in the easy-stroll sense of the word).

http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/?id_lingue=2

Adolfo,

It may be a bit early for September 2016 reservations. I'd suggest waiting for a couple of months and then try again. Keep in mind that many of the lodgings are small family-operated places that operate seasonally, so they can't offer the same level of service as the big chain hotels.