Special lodging in Cinque Terre
 

I'm looking for good quality lodging in the CT region. We like nice beaches, prefer a smaller hotel with a seaview or a nice bed and breakfast with a view. We don't mind paying a bit more for something special.
We will be doing hut to hut hiking in Switzerland before arriving to CT, so definitely will want to upgrade our lodging quality from that. We are generally happy with a meal and a place to sleep but would want something a little nicer for this portion of the trip but it doesn't need to be in the Luxury Hotel of the World category, just something special. Thanks!

The Villa Steno, mentioned in response to your previous post, actually fits in this category quite well. La Torretta in Riomaggiore gets good reviews. Giuliano Basso's handcrafted place in Vernazza does too, at least by the people who actually get to stay there---he has a reputation for not honoring bookings, but I have no personal experience with that.

Being a "newbie" to the forum, congratulations are in order. A minute ago you had the #1&2 listed posts on the SAME subject. Mike

Barbmike, huh?
I'm obviously a newbie too and I don't know what you are talking about.

Thanks for your help though. I'm getting great ideas.

Does the post "Luxury Lodging in Cinque Terre" ring a bell? Mike

Of course! but where do you see #1 and #2? I'm searching through an entire list of Europe stuff even to read these responses. I must be missing a sort. I'll keep looking.

When you read this post there is a number beside it that indicates its posting position on the board. You wrote another post that was almost identical to this one. At one time your posts were #1&2.

I guess my real question is why did you start another post on the same subject? Mike

Mike, because luxury lodging apparently wasn't what I was looking for. It doesn't appear in the review of the posts on the side, that you see anything more than the subject line and I didn't know how to edit the first one. I just don't want to stay in a dump.

Mike, I saw you had lodging/hiking suggestions for someone for Grindewald area.
We are also doing that.
two nights Grindewald
hike to wengen-overnight
hike to murren-overnight
bus to kandersteg-stay two nights
Do these hikes seem reasonable?
We will need train/bus rides from Zurich to Grindewald, bus from Murren to Kandersteg, then train from Kandersteg-CT. Do you think we should buy some kind of pass or pay as we go?
Have any lodging suggestions at these locations or places to avoid?

Now I get it!! Go to www.grindelwald.com for all kinds of information including lodging. Be sure to check the letter "E" for the English version.

We've been to this area many times and purchase the 6 day BO pass. You also can purchase the pass for 2 days as I like the idea of simply going where/when without calculating costs.

I don't think a pass would work for you considering the total areas you're traveling to in Europe. Have a nice trip!! Mike

ok, whatever, thanks.

Those hikes are "reasonable" but you will be more or less hiking on roads, not trails. From Wengen to Mürren you will lose a LOT of altitude and then climb up the other side of the valley on wide paths, not mountain trails. Between Mürren and Kandersteg you are missing a spectacular section of trail, over the Sefinenfurka to Griesalp and up to the Blumlisalp Hütte at Hohtürli, then down to the spectacular Oeschinensee.

If you want transport between Mürren and Kandersteg instead of hiking, the best way is by train (from Lauterbrunnen), not bus.

Enzian, do you have a better suggestion for us then? Do you know where we can get maps to do our own research?

Krissy,

I'm sorry if I sounded rude. But a number of people have spent a considerable amount of time giving sincere, well-considered answers to your questions, particularly as to the "luxury lodging", and it turns out you want something different. And the hiking you are doing is not really "hut-to-hut". So I was a bit irritated. Also a bit jealous because I've wanted to hike hut-to-hut, but have always gone to Switzerland with my extended family, people of many ages, and we can't commit to the hut-to hut thing for various reasons. Staying in a village base (Grindelwald, Mürren, etc.) for hiking is wonderful too. But if you want to do a point-to-point hike, carrying all your stuff, I think that's great, and I will try to help. Just give us a clue as to how old you are, how fit, how much hiking experience, and how much you can/want to spend on lodging, whether you prefer to stay in villages or true mountain huts, etc. There is LOTS of help for you here, but you have to ask the right questions. When are you going? If you have time, I suggest you get a copy of "Switzerland's Mountain Inns" by the Liebermans. One could easily plan a whole hiking trip around these rustic hotels.

Hi Enzian. I appreciate all of your help. I'm about ready to bail on my whole trip as I've spent two months researching and I haven't been able to put it together.
We have a week to spend in this area. We were planning on two nights in Grindewald, hiking to Wengen, one night in Wengen, hiking to Murren, one night in Murren, bus to Kandersteg, then two nights there. We have another night to add somewhere, and if possible, we'd like to split up the murren-kandersteg part and overnight somewhere to make this part less strenuous and skip the train or bus. I don't know if this is realistic or not. I have no idea what we will do if there is bad weather or someone gets sick. I know that a portion of this trip will require cogs but I don't know their schedule and when we need to be there to ensure we can get to our lodging location. My last trip to Europe, I was sick the whole time. I think you mentioned we might be hiking on a road for a portion of the trip. I thought we were going to a carless village, and we'd be hiking through beautiful mountain passes, not alongside a road. should we do something different? I"m at my wits end to put something together. I'm trying to decide if we should just go to Murren for a few nights and then Kandersteg. Which villages would be the best for day hiking? I didn't think you were rude, someone else was. I sincerely appreciate all the help I've been able to find here.
I mentioned Cinque Terre luxury lodging because mostly I've been hearing about basic lodging and hostels and we didn't want that for Cinque Terre. I didn't know the audience for this forum. We have decided on the Hotel Villa Steno for Cinque Terrre, everyone has said good things and it looks perfectly fine.

