Where to stay in Cinque Terra?

susie,

I'd suggest having a look at the guidebook so that you have some idea which of the five towns you might prefer. Each of us here has a preference, and mine is Monterosso. It's the largest town and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as the best beaches.

Once you've decided on a town, I'm sure the group here can provide lots of suggestions for accommodations.

Some of the towns are very hilly, which my arthritic knees would not like, which is why I also prefer Monterosso. At this late date you may need to stay where there is availability. Check booking.com for available hotels and be sure to read the description on how far the Hotel is from the train station, how many stairs up to the hotel or your room, if this is an issue. We will also be there in October and secured our lodgings in June.

The best choices for a hotel are either in Monterosso (the northern end) or Riomaggiore (the southern end).
Monterosso is my pick because of its beautiful beach.

I will also throw in my vote for Monterosso old town. We stayed there in June this year and desperately want to return. We stayed at Il portico - a one bedroom apartment on booking.com. Loved it. Church bells were very loud but they don't ring overnight. Nice apartment. 20metres to beach surrounded by great little restaurants. Loved it.

Monterosso would be my first choice. Riomaggiore my second.
If you can't find anything in any of the 5 villages, try Bonassola or Levanto. Just minutes away by train. They will definitely have vacancies in October.

We have become fans of Manarola and have stayed there three times out of four trips to the Cinque Terre. One reason we like it is that it is possible to get to many places without a lot of stairs. (We like to save our energy for hiking and not climbing stairs to our rooms four-or-five times a day.) Manarola also has a couple of good restaurants and the train station is easy off-and-on versus Vernazza, for example.

Another vote for Manarola. We rented an apartment through www.arbaspaa.com. Affordable and lovely. Sea view. Great location! Worth a look.

Hi Suse,
have a look ot agriturismo in Italia

bye

About 10 years ago, my husband and I stayed in the small seaside village of Levanto. To this day, we still talk about our experience in Levanto and the beautiful Cinque Terra. The plus of staying in Lavanto is that a convenient train ride will take you to the villages of the Cinque Terra; just the train ride itself was a fun experience. Also, if you are flexible and open-minded with a recommendation of where to stay in Levanto, I must suggest an off-the-beaten-path hotel by the name of Stella Maris. Some people have mixed feelings about this hotel, but we absolutely found it to be enchantantly quirky ( Is that a description or what?). Anyway, the entrance to the place was an enigma in itself, but once you enter you should be well taken care of, fed very well (breakfast and dinner), and the rooms will make you feel like you are living in the Baroque period. Hope this helps. http://www.hotelstellamaris.it

Without hesitation Il Giardino Incantato The Enchanted Garden in Monterosso, Fausto and Mariapia will make you feel like family.
Joseph from Philadelphia

I can't say enough about Locanda Il Maestrale in old town Monterosso. http://locandamaestrale.net/?lang=en. Great hosts and location. In the center of old town, near everything. Giovanni and Stefania are wonderful.

I don't know about availability with the short tome frame. You may have to get whatever you can find. But Monterosso would be probably have more lodging available. If the hotels are booked, ask them if they know someone that rents rooms. They are very close with each other there.

We have stayed in the old part of Monterosso twice and really enjoyed it. On our last trip, we stayed at Hotel Pasquale (every room has views of the water) and loved it. We would stay there again in a heart beat! The only problem is that availability might be slim with such late notice. I wouldn't be surprised if they're already booked for October but it's worth a try.

Susie,
Looks like you have picked a perfect time to visit Cinque Terre with your niece. Unlike June which is usually warmer and more tourists, you are now going to run into fewer people, and can treat yourself to warm sunshine, and enjoy stunning views along the coast. You can do a perfect day trip from either Luca or Pisa.

You don't need to use some company, who can't even follow the posting guidelines of this forum, to arrange your trip for you. You've come here for help not to be solicited to.

Personally, I like Monterosso and Riomaggiore but it's really a personal choice. You should look through a good guide book to see which of the 5 towns appeals to you the most. They all offer different views so have a look at each.

Donna

In Vernazza, try:

http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

Good one, Donna!

Just returned from the CT - we stayed in Levanto at the Oasi Hotel and loved it. Other than a short train strike one day it was EASY getting into and out of the CT, and the town of Levanto is full of things to do.

Monterosso was where we close to say and loved it. Hotel Marina was a wonderful place to stay.