Thanks for all the feedback re: "Get a room!" for our trip in June...sooooo...any recommendations on which hotels to stay at in CT?
I would like to be there 2-3 nights.
Unrelatedly - we were thinking of doing one night in Florence in a "regular" hotel, seeing the sites/museums, then taking a bus out to a Agri - tourismo for a night - any thoughts on that plan and/or recommendations for acomodations
In Vernazza, try:
I like to rent apartments. My husband and I stayed in Manarola. Had a sweet little apt. With a sea view, three terraces with the property (we stayed in lower apt, there is an apt above with a terrace and a rooftop sun deck). Our hostess was lovely and very accommodating. I know that some ppl on this forum prefer Monterosso due to the fact that it is the largest of the villages so more options for lodging and eating, but since all villages are a very short train ride apart you could easily try dinner in any of the villages and have a short ride back to your lodging. We booked through Arbaspaa. If you go to their site, you will be able to look at properties in the other villages as well. Buona fortuna e buon viaggio!
We stayed in Monterosso at Hotel Colonnina and really enjoyed it (its also in the RS guidebook), as did a friend of mine that I referred to it. We were also glad we stayed in Monterosso, as we liked having quick access to the beach and to more bars/restaurants. We initially looked for a vacation rental, but couldn't find one we liked/in our price range at the time.
If you're coming from Rome, I might suggest you do the agriturismo first in Tuscany and then go to Florence. Determine what hill towns you want to visit and then focus the agriturismo. If you won't have a car,you may want Orvieto or Siena, as they have more transportation access. We stayed at one in Pienza,as we wanted to go wine tasting in Montalcino, but you'd need a car.
david,
To begin with, I'm not sure you'll be able to take a Bus to an Agriturismo unless it's relatively close to a town that has a Bus stop. The proprietor may be willing to pick you up there, but if not you may have to rent a car. I'm not too familiar with Agriturismo's as I usually travel solo so have never stayed at one.
For a regular hotel in Florence, I'd suggest checking the Guidebook listings or Trip Advisor. One night is not really enough for a place like Florence (IMO) as there's so much to see. You may only arrive there in mid-afternoon, which means that you'd only have one evening to see the city.
Finally, with hotels in the Cinque Terre you'll first have to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in. My favourite is Monterosso, which is the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels and other amenities (and also the best beach). Monterosso tends to have more "conventional" hotels (many serve breakfast) while the other towns tend to have more informal lodgings such as small B&B's and rooms (some of which don't serve breakfast). You can also check the Guidebook listings for places in the Cinque Terre or try to find something from THIS List. There's a similar list for Vernazza. I'd recommend getting something booked in the Cinque Terre ASAP!!! For travel in June, you may have some trouble finding a vacancy.
Good Luck!
