Rooms with a view - Cinque Terre

Sasha, a member on this board has mentioned www.lamarinarooms.com in Vernazza. We have not personally stayed there, and I don't have my RS guidebook with me, there is another one that might meet your needs. I'll try to post this evening.

Brian, Just to clarify, are you planning to stay in all of the three towns that you mentioned, or just one of them? The wording in your post wasn't clear. I'm not as familiar with the lodgings in the three towns you mentioned, but you might check the Italy 2013 Guidebook for Hotel suggestions. Their websites should provide information on which have sea views and balconies. I was just in the Cinque Terre in September and stayed in Monterosso at Hotel Villa Steno. One of the reasons I like that Hotel is the view, which you can see in THESE pictures (wait for the slide show to progress through all of the pictures). You could also have a look at La Torretta in Manarola. I believe some of their rooms have a view. Happy travels!

Thanks for the ideas so far! Ken, we are going to stay in Corniglia and Vernazza.

Brian, I'm a bit curious on why you want to stay in two of the towns? It's very easy to use one town as a "home base" and then visit the others using the local trains.

Hi Brian. As Ken pointed out, it's very easy to take the train between CT towns & the towns are so close together that I would not stay in 2 different towns unless you're planning to be there for a long time. If you're there for a few days to a week, I would limit my stay to one town. Pick the one that interests you the most. It's not worth packing up, schlepping your bags on & off the train & taking the time to check into a new hotel. I know you're not really considering Monterosso but you might have a look at Albergo Pasquale; it's run by the same family that runs Hotel Villa Steno (the hotel that Ken recommended). It's right next to the ocean & every room has a view of the sea. I personally love Monterosso because it's the largest of the towns (but still retains a quaint feeling), the flattest & has the most choices in terms of restaurants, shops, etc. Have a great trip!

For our trips in 2008 and this year, we used arbaspaa.com (who also arrange tours) and stayed in Corniglia at a place called 'Corniglia dreams' - 1st time we had a room with the bathroom downstairs, this time we upgraded to one in the room...I wish I could post a pic - we had an amazing view out the window looking towards Manarola and there was a terrace on the roof that we would take our meals up to look at the view. I think the room was 80euro (late Sept) - no frills tho - it's not a b and b - there was a small fridge in a common room with a few things in it and I'm sure you could add your own - I think there were 3 rooms total - trying to find a link but I gotta get to work - will try later...

In Vernazza, try here: http://www.elisabettacarro.it

thanks for all the suggestions! Ken & Sheron - we both love Corniglia & Vernazza so much but couldnt agree on which to stay in so a compromise was splitting our week there between the two places. But its looking like we're just going to stick with Corniglia!

Brian, Thanks for the clarification. Corniglia tends to be the least preferred of the five towns, but that's undoubtedly a benefit in terms of less crowds. Perhaps I'll consider staying there on a future visit. Cheers!

Brian, Regarding Nicole's post, you may find it interesting to read one of her other Threads on that topic: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/93496/cinque-terre--worst-public-washrooms-ever.html Cheers!

Brian, can I also mention...about delicate bathroom subject...if you are carrying a daypack, or purse or anything, take some toilet paper or wet cloths with you. After experiencing lack of tp (or paper towel) in the public toilets in Manarola, and the icky hole in the floor toilets (again with no tp...at least when we were there, and apparently people who don't know how to flush the #2 away...ugghhhhh) at the Monterosso train stn...you (and more likely your wife) will be very happy you had something with you...I wish I had known...or maybe we were just unlucky...