miamo:

If you decide on SML, take note of a delightful mom and pop near the Hotel Laurin...."Trattoria Cesarina"...a delicious culinary experience, but not too overbearing on the USD wallet.

Whatever you choose, you'll enjoy this part of Italia...

stu t.

Dutyfree that was an excellent comparison between the two towns. The only trouble is that now I wish I had booked in Rapallo instead of SML!

..and Zeppole, too. Thanks to both of you for those comments!

Thanks, zepp', for the heads up on the NYT article about the trompe l'oeil painted facades. Alas, I've no visit to the area on my horizon, but I love trompe l'oeil. The tip about the Sunday busride was especially interesting. Miamoitalia, good luck with your decision and have a glorious time. J.

ekscrunchy,

Most hotels in the region have a 72-hour cancellation policy at worst, and usually it's only 24 hours. I'm not pushing you to switch. The two towns are right next to each other. But if you want to switch, it shouldn't cost you anything.

I stayed in Rapallo when CT and SML were full. Loved Rapallo and happened to be there on market day (Wednesday mornings.) Even if you stay in SML make sure you go to Rapallo for the weekly market which seemed to be about 95% local shoppers and not a touristy scene.

vivi,

Like dutyfree, I believe that the market day in Rapallo is probably Thursday morning, not Wednesday, since the market in Camogli is on Wednesday and its probably the same vendors.

A quick google search pretty much confirms it is Thursday.

I want to thank everyone for the wealth of information. I think that now I am leaning more towards Rapallo, although I just got an email from Hotel Jolanda in SML that they now have a room available for all of the nights that I requested. Zeppole, I emailed the Locando Leonardo DaVinci last night and am waiting to hear back. The other two you mentioned are a bit out of my price range. I forgot to ask, can you get from Cadorna station straight to Rapallo or SML? Or, do you have to go from Milano Centrale? I will definitely read the article from the NYT and check out your links with photos. Ekscrunchy, I will also take a look at your link. My head has been spinning so I am trying to take a break from trip planning. Dutyfreee ... thank you for the great comparison between the two. Ciao a tutti.

To get to Liguria from Milano, you need to take a train that departs from Milano Centrale. The Milano metro connects Cadorna Station to Milano Centrale, but a taxi is not extravagant for that short distance with luggage.

If post-plane nausea is really a problem, I strongly recommend the Malpensa Xpress into Milano, even though it costs more than the bus to Milano Centrale and means you will need to get to Milano Centrale to make a train connection.

For Milano hotels, try booking through Holiday City, which shows you neighborhoods and price ranges. Double check your choices against tripadvisor reviews.

http://www.holidaycityeurope.com/milanhotels/

Milano hotels are expensive, including at the airport. Some people's strategy for their last night in Italy is to stay on Lago Maggiore, which is north of Malpensa but actually somewhat closer to Malpensa than Milano itself. The town of Stresa is on the train line (meaning, coming from Liguria, you would switch in Milano for a train to Stresa.) In the morning before your flight, there is a regular, dedicated aiport shuttle that goes between Stresa and Malpensa. Ask your hotel to reserve it for you.

Some other towns on Lago Maggiore with shuttle connections to Malpensa are Arona and Bavena. Check with the hotels about how to arrive there (I'm not sure if both or either are on the train line).

If anyone decides on Rapallo and staying at the Hotel Astoria I will tell you that the staff there are wonderful. They are the 5th generation and truly are very excited to make your stay a memorable one. When I decided to stay there but did not know if I was flying into Milan or Pisa, they were kind enough to advise me exactly what train schedule I should use and cost. When I ended up not getting on the Pisa flight and going into Rome and then up to Rapallo, they emailed me new directions.

The hotel is only one I have ever stayed at that had a complete English word guidebooks to Italy and Sicily in their lobby for you to borrow-Fodors, Frommers, DK Eyewitness, Lonely Planet,etc. The only drawback is that there is not an internet service but they do have free WiFi if you have your own laptop.

Seriously, this is a jewel of a town . I counted only about 8 Americans that we ran into there the whole time we were there-the rest were French, German,English and Australian. There are some typical touristy restaurants near the promenade but when you go one to two blocks back to the shopping area you feel as though you live there with the locals which I loved!

I will get my name and website for the restaurant on the water for you.You are so blessed to live in this region-its beautiful,Zeppole!

dutyfree,

Si, si! Liguria e' bellissima!

I look forward to the restaurant information.

I agree about the feel of the town two steps away from the promenade. Not long ago, I went into Rapallo to pick up a rental car, and arrived a bit early. I stepped into a cute little bar to get a coffee, and use the restroom. The front of the bar was quite typically pretty and sparkly, and the server spoke English. But when I went to use the restroom, I discovered an enormous old room in the back with a ceiling fan where half a dozen ancient Italian grandmothers were enjoying a card game at a big table, smoking like fiends while they sipped their wine.

But you know, Santa Margherita Ligure is nothing to sneeze at. It's a perfectly fine place to sample Liguria or use as a base.

We stayed at the Italia e Lido Hotel in Rapallo last year. Our room overlooked the sea and had a little balcony with room for a bistro table and 2 chairs. The room was quite good sized with a large bathroom. The room below us had a very large balcony/patio. We enjoyed our stayed in Rapallo very much. annie

ttt

Zeppole: If it were up to me only, I would make the switch from SML to Rapallo for our 3 nights following the 3 in Camogli. But there was so much back and forth with my friends about hotels that I am not sure I want to get into another discussion. Just briefly, can you think of a hotel in Rapallo that would have access to sea swimming and a good pool to swim in? They also want a quiet room.

(We are now booked at the Cenobbio in Camogli and the Miramare in SML, so something along those lines, with some kind of charm...) . Budget is generous, but not unlimited, so we would like to keep it under 300 Euro per room.

I would not choose Rapallo over SML.
To us, Rapallo seemed "faded" and did not have the charm of SML or Camogli.

In (or just outside Rapallo, the Grand Hotel Bristol looks lovely:


http://www.framonhotelgroup.com/en/r...tol/index.html

ekscrunchy,

I've never stayed in a hotel in Rapallo, so I can't advise.

Maybe tripadvisor, or a separate thread?

Be sure to emphasize your priorities. I don't know which town is better for beaches or swimming. (You'll have a great time at the Cenobio in that respect.)

You might want to read this:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...n_Riviera.html

And here is a photo album of Rapallo

http://www.globeholidays.net/Europe/...phy/Citta1.htm

and likewise Santa Margherita Ligure

http://www.globeholidays.net/Europe/...a_Spiagge1.htm