Also.... thoughts on a "3rd" night elsewhere, if we stay 2 nights in 5T, we have an available 3 night.... our itin is as follows: 4 nights in Florence, 2-3 nights in 5T, then 3 nights in Venice.
Thanks!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at La Torretta in Manarola:

http://www.torrettas.com/

For such a short amount of time in April, you should consider simply doing a day trip to le Cinque Terre rather than booking 2 nights there. The spring weather on the coast is very iffy. At a minimum, if you decide to book something make sure it has a favorable cancellation policy so you can cancel if the weather forecast is for several days of rain. There is really nothing to do or see in le Cinque Terre when it is raining.

The floods only affected the town of Vernazza and half of Monterosso al Mare. However, for quite some time, all of the hiking trails of le Cinque Terre have been closed, or only very sporadically open, and then closed off again due to rain. This is likely to persist until the end of the rainy season, which includes April.

For some people, seeing le Cinque Terre is a longstanding dream so they really want no substitutes. For other people, they'd be just as thrilled going someplace else, and they only picked le Cinque Terre because it is so famous and they don't know much about the other options. (The lakes, Tuscan countryside, etc.

Italy is filled with fantastic sights that are easier to get to and have things to do when it rains. If le Cinque Terre is not the end-all be-all of your journey to Italy, you might consider a few days someplace else that runs less risk of being a washout in April.

We were also wrestling with a similar decision and have decided to stay in Genoa. There seems to be plenty to do there and ample opportunity for scenic walks, harbor cruise, etc in addition to cultural pursuits.