From Cinque Terre we are traveling to Montalcino in Tuscany. We are unsure if we should go to Florence and rent a car there or get there from La Spezia some other way. The logistics of putting this together has been difficult at best and I'm fearful that we are now trying to do to much, with too many logistics, not making for a very relaxing journey. All thoughts and helpful suggestions are appreciated at this time. WE have free tickets already booked to fly into Zurich and out of Florence and I'm about ready to cancel the freebies.

Thanks

Don't bail on the trip! Switzerland is very "user-friendly" and there are wonderful hikes there. I wouldn't recommend a hut-to-hut plan for your first time there, because the weather can be iffy and the logistics are complicated to do on your own (sending luggage ahead, etc.). But staying in a village and hiking a different hike from there each day works just fine. We've done it 4 times now and I'm planning the fifth. You really don't need to plan the hikes ahead; just figure out where you want to stay and decide each day based on the weather. Since you are going in September, you might do best to stay in Grindelwald where you will have more options if the weather turns bad one day.

You can easily reach Grindelwald the same day you arrive in Switzerland; trains go from the Zürich airport to Zurich main station to Interlaken. At Interlaken Ost you take the train to Grindelwald.

We prefer to stay 3 or 4 nights at a place rather than move around; that way we have more hiking time.

The place at the lake above Kandersteg is here: www.oeschinensee.ch
It's lovely there but not for everyone. There is nothing up there but 2 small log hotels on the lakeshore, and it's very quiet in the evening. They serve dinner about 6 because the staff leaves after that. There are 2 living room/lounges where guests gather in the evening to talk and play cards, with an honor bar stocked with beer and wine.

Since someone seems annoyed with your multiple posts, maybe you should put your next questions about Switzerland on your "village base" thread, and ask for more Cinque Terre help here.

Don't give up---you can do this. I do recommend you get one of the books about walking in Switzerland so you have a general guide. And look at the train website so you can see how the trains work. Good luck!

I agree with enzian 100%. Base yourself in Grindelwald, purchase the Jungfrabahnen Pass and hike from sunup to sunset. Mike

What is the jungfrabahnen pass? can I easily get to Kandersteg or murren for a day hike if I'm based in Grindewald?

You can easily get to Mürren now, but in the fall the funicular up from Lauterbrunnen will not be running, and it's a bit more complicated. If you are interested in Mürren, you probably should stay there: 2 nights Grindelwald, 2 nights Mürren, 2 nights Kandersteg (or 1 night there and 1 extra in one of the other two).

Since all the hiking an moving around in this area requires use of trins and lifts, it's best to have a pass of some sort. The one Mike suggests gives you, I think, 5 or 6 days of travel on all the trains and lifts in the area, except possibly the last part up to the Jungfrau and maybe the last section of the Schilthorn lift. Those are more for sightseeing than hiking, but lots of people do like to go up there. The nice thing about a pass is that you just get on the train---no waiting in line to buy tickets.

Maybe Mike will come back and explain the pass (and the cost) in case I'm wrong. I haven't used this one, we get the Berner Oberland Pass because it covers Kandersteg too, but that only gives you 3 days of fully covered travel. The Jungfraubahnen Pass is the one you want.

Enzian is correct once again. The JP covers all the area from Grindelwald to Murren and costs around $150 for 6 days.
I've used it several times for hiking and will again in September. It allows you to travel to all the areas to start/finish your hikes.
It will NOT get you to Kandersteg, but with the mutilple options of trails in the area you will easily fill up to 6 days. The pass is available for fewer than 6 days.
It gives you total freedom for hiking purposes. Mike

Do either of you know if there is a shorter route from Griesalp to Kandersteg without hiking 4500'? Is there a cog train for part of the way?

I personally have no idea. I really do think your life/planning would be alot easier/fun if you simply stayed in the BO area before heading to Italy. You will have MORE than enough hiking areas to statisfy youself.
Sometimes adjustments in planning are needed to create sanity. Have a Nice Trip!! Mike

I answered this question on your new thread. Short answer is Google---there is lots of information there---photos, trail profiles, etc. There is no way to use lifts to shorten this hike, apart form the little chairlift down to Kandersteg from Oeschinensee.

Thank you. We were trying to end up in Kandersteg as we heard there are great day hikes from there and that we will need to end up there anyway to get a train down to Italy. Does this sound wrong? Can we get to Italy from Murren too.

You are correct on both points---there are nice dayhikes in Kandersteg, and it is on the train line down to Milan, where you would pick up a train to Cinque Terre. From Mürren, the best route to Cinque Terre uses the train line that goes through Kandersteg anyway. You can get to Kandersteg on the train in 2 hours 51 minutes from Mürren. The hike is a great one, but as I noted already it is the most difficult part of the Alpine Pass Route, and in September the high passes could be snowy---that happened to friends of mine who tried to hike the route in September. So you are best to take the train.

You will be fine with village-based hikes. If you want to go hut-to-hut, perhaps you can find a guide or tour operator as LLindaC suggested on your other discussion.

To answer your original question, although it was a few years ago (2001), we sayed at the Hotel Porto Roco in monterosso(http://www.portoroca.it/home_e.htm) and loved it. It's a relatively larger 4-5 star hotel perched on the cliff with a wonderful view of the sea (make sure to get a room with a view). Maybe not as quaint as some of the other places in CQ, but the rooms are great, the breakfasts were good, and the view is fantastic.

We stayed at the Porto Roco as one leg of our honeymoon. Loved it! We were there in early October, so the towns were practically deserted, but after a crazy time in Rome and Florence, we needed the rest! I'm sure it gets packed during the summer months.
Either way, a great hotel, would certainly recommend to anyone.
Good luck planning!