Cinque Terre Hotel/Room Suggestions?

We stayed 3 nights and had 2 full days to visit the towns and do the trails, that was enough for us.
We stayed in Manarola, at www.caragiu.com
Great place no view thought.

For me 3 nights was too long.

Counting the travel time from Florence and a quick visit to Pisa before arrving in the CT, we stayed 3 nights. We were able to see all of the towns, hike the trails, have nice dinners and take the ferry to Portovenere for lunch. As I mentioned above, Day 1 was mostly travel into the CT. We departed very early on the 4th morning for Venice.

In Vernazza, try

www.elisabettacarro.it

2 nights is plenty, check out Francamaria rooms. Right on the piazza, and only 7 steps to the door. We love it, and will always try to stay there. Really nice room, with a perfect view. Jweff

Thanks everyone. I was sort of thinking that 3 nights might be a little long, but thought it might be my short attention span. I'm going to start another post for suggestions on another region. Keep an eye out for it if you're familiar with Tuscany.

Disagree completely--but respectfully!--with the notion that three nights is too long. Our first time to Cinque Terre was 2 nights, and we left with such sadness, wanting to enjoy further our break from our vacation--essentially what this stunningly beautiful place delivers to the tired traveler mid-journey. Spent 5 delightful, relaxing nights last summer at Albergo Pasquale in Monterosso al Mare, right there facing the sea and Piazza Garibaldi. If you've never been Laura, and especially if Cinque Terre is not your first or second stop on the itinerary, do yourself a favor: stay 3 nights!

3 nights is fine. try locanda del sole in riomaggiore.
if enrico doesn't have space, he might be able to find you a place.

We stayed at Albergo Marina in Monterosso.We loved it, right in the middle of the Old Town with shops and restaurants. Three nights is good if you like hanging out at the beach. In Florence we stayed at Hotel Maxim which I recommend. Right in town, reasonably priced and a very helpful front desk staff.Also, try out the Fiat 500 Tour while in Florence, so much fun!

We spent 3 nights in Cinque Terre and left wishing we had one more night! We stayed at the Mar-Mar apartments (the "Guilia") in Riomaggiore, listed in RS guidebook; it was a major hike from the street, with lots of stairs, but had a terrace right on the ocean-gorgeous place for morning coffee, peaceful and quiet and for us, we loved it. We slept in, hiked between the villages, enjoyed lazy meals and just relaxing. With one more day we would have gone up the coast to ?? (the town on the Riviera, name escapes me now!)Other people have mentioned it too. I'd go back again, for at least 3 days, but again, everyone has different tastes.

We were there in July - spent 2 nights and wished for several more. We enjoyed the beach, hiking, and exploring all 5 towns, but there is so much more nearby that we did not have time for - we will definitely go back. We stayed at Hotel La Spiaggia right on the beach in Monterrosso and it was delightful.

I thought half the fun of the Cinque Terre was showing up unannounced and finding a room in Vernazza. A friend and I just wandered to the center of town (it was early Nov a few years back) and a nice Italian woman pointed up. I love seeing Vernaza in pictures at art fairs and pointing at the top floor window in the red building and saying, we stayed there with two nice italians, one of whom I could have sworn was Santa Claus. We even enjoyed a drink with them and watched "Who wants to be a Millionaire in Italian. I hope we have half as much fun this fall! Peace, Tom

Try Edi's Rooms in Riomaggiore. It's a Rick recommended business. We've stayed there twice. Riomaggiore is quieter than Vernazza, which is very touristy now. Daytrip to Vernazza. We stayed there 5 nights the first time, and found it to be nice & relaxing. But at the same time there is plenty to do, by daytripping to the various towns in the CT and along the coast. Also make sure you get a room with a terrace. It'll make a big difference if you're staying for a few days.

We stayed 5 nights in Monterosso a couple of summers ago and plan on returning next June for another week. We had a great time! We stayed at Villa Steno and thoroughly enjoyed our entire time there. Contrary to popular belief, there's plenty to do&#59; from hiking the countryside between towns to taking the boat to Portovenere or the train to Portofino&#59; with plenty of wine drinking and relaxation in between. This next June we'll be staying at the Pasquale Hotel in Monterosso (owned by the same family that owns Villa Steno). Even if you don't want to hike the trails you can always take the train. I highly recommend staying in Cinque Terre more than 2 nights.

Two nights and the better part of three days in the CT will be plenty unless you are a dedicated hiker. Take any two night deal you can get that's reasonable. Once you're there ask about rooms at any bar or restaurant and you'll easily find another night if you want one. If you've never been to Florence consider an apartment for 2-3 nights. Buy fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers in the piazza every morning and cook dinner at "home" after a busy day of sightseeing and shopping. There are several bus tours of surrounding hill towns and plenty to see in Florence. Don't forget to take Rick's Italy guidebook. My wife and her mother lost ours in Rome and we missed a lot in Florence. Suggestions - Try the Anchovies in the CT. Unlike what we get on pizza they are delicious. Drink the CT wine, or better yet, eat the grapes. Climb to the top of The Duomo in Florence for the best view of Tuscany ever. Nearly 500 steps but what you see on the journey upward, as well at the top, makes it well worth it. Have a great trip. I've been planning a return to where you're going for three years - alone - to get to do the things I want to do this time. Enjoy. Jim

Stayed 4 nights at Locanda Mastrele in Monterosso and absolutely loved it. The innkeepers were great. We stayed in 1 of the 2 suites, which I would recommend if you don't mind spending a little more. It was also very quiet at night, away from the nightlife.

We love the Cinque Terre. We stayed in Edi's rooms in Riomaggiore on our last visit two years ago. My husband and I prefer that quiet town, but our sons were much happier in Vernazza. We are returning to Italy with one son and wife-to-be Sept. 1st and will end our month there with four nights in Vernazza at the Francamaria Rooms. We do no hiking, but could easily spend a week there doing a little of nothing. It's the perfect end to an Italian holiday for us because we return home feeling rested and content.

I've stayed in Monterosso for up to a week and loved it...... The Mueble Agavi is my favorite hotel; it is small, very clean, inexpensive, right across from the beach, and fairly close to the train station. I don't do a lot of hiking, but enjoy the easy parts of the trail and frequent train rides between the towns...... I sometimes take the train for a shopping trip to La Spezia......If you are still having trouble finding a place to stay, try La Spezia. They sometimes have rooms available when the 5 towns are full, and it is only a few minutes by train to Vernazza, etal.

For us, two nights was too short. If you want to do the hiking trail (not for the faint of heart!), that's an entire day (if you stop like we did in Vernazza for a big lunch). We also took a ferry to Portovenere for a day, which was lovely...we didn't really have much time to explore Monterosso al Mare or the other Cinque Terre villages. We stayed in the Hotel Colonnina which was really nice, not sure if you can get room this late...they have a roof deck which has a great view of the sea. Re somewhere near Florence...Fiesole was nice, we stayed in the Pension Bencista, which is a gorgeous villa with views of olive groves and Il Duomo in the distance, very reasonable with excellent food...about a 20 minute bus ride to Florence, or a 5 minute bus ride up the HILL (big hills there) to the village of Fiesole. Have a great time, we can't wait to go back!

The Cinque Terre has me the most curious for hotel information 3 or 4 days at the end of September 2010. I travel alone and require an inexpensive, attractive room (natural light is important but bay views are not. Suggested accomodations can't require a pack mule to access please. If anyone has suggestions, please provide the specific website of the hotel so I don't have to do an Internet search, thanks!