We'll travelling from Venice to Cinque Terre in early June staying for two nights. We'll have luggage so I would like a recommendation of a nice place with easy access to get to. Range from $125 to $175 a night (A/C a must). Either Vernazza, or Monterosso. I would appreciate your suggestions. Thank you
If there are big ships in port, choose Manarola or Riomaggore:
http://crew-center.com/la-spezia-italy-cruise-ship-schedule-2020
Try and stay longer, as 2 nights yield only a single full day; packing up in a Venice Hotel and walking out of one in the Cinque Terre chewing up 7 to 8 hours.
My suggestion would most definitely be Monterosso. A few thoughts.....
- I've found that Vernazza can become dreadfully crowded on days when cruise ships are in the area so it's not the most pleasant place during the days. Monterosso has an old town and new town and is larger, so it absorbs the crowds much better.
- As Monterosso is larger, it has a greater number of hotels and other accommodations and A/C will be more common.
- Monterosso also has more restaurants and other tourist amenities.
- Monterosso has the nicest beaches of the five towns.
For suggestions on accommodations in each of the towns, check the current edition of the RS Italy guidebook.
Another vote for Monterosso for the same reasons Ken has given.
Try La Spiaggia, although a room with a sea view may be running a little bit more than $175 during high season (the C.T. is a hot tourist magnet) and it books up fast and well in advance.
We stayed in Vernazza years ago before cruise ships stopped there. It was small and maybe had some charm but I would stay in Monterosso --more restaurants, shops, etc.