Monterosso Al Mare: apartment in the historic center a stone's throw from the sea

This is a wonderful and convenient place to stay in Cinque Terre - in the historic area of Monterosso Al Mare. Amazing restaurants nearby and a convenient location if you plan to hike to Vernazza, take a sunset cruise or go to the beach. Communication with Giovanna was easy and prompt. She was generous and flexible in supporting our arrival and departure times. Would absolutely stay there again!

We really enjoyed staying in the Italian apartment. It was in the center of all the activity (of course that means you can hear the activity). Monterossa was lovely. I would like to note that there isn't a main gathering area. Only the kitchen. It worked for us since we were out during the day and having dinner at night.

As much as I enjoyed Monterosso, I would not recommend this unit. While the host originally had the check in date off by one day, once that was corrected, check in was easy and encountered no issues. The unit was relatively clean but a few small bugs in the bathroom by the kitchen. The location is very noisy and on the first night there the noise carried on past 2:00 in the morning. This was likely due to a sports bar that is open till 1:00 located just two doors down on the lower level. The air conditioning unit started leaking on the first day causing the trim above the door to fall off, requiring us to put a towel and pots out to collect the dripping water. No air conditioning that night. Lost some time awaiting the repair the next day but the unit was quickly repaired. Interestingly, the pots were only quickly rinsed and put back in the cupboard. There is no place to sit and relax so if all you need is a place to sleep and can sleep with lots of noise this might work for you. No common amenities like most VRBOs (coffee, paper towels, Kleenexes, etc). Only two wine glasses which is surprising for a unit in Italy that says it sleeps five. While unit has a washing machine it is very small and rusting. Photos on VRBO were not completely accurate as curtains in rooms were not there. Overall, it was an OK stay but not a unit we would return to.

The location of this property is primo. However, it is very noisy even with the AC on due to the location. Also, there is no living area, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a kitchen. All clean and AC works great but no central area to gather. Our biggest issue was the communication with Giovanna. She said she would help us with our luggage due to the ages of our guests and would meet us with her car at the parking structure, which is where everyone must park unless you have a parking sticker to come into the village. She never showed with her car or bothered to help us. This was was very disappointing. Hopefully, no one else will have this experience.

The apartment was great, we had enough space for the 4 of us, centrally located and with all we needed handy. The communication with host was excellent from the beginning.Just be aware, If you are a light sleeper think about it, since the apartment is located in one of the main streets with bars, cafés, restaurants and stores, which are usually open until late or early in the morning. This will happen with any property located in the city centre, so if you don't like the noise you will need to look outside the main town.

Excellent location, would have loved a balcony but managed well without.

We had a wonderful stay. It was clean, spacious and convenient to everything.

The location of this unit couldn’t be more convenient, but for that reason, it’s almost never quiet. Restaurants out the bedroom window had guests past midnight and street noise till 2am. And by 6am, vendors are rolling their carts through town and beginning to set up their shops. We had to time our arrival to meet someone to check in, which is always stressful. And we were given no specific info about where to park, etc. I think that some hosts need more guidance to properly manage the access and check in process, especially when the location has some unique access and driving rules. The big surprise is that there is no living room. We were surprised to find that this 3-bedroom unit had no common space to sit apart from the kitchen table.

The location of this property is fantastic, it is also very clean. The host met us at the location for check in, but there were no other check-in instructions and spotty reception made it difficult to communicate. This is a good place to stay if you plan on being out exploring a lot, and just sleeping in your accommodation at night. The living room is too small for groups to spend time in.

Upon selecting this VRBO we contacted the host to find out about parking our car. She assured me that there was parking but once we arrived, she could not assist us to get to the parking lot. Nor did she tell us we could not drive down the street at the end of Via Roma so we could load our suitcases. It cost us 65Euro for that mistake. We found the property dirty, the washing machine so rusted and mold inside that we could not use it, the stove, cups and pans were dirty. The bathroom had towels with stains on them. We could not get the TV to work. Everything was unplugged. Other than the apartment being in a wonderful location, there is nothing good about this accommodation.

This was a lovely spot in a lovely area. Great size for our party of 6.

Overall the property was good. It was clean. Giovanna was responsive and timely. The property is in a great location to get to the hiking trail, beach and to catch a train or ferry. There are lots of restaurants and shops right outside the door. We were dropped off by car. It’s an easy 3 minute walk from the drop off. The downside to the location is the noise. Being so close to restaurants and shops brings people late in the evening and early in the morning. There are also trucks with supplies coming past the apartment early in the morning. Lastly, there is no common space to sit and relax together.