Cinque Terre and lodging

My wife and I stayed in Vernazza a couple years ago at one of the hotels in Rick Steve's book and it was wonderful. About $75 euros as I recall, but I do not have the name. We have always had good luck at his recommendations and I would not expect you will have an issue with your price range in Cinque Terre. Make sure you do the hikes while you are there, it is well worth it.

Justin,

I used Mar-Mar Rooms in Riomaggiore on my last visit to the C.T. and was very pleased with the accommodations. The room was basic, but certainly comfortable, and just what I was looking for. I suppose it depends to some extent on what type of room you want?

Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the five villages, and therefore has a greater variety of rooms and more "conventional" Hotels. You might also have a look at www.cadandrean.it/englishindex.htm# in Manarola, as it might fit your budget criteria. Another property in Manarola is www.torrettas.com but it's a bit on the pricey side.

Happy travels!

You will have plenty of choices in March. We stayed in Vernazza and didn't book ahead for a family of five in the late October. There were people offering rooms at the train station. We looked at one but then went to a hotel by the water and negotiated an apartment rental that worked perfectly.

march of 2008 we spent 2 nights at maria capellini rooms in vernazza. 80 euros for the cozy studio, very nice. good luck :):):)

I like to stay at Mueble Agavi (in Rick's books listed as "Pensione Agavi") in Monterosso. Reserve by phone or Fax. You may not need an advance reservation if you show up early in the day (after 8am). This small hotel is close to the train station with sea views from many of the rooms. It's a few minutes walk to the old or new towns from the Agavi. Open the window and you can sleep to the sound of the surf. It may be a little cold in March. There are heaters in the rooms.

Check out:

http://www.acasa5terre.it/houses.html

We used it when we went CT. We booked it via email and paid when we arrived. We found Claudio the owner to be very reliable.

Riomaggiore in my opinion is the better choice of the two. Smaller, quiter, more of a village life - it even had some night life (not too crazy though). Romantic to take a walk at night on the via della amore.

Enjoy!

I stayed at La Baia di Rio in Riomaggiore this past summer. The location and views from the rooms are great. I really liked it there and my kids thought it was fantastic. The place has clean rooms and the owners are very friendly. It is now the #1 ranked hotel in Riomaggiore on tripadvisor.com

Of the two, Monterosso is the flatter, more modern looking town w/ bigger beachfront. Riomaggiore is more your "typical" CT village and yes, walking the Via del Amore would be nice in the evenings.

We stayed in Vernazza -smaller than Riomaggiore -for 4 nights at the Franca Maria rooms and loved it so much we had dinner in the room 3 out of 4 nights! Room #2 has almost floor-ceiling windows that open to the harbor below, the piazza below, and rolling over in bed we could see what time it was on the illuminated church clock tower. Smallish room, like a hallway, but nice double bed, closet/storage space, frig, tv, dishes, very nice bathroom. http://www.francamaria.com

oops-it was 120euro/night, but WELL worth it!

I have used Mar-Mar but the last time I in Cinque Terre there I stayed in Bonassola It was about 7 min from Monterosso and much cheaper.It is more off the beaten path. There is also Levanto even closer and it used to be covered on cinque terre card.
$125-130 is about 91-93 euro right now. Click on hotels and you will be able to get hotel prices.
For a look at town google Bonassola and upper left click on images. We stayed at Villa Belevedere(you need car for Villa)

www.prolocobonassola.it/eng/turismo.asp

Justin,
My wife and I were plannibg to be there the end of Feb-begining of March-but have been told to skip the C/T as most of the towns are pretty much shut down and it is not possible to hike the trails?
have you heard this?
Bob

Bob,

It's quite common for a lot of the tourist facilities to close in the winter, but AFAIK this is mostly just December & January. Most places should be operating normally in March, especially as the spring break in March has been described as a PEAK travel season for the CT. Lodgings are at a premium during that time, so a good idea to pre-book.

It's possible some of the more difficult trails may be closed at that time of year due to weather or other difficulties, but I suspect the via del Amore and perhaps others will still be open.

Cheers!

Thanks for all your help. I have had some issues with not getting return emails with the following. Does anyone know if it takes some time to hear back? I am guessing some I have emailed from 4-7 days ago.
http://www.acasa5terre.it/houses.html
Casa lorenza
Since we are staying mult. places I can't think of the others but I assume may some places are shut down? I am also hearing that shouldn't be the case?

Justin,

Did you try Mar-Mar Rooms? I've found them to be fairly reliable and fast in replying to E-mails. However given that it's still early January, it's quite possible that some places may still be closed until the end of the month?

Good luck!

Hello, I'm writing from Manarola, one of the 5 Terre.
Early march is still low season and you should be able to find rooms for a lower rate (around 75 Eur).
You can find several information about the area and accommoadtions on this site about the Cinque Terre
Best regards
Andrew