My wife and I will be in the Cinque Terre region for several days in late September. What would seasoned visitors recommend for lodging with the following criteria?
Kindly take look at our other post regarding Genoa. Thanks
Jon,
I'd suggest staying in Monterosso, as it's the largest of the towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities. Given your criteria, one hotel that I would definitely recommend is Hotel Pasquale, which is located in the "old town" area of Monterosso. Could you clarify whether your limit of 50 steps refers to stairs or "walking steps"? As I recall, every room has a view of the sea and beach. However, to stay there you'll have to increase your budget substantially.
Riomaggiore doesn't have any "conventional" hotels AFAIK, but rather just small B&B's and rooms. Check the Guidebook for listings.
Regardless of where you stay, I'd suggest booking soon as it can be busy even late in September.
Ken:
I meant 50 steps (treads and risers) as we'll each have a slightly-larger-than-carry-on piece of luggage (with wheels but nonetheless steps are an issue). We don't object to a 200m walk so long as it is more-or-less level. A small B+B is okay (actually we've found on prior visits the smaller the better). The "en suite" is important to my wife, but so long as the room is big enough for a double bed, a couple pieces of luggage and two adults moving about, it's okay. What is a "substantial increase in budget" for the view?
Jon,
Thanks for the clarification. Some additional information.....
At the station in Monterosso, you'll have to navigate stairs to get from the train platform down to street level. I've never counted them, but perhaps 20 stairs? Once you're at street level, go left and walk along to the tunnel and Hotel Pasquale will be on your left when you exit. You can get some idea on the layout by having a look at THESE photos. This is the view from near the tunnel looking back towards the station. It's not a difficult walk as it's mostly level. Many of the larger hotels there (such as Pasquale and Villa Adriana) have elevators, so keep that in mind when you book.
At the station in Riomaggiore, you may have stairs depending on which track you arrive on. You may have to go down into the underground passage to get from the platform to the station plaza. Again, maybe 20 stairs down and then up? From the station plaza, you'll walk through a tunnel that parallels the tracks to get to the main street. There are no stairs there (unless you're going down to the harbour), but there's quite an incline on the main street. As many of the buildings there are fairly old, it's likely that many of the B&B's there will also have stairs (the one I stayed at several years ago certainly did).
Regarding the prices at Hotel Pasquale, THEIR WEBSITE shows these prices. It's a very comfortable hotel and AFAIK all the rooms have ensuite. If you'd like to have a look at some of the other places in Monterosso, have a look at THIS LIST (it should be reasonably current). THIS B&B seems to be very popular, but I don't have much information on it. They don't show prices so you'd have to contact them for a quote.
Happy travels!
Ken:
Thanks for the additional information. The Hotel P looks spectacular but is a bit beyond our budget. The B+B La Bouganville also looks fine, but I can't get a response to several emails I've sent. Any other suggestions?
Jon,
Did you have a look at the LIST that I linked in my previous reply? That shows most of the lodgings in Monterosso and should be reasonably current.
You might try VILLA ADRIANA, which is located at the north end of the "new town". It's about a 10 minute walk from the station and mostly level, but there's a slight incline when you enter the grounds and walk up to the front door. I found the rooms to be comfortable and they serve a great breakfast.
You could also have a look at HOTEL LA SPIAGGIA which is very close to the station and provides great beach views. They don't seem to show rates on their website, so you'll have to contact them for more information. I've never stayed there so can't provide any first-hand comments.
Another place to look at is AL CARUGIO, which is located in the "old town". I've never seen the property but I know where it is. I'm not sure if you'd have to deal with stairs, but I'm sure they could provide that information. The prices look reasonable, but I don't believe they include breakfast.
Wherever you decide to stay, I'd suggest getting something booked SOON.
Ken:
Thank you for bearing with me on this topic. I was successful with Albergo al Carugio. Thanks for the help. I'll leave this thread for a week before deleting it as others may have a similar question.
Jon,
Many people don't delete their Threads, as that allows them to be available for searches at any time, should anyone have similar questions.
