Santa Margherita or town in Cinque Terre as home base

My husband and I have visited this area many times and we always base in Santa Margherita. We have stayed at the Hotel Tigullio, which is about a 5-minute walk to the train station and less than that to downtown and the bus lines. We spend time in Cinque Terre and also go the other direction to Camogli, etc. It has worked well for us. Have a wonderful trip!

Hey :)
I stayed at Deiva Marina. It was really nice. I stayed at Hotel Clelia and the food was really good. The train station wasn't too far and we were able to train everywhere. We went to Carrara too. Good luck!

I love the size and ambience of SM. It has nice shops art stores and restaurants but also yachts and fish markets. Pleasant walk to Portofino and ferry back.

Vernazza is by far my favorite home-base in the Cinque Terre. Visiting the other four towns via boat or train takes only a few minutes. Hiking between the towns and along the famous Via del'Amore is fun and memorable. The ocean is so stunning there. A day trip to Santa Margherita via train looks very simple, using Rick Steves' book, but I cannot throw my two-cents in because I have not been to SM. We stayed in Monterosso also, which is easier to reach via car.