Finding another apartment in Cinque Terre

How frustrating, Jeanne! Well, the Universe actually did you a favor when AirBnB cancelled. My husband and I discovered the most amazing hotel in Levanto - Hotel Abetaia. Originally, w had planned to spend only one night in Levanto, but as soon as we walked into the room we looked at each other and said "we gotta stay another night!" Unlike all the other hotels we had in our four-week trip to Italy, Hotel Abetaia's room design and furnishings were sleekly modern. Enourmous bathroom and shower, plush towels, floor to ceiling windows with balcony, unbelievable and artfully arranged breakfast included, and a very welcoming, English-speaking receptionist, Sonia. Abetaia also has a fabulous restaurant on-site.

Having a car is a must if you stay in this place, because it is about a 10 minute drive to the Levanto train station. Parking is free. Here is a link to their website and you can use ony of the usual booking sites to make reservations http://www.hotelabetaia.it/

Hope your birthday is amazing!

You are right, it is very frustrating. I booked far ahead to find what I wanted at an affordable price, and now I have to deal with last minute, so to speak, places. Parking is a real problem. The place you recommended sounds wonderful, but unfortunately they are booked. Either placed are booked or are out of my price range. Thanks again.

Try arbaspaa.com. They run the gamut from rooms to b&b to hotels and guest houses. I used them twice and they were very prompt with replies. You can get in touch with them, give them your budget/requirements and they can let you know what (if anything) is available. They have a storefront in vernazza and they also arrange hiking, wine tastings, boats, scenic flights...

Sorry to hear of this Jeanne,
I guess this is the downside of AirBnB compared to a hotel, I hope their website allows you to give a negative review of this place so you can caution others.

Why is the car so essential, can you not drive and park in the underground garage at the train station in La Spieza. I realize this adds a cost, but is what we plan to do when staying in Vernazza.

jeanne,

Finding a place with on-site parking in any of the Cinque Terre towns could be challenging. Given the problems you've been experiencing you might also consider staying at a hotel. Monterosso would be the best choice of the five towns as some hotels provide limited on-site parking, and there are also pay car parks in both the new town and old town. I'm not as familiar with the hotels in Levanto, but I'm sure there will be some there that also provide on-site parking.

When is this trip taking place?

Good luck!

Hi Jeanne,
That happened to me too! My AirBnb apartment in Camogli was cancelled with very short notice after I'd booked it way out. But, as another poster said, it did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. We are now booked in the lovely town of Monterosso at the Hotel La Colonnina which has free wifi and breakfast. No parking, but they say you can park on the road for free. Good luck!

mreynolds - when the renter on airbnb cancels, there is just an automated posting saying something to the effect of 'reservation was cancelled xx days before stay' or something to that extent. I actually make sure I check thru reviews when doing airbnb and if I see more than a few cancellations by owner, I move on - I put a lot of work into picking out a place, so don't want to take a chance of a serial canceller!

I have never tried airbnb but am planning to try it in Milan . I didn't know that the owner can cancel when you already gave airbnb your credit card # to reserve .

Yes, they can cancel. I booked 10 rooms through them over a 3 month period. One cancelled prior to leaving for my trip saying their family member wanted to live in the home, and this cancellation did not even respond to me when I expressed my disappointment. This makes me very nervous about using AirBnB in the future. This last booking was cancelled 20 days prior. With the difficulty of finding parking, this has caused much concern. A hotel just responded saying they were full, but they gave me a list of places to try. Unfortunately, this process takes a lot of time. Thanks for all the input.

Yes unfortunately the owner can cancel on you. And as mentioned, although you cannot leave a negative review, this cancellation does show up on their review list and too many will put the owner in a negative light. I only had one bad experience with a cancellation on AirBnB. The lady was new to the site and listed her Paris property FAR lower than similar housing (I guess to draw interest). When she realized her error, she started canceling people left and right in order to get others to rebook at a higher price. She was caught, her property was removed and AirBnb gave me my full refund plus a little extra in credit. While the possibility of having your reservation canceled is a downside, I do think AirBnB tries to help.
Sorry to completely derail your topic!! I wish you the best!

Thank you all for help and concerns. I am emailing places while getting ready to leave for my next apartment today. Fortunately I have 20 days to find a place, but the sooner the better for availability and price. Then, there is the worry factor!

jeanne,

A few questions to clarify.....

• are you willing to try a hotel?
• which town do you want to stay in?
• which hotels have you tried so far?

If you'd prefer to send me a PM, you can reply that way.

I am willing to try a hotel or B&B, I have tried Il Parco; Manuels Guest house; villa Adriana' Alle5 Terre among others, and some others, however some are just too expensive, some are booked, others I have not heard from her

I originally was looking in Levanto, but then in Monterosso. The reason is the driving and parking. I guess Levanto is best for that. However, just so I can park. I started out with only a backpack, but since I have a car, I have been purchasing things and have more luggage. Hauling it around is not easy, so therefore the on-site parking.

Jeanne, this is probably a long shot, and the apt. doesn't have parking (but there's paid parking in town). It's also more room than you need but...

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1001935

I haven't stayed here myself but Christine and Manuel operate the excellent Cantina di Miky in Monterosso (he's a local) so they're legitimate. I've met both of them and they're lovely people. I don't have your dates so can't check the calendar.

Don't be too nervous about using airbnb. In the future, just make sure you check to see if there are lots of cancellations in the reviews.

I've had 19 stays since 2011, and (hopefully I'm not jinxing it) 6 upcoming stays in the next 2 weeks for our trip to Toronto. I only ever had one night cancelled - it was the 1st night of a 3 night stay in San Diego and the lady double booked. She told me a few days before. Offered full refund, or a discount on the other two nights. Not an issue...I took the discount and booked a hotel for the other night (which is much easier to do in SD than CT!) I hope you have some luck!

Jeanne,
Just curious if you checked into the cost of leaving the car parked in the secure lot underground the La Speiza train station during your stay. I believe it is around 17 euro per day. It seems like a location I would not worry if I left a bag of luggage in my trunk at. This is a relatively new and paid lot so not free but seems safer than most parking options with restricted access to where the cars are and 116 spots.
For our upcoming trip, I plan on leaving the stroller and similar things in the car trunk here that I don't think we will have use for in CT.
Mentioning again because it would open up more places for you if you didn't need a parking spot and the car will never be used while you stay in the CT.