I have been trying to get my partner to the Italian coast for years (focused on Amalfi) without success. She recently saw and shared with me an awe inspiring photo in a walking magazine (we both love walking)of Cinque Terre villages. Since then we have become obsessed with plans to travel there. My first impressions are that hotels there are quickly sold out - is this erroneous?

WHEN DO YOU PLAN ON GOING?
I RECENTLY BOOKED A HOTEL IN VERNAZZA (LA MALA ) FOR SEPT. ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT GET THE EXACT ROOM THAT I WANTED, I WAS ABLE TO BOOK.

Thanks Klapenta
Mid September - but I asked about bookings at one place and they said that they do not book beyond 5 months in advance! Why have you gone for Vernazza in preference to other places in the Cinque Terre?
Steve

Hello Steve
can tou look at google.com
room in Vernazza 5 terre or at
tripadvisor forum Vernazza page 3
may be you find what you are looking for
mino
from vernazza

Steve - I think that you would be fine booking for mid-September without worry that the hotels are sold out. The summer months may be harder to book. My advice is if you find a place you want to stay, book it early so you aren't worrying about it later.

My husband and I stayed in Manarola when we visited the CT and we loved it. We stayed at Arpaiu which has an amazing view of the sea.

http://arpaiu.com/english.html

The town is beautiful but there isn't a nightlife scene, if that is something you are looking for. It has a few restaurants and some shops, and is very quiet. We found it to be a perfect base to hike the trails. We took an early boat up to Monterosso then walked/hiked the trail to Vernazza. Since you both enjoy walking, I definitely recommend Cinque Terre. Some of the trails are tougher than others but the views make it all worthwhile.

STEVE,
WE PICKED VERNAZZA AFTER READING LOTS OF POSTS HERE. IT JUST SOUNDED LIKE A PLACE THAT WE WOULD ENJOY.(QUAINT VILLAGE, AWESOME SCENERY, WALKING DISTANCE TO RESTAURANTS, ETC)
WE ALSO THOUGHT WE WOULD LIKE ARPAIU IN MANAROLA, BUT I THINK I REMEMBER THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING, ALTHOUGH MAYBE WE WOULDN'T NEED IT IN SEPT, WE LIKE TO HAVE THE OPTION. IT SEEMES TO ME THAT IF YOU FIND A LODGING THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS, ANY OF THE 5 TOWNS WOULD BE OK.

Klapenta, you're shouting.

We stayed in Manarola for 4 nights a few years ago and found this website incredibly useful.

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/avong/cinque_terre/

The villages are small and there is not a lot of accommodation. Most places would not have more than a handful of rooms. I would book at least a few months ahead, keep emailing every few weeks until you find somewhere that will take your booking.

Kay

Thanks everyone for your help. I am now centering my thoughts on Porto Venere for the following reasons. We will be flying into Pisa and traveling by train to La Spezia; from there it is only a short boat trip to the resort. The resort sounds fabulous, although vernazza seems to be the first choice for travelers to this area. Porto Venere gets very little mention on this forum for whatever reason but am thinking of choosing between the Genio or Belvedere or Paradiso. Thank you once again for your help.

Portovenere does look great, the main reason we skipped it was that it's not on the train line. You can get a bus there but we ran out of time. Hope you have a great stay.
Kay

Steve,

We stayed 3 nights in Santa Margherita Ligure, next to Portofino and just north of the 5 Cinque Terre towns. We loved SML, trained one day down to Riomaggiore and hiked by as far as Vernazza. The local train took about 45 minutes from SML to Riomaggiore, the town furthest south.

We also did a trip over to Portofino via the early boat (15 minutes) and enjoyed window shopping before the crowds arrived and a lovely long lunch beside the marina.

SML on its own was a beautiful town. No big, but big enough for a few lodging and dining choices.

Buon viaggio

Stevelyon

We have been in Portovenere four or five times and stayed at the Grand Hotel. It was Easter with no reservations (eek) last room in town was the suite... little different, two small rooms, one with a bed and the other was all mirrors and a chair!!

I love Portovenere but the boats that go into and out of CT use long gangways from the bow AND if the seas are high you will not be able to get to the other villages. That being said I think there is bus service into Portovenere. So if the seas are rough you could bus into or out of town to the train station in La Spezia. One of my favorite restaurant is in Portovenere... Don't know the name but it is at the end of town (under the church). Spectacular food but expensive.

Most of the hotels are in Monterosso which is larger than all of the others.

Our favorite town to get a room is Vernazza BUT other than rooms in houses there are only two places. We've only stayed at this one... rooms are small and clean. http://www.giannifranzi.it/

Many people have posted great comments about Leavento... looked it up and it seems great.

Jeannie

Thanks to everyones contributions.
Jeannie,the Royal is probably overbudget but other suggestions here are more affordable so I might try those or research the Belvedere and Paradiso in Portovenere - thanks, also,for the warning about rough seas we will keep the bus option up our sleeve. Although we may not take up staying in some of the suggested villages (of course)it has provided me with ideas of places to visit. Thankyou everybody.
Steve

Portovenere is not looking possible at the moment, so might look at the Manarola option. Does it have many restaurants - as the message above indicates little night life? I am not bothered about discos as long as it has restaurants and bars. I might post a new message regarding this.

I second what Dayle said. Santa Margherita Ligure is a lovely little city, with easy access by train to the CT, and by bus to Portofino. We liked the B&B-type Hotel Nuova Riviera there.
>-

From memory, there are quite a few restaurants and bars in Manarola. We ate out each night and had no trouble finding somewhere appealing (had 4 nights there). One night, for a change, we caught the train into Riomaggiore and had dinner there and caught the train home which was all pretty easy.
Kay