Vernazza----La Marina rooms?

Part of your question: "but I see it isn't listed in Rick's book. I wonder if anyone knows why? It must not meet his requirements in some way---reliability? Price?"

Rick does not try to review every property in most locations. I don't think you should read anything into the fact that a property isn't listed in Rick's book. He's not like Viamichelin or the AAA, where something could be inferred from a property not being in his book. Some properties aren't in his book because they're too good (read expensive).

Here's one post about:

La Marina

Three friends and I stayed at La Marina in September last year and it was a wonderful experience. We loved it! The apartment has a lovely patio suspended over the sea where we enjoyed many a bottle of wine taking in the view. We booked directly through their website and were met at the train station - everything very professional. Hopefully you don't mind stairs though!

Thank you all for your comments.

Kent--I do appreciate that Rick's books are not comprehensive guides like AAA, etc. I have been using them for over 10 years and have learned to pick and choose from his selections, because his criteria do not always match mine, especially in terms of location. For London, Paris and Venice, for example, we choose to stay in totally different locations than his choices. In Switzerland, we go to villages that are not even in his book.

For Vernazza, I feel like his choices give a much broader sampling, not just a few selections. There are many options for a very small place. It is like he has tried to bring order out of chaos---so those of us who don't like the idea of just showing up and seeking a room can reserve in advance and count on the reservation and price being honored. And we can view websites and see what it is we are reserving. And from the "New Ethic" announced by Rick for Vernazza, we hopefully can count on promises being kept.

A listing in Rick Steve's book is almost a guarantee of success, especially for small businesses in popular sites in Italy. I have seen a number of hotels brag on their website that they are "Rick Steves recommended." So when a popular place like La Marina is not listed in Vernazza, I have to wonder why. Did they choose not to be listed, for some reason? Or did they decline to subscribe to the "New Ethic" which is basically honesty? It would be nice to know which.

Terry---thank you for posting your personal experience there. This is exactly what I am seeking---personal recommendations. It sounds like exactly the type of place we would like.

Lola: We often get questions here, by those who are less experienced than you, wondering whether something negative can be inferred from the absence of a property in Rick's books. Your original post did not indicate your breadth of experience with Rick's books. I like your analysis but it's based on assumptions that can't be verified by anyone on this forum; and the bottom line is that the answer to your original question ("but I see it isn't listed in Rick's book. I wonder if anyone knows why? It must not meet his requirements in some way---reliability? Price?") is, apparently, that no one here knows why it's not in Rick's book.

I suppose you could direct that question to one of Rick's consultants or employees at ETBD.

Thanks, Kent. I wouldn't ordinarily infer anything negative about a place from it not being listed (and usually we are happy to discover our own favorites and keep them "undiscovered"), but for CT, with Rick's emphasis on his "New Ethic", it just made me wonder.

I guess I don't so much need an answer to my speculative question about why it isn't listed (I was mainly just curious), as more information from people who have stayed there. Of course I could post on Tripadvisor, since La Marina is so popular there, but I do feel a sort of "kinship" with the Rick Steves public, and thought I'd try here first.

The best place you will stay is not THE BEST in any guide book or web site. Use you nose and good sense. There are so many good places to stay in Vernazza or nearby...Good luck!

We stayed in a room right next door and made a note for next time of how great the location of this one ( La Marina) looked. So, although we did not see the inside, the location alone is one of the best in Vernazza. Have a great trip, Vernazza is the best!