Cinque Terre-which village

Vernazza is my favorite. I love the little town center on the water and the restaurants/hotels that are high up overlooking the sea. There are lots of stairs all around so plan accordingly if you don't want to do too much. If that isn't a problem, do the 5 town hike one of your days. It's majestic!

Re time, 3 days is nice if you want a true getaway. No museums, etc. there so it's just a relaxing taste of Italian life.

Dianne,

Each of us here has a favourite town, and I prefer to stay in Monterosso. It's the largest of the five and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities, and also the nicest beaches. I wouldn't say that it's "mostly young couples" as I'm definitely not young, and from what I've observed there's a wide range of ages there.

If your group would prefer more of a conventional hotel rather than just a room, Monterosso is the best choice. Many of the hotels in Monterosso serve a good breakfast, which is a "must have" feature for me. Three nights is perfect, as it will give you a chance to not only explore the five towns, but also take some day trips to places like Porto Venere.

At this point, it's difficult to say which of the Sentiero Azzurro trails will be open for hiking next April. You'll have to check that closer to your departure date.

Not sure where you got the idea that Monterosso mostly drew mostly young couples - definitely not the case when we were there - and it has its advantages as far as room for crowds to spread out, and amount of tourist services (accommodations, restaurants and shops.) Depending on which trails you're looking at, it's also at the beginning (or end) of the only two segments of the #2 Sentiero Azzurro which are currently open. It's possible they'll have one of the other segments (Riomaggiore to Manarola) open again next year but no news on that yet (that I've heard, anyway.) But maybe you're considering some of the longer, higher trails so it wouldn't matter.

There's really nothing wrong with any of them unless you can't do steps or don't want to deal with the bus up to Corniglia from the train station. That's the smallest with the least amount of services but a very pretty little thing.

I liked Vernazza the most. The villages are all beautiful, connected by trails, trains and boat rides. So you can stay in any of them and be happy. But as I said Rick Steves, myself and many others vote for Vernazza.

Unfortunately, while Vernazza may be one of the most popular it's also one of the most crowded during the day. The main part of town is very compact and it doesn't handle the hordes as well as Monterosso. However in April it may be a bit less crowded.

Personally I love Monterosso. Especially the old town section. Nice walks. Little beach, lovely laneways with awesome restaurants. Had my favourite meal in Monterosso. Love it. Definitely not just young couples.

Another vote for Vernazza & our favorite place to stay:

http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

Just to be different I will chime in an say I booked Manarola and was my choice because it is the most picturesque.
If you were to see a postcard from the Cinque Terre or a travel article in the magazine about it changes are the picture you are seeing is of Manarola.

As others mentioned there is no right answer, look at all 5 options and see which appeals most to you.
And Monterosso being just for younger couples is definitely off base, if anything it is the most flat so from a mobility standpoint is easiest for most older travelers than the other towns. All of the towns are popular with all ages.
I think 3 nights is the perfect amount of time, you may only need 2 nights but since it can be a little out of the way from where you stay before and where you are headed after only staying 2 nights makes those journeys more of a hassle not to mention leave you with no cushion should you get a day of rain on what would have been your main site seeing day which is definitely a chance in April. I would stick with your 3 night plan.