Hotel Cinque Terre

          On the morning of Wednesday, June 3, 2009 I left Genoa, Italy, hoping to get any early start on the Cinque Terre hike.  The train packed with other tourists arrived at Monterosso, the first of the five villages on the Cinque Terre, at 10:30 AM and by 11:30 I had found a hotel, unpacked, prepared my day pack and hit the trail.  After checking several overpriced hotels right on the beach, I headed up the street and a short block inland where I found the aptly named Hotel Cinque Terre.  They had a very nice room available with private bath and a window looking out to their courtyard for the equivalent of about $98.00, which included breakfast.  I consider this a good price for a great hotel at one of the premier destinations of the world!  The members of the staff were very accommodating to let me check in at that hour of the morning and went out of their way to clean the room early so that it would be all ready for me.  It was a great feeling to know that I could leave my pack in a safe place while I spent the rest of the day hiking the eight mile trail to the other villages and that I would have a nice hot shower and clean bed to return to at the end of the day.

An Awesome Accommodation!

          The Hotel Cinque Terre, or Hotel ‘5’ Terre as they sometimes refer to it, has 54 rooms with private baths and a limited amount of car parking available.  It is just a short walk to the beautiful, sandy beach of Monterosso on the Mediterranean Sea.  The large lobby had the feel of a first class hotel, yet was warm and inviting.  The front desk was manned by a friendly, helpful, multilingual staff who helped point me in the direction of the beginning of the trail.  The Hotel Cinque Terre was very clean and well maintained and met all the standards I look for in accommodations while I travel, namely sanitation, safety, friendly staff, available breakfast, good location and good value.  I must say, the breakfast the next morning was fabulous and I actually had to nudge myself to get back on the train heading for my next destination, Rome.