cinque terre accomodations

Dennis, to get some idea of the cost of a "nice clean basic room with a view", you might check Rick's Italy Guidebook as there are lots of listings in different price ranges.

I'm not entirely clear on your plans? You stated that you "don't plan to book a room". Are you planning to just arrive in town without pre-booking and find a room? I wouldn't recommend that approach, especially in Vernazza in "high season". Vernazza is one of the most popular of the five villages, especially with tour groups. You will probably NOT find any vacancies!

I observed some travellers in Riomaggiore last September who arrived without reservations. They managed to find the last room in town after two hours of pounding the pavement!

Good luck!

Ken,
Do you have any suggestions on booking a room in Vernazza?

Dennis, the method I used was to choose one of the listings from Rick's Guidebook, and then contact them directly on the Internet. I'm assuming the same method would work for lodgings in Vernazza (subject of course to the proprietor's ability to function in English - I can get by in Italian to some extent, which helps)?

I used Mar-Mar Rooms in Riomaggiore, and found them to be very professional and well organized. They initially provided me with a description of each available room. After making my selection, they provided explicit instructions for booking and directions to reach their office in Riomaggiore. It was a very easy process.

Is there a specific reason you want to stay in Vernazza? All of the five villages have accomodation, so if needed you could book in any of the other locations just as easily.

Hope this helps?

Hi Dennis
I echo the others that if you are going in the high season best to book ahead. We stayed at Memo Rooms in Vernazza. They are located very close to where you get off the train.
The room was around 80E in 2006. It was very clean, large and came with a private bath.We loved the location because we didn't have to lug our bags up a couple of hundred steps.

Get the RS book for Italy 2008 and he has lots of recommendations for places to stay in Vernazza. Rooms with a view get snapped up first.

I am planning to visit in October.