Thanks for the help.
We're trying to figure out if we should stay in Levanto or Santa Margherita.

Rick Steves has a good overview in his Italy book. He'll lead you to stay in Vernazza though. We stayed there two years ago and will be there again in two weeks. Enjoyed it very much.

Just whatever you do, DON'T drive there. Take the train to La Spezia (?) My husband drove us to Monterossa 2 years ago, and still hasn't recovered. Now he has a fear of heights, and we're going to Switzerland! Thankfully, we taking trains there.

You may not need a guide book--a search on that topic here will get you hundreds of informed postings. If you want to really see and hike the CT then stay there--SML is an hour away. I prefer either Levanto at the north end or Portovenere at the south end as gateways. Driving to either is simple. Vernazza is impressive, but is often packed. Good luck !

To Bob,
The only reason we are considering SML is for its proximity to both the CT and Portofino.
Are you familiar with any nice hotels in Levanto?
Something well situated and quiet.
Tried to book a room with double beds at the Villa Margherita but they were booked.

Thanks in advance.

We just went there in May. We stayed at in Bonasola at Hotel Feluca. They have just remodeled this year about E100/night with breakfast. Ask for the 3rd fl. rooms and you have a great view of the beach. We checked out the hotels in Levanto and they are all too expensive and none can compare to this hotel. You can take the train to Cinque Terre - it runs every half hour buy a pass(depends on how many days you want to stay there) and you can get on and off the whole day and also it includes the park entrance fee.

The Stella Maris is a nice B&B type place in Levanto. I think you can find a reference on the Karenbrown.com site.
Levanto is a real town with a good beach, and easy access to Monterosso as the gateway to the CT. I love SML, but that is really not the best location if the CT is your focus.