Cinque Terre

First find out if any of the hotels have private parking lots. If not, you will need to park in the lots above the towns as except for very few exceptions, tourist cars are not permitted in the towns. One exception is a fenced parking lot by the water in Monterosso.

I've only stayed at Gianni Franzi rooms. They are a long climb up from the main street, but some rooms have great views. The other 2 locations are close to the main square. In early April, you'll probably be able to find a parking spot at the pay lot just above Vernazza. Another option would be to park in La Spezia and take the local train from there.

We stayed at Giani Franzi and enjoyed it mostly because of their private terrace overlooking the sea. If you look at their website, they have a picture of it. We were hot without AC but you are going early enough that probably won't be a problem. The other thing-it was around 100 steps up to our room. You would think they would have some teenage boys that might like to make some money hauling bags up to rooms but they didn't offer that service.

Even with being hot and climbing up and down those 100 steps, it was worth it for that terrace.

www.giannifranzi.it/gianni_franzi_rooms.htm

Connie you said you were hot without AC but if you go earlier you may not need it. Could you tell us when you went and needed AC?

Stayed at Martina's Rooms last May. Nice, large room (private bath & refrigerator in room) overlooked the Vernazza harbor with a breathtaking view. There are lots of stairs. Martina's father met us upon arrival and carried our bags upstairs, but we carried them back down when leaving. Seems like we were 4 flights up.

I would definitely stay there again. I think one of her rooms has a private terrace, but it was already booked at the time we were there.

No experience with a car in the Cinque Terre.

Albergo Barbara in Vernazza is really great. I can't speak for the others you mention, but I've stayed at Barbara's twice and they are wonderful. Bare minimum ammentities, but the rooms with the harbor views are nice. They are right on the marina/harbor so the location can't be beat. Plus, their prices are very reasonable.

Re parking in the CT, this is from the "official" website:"The road to the Cinque Terre is very narrow and has lots of bends. Only a few tourists visit the Cinque Terre by car. Almost all leave their car in Levanto and use the train or even the boat to arrive to the Cinque Terre. In the Cinque Terre towns there are small pay parking lots in Monterosso and Riomaggiore. During the summer, from May to August, the car park is usually full and the roads to Monterosso and Riomaggiore are closed because there is no parking available. The other villages are always closed to cars, except for the residents. Levanto has many parking areas. You can find two good parking lots in Levanto: one near the railway station and the other near the sea. However, in August, even Levanto is crowded and you will need good luck to find a parking spot. When you are parking, be sure that you do not park in areas reserved for residents (these are marked by a blue sign with the words Parcheggio Residenti)."

What Kent said.....leave the car (if you really need one )at La Spezia. Even there, you will have difficulty securing safe parking. It really is THAT difficult to use a rental car in Italy.

Tim, I saw your post about being hot without AC. We were in Vernazza the end of August and never wished we had AC. Our room overlooked the sea and town about 115 steps up from the main street. There was a constant breeze from the sea day and night and we slept very comfortably with our french doors open and shutters closed. The weather reminded me a lot of southern CA by the coast in the summer.