Reviews of Cinque Terre Holidays

17 January 2012 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The apartment I was staying in had an interesting set up - I was sleeping in a bunk bed that was in a sort of sitting area by the kitchen. There was one other room off this with a double bed and two single beds in it. I understand from other reviews that there are a number of different apartments rented out, so I was expecting something like this. Easy access to the train station and the Cinque Terre track.

Disliked: Office was not manned when I arrived even through it was within the times noted on the booking (there was a number I could have called but I opted to wait). No free WiFi available.

24 October 2011 Kyra would recommend this property

Liked: There was a washing machine! and kitchen! Great location (close to train, markets, etc) and easy to find, staff was nice and answered my questions before I even asked. Great for meeting people and hanging out, I would really reccomend this for solo travellers.

Disliked: Be prepared for cramped quarters and one bathroom. But considering how many people were in the room it wasn't even bad. There is some random furniture though. No wifi but you can get wifi from other places in Cinque Terre.

21 October 2011

Liked: NOTHING

Disliked: We found the male host to be very rude and very unwilling to hear us out. In our booking confirmation email, its stated, in capitals and in bold text, that we HAD TO CHECK IN BY 5pm. Knowing that our train would get us there just before 5pm, I sent the owner an email explaining, but never heard back. Upon arriving in La Spezia, our connecting train was delayed, therefore meaning we wouldn't arrive in Cinque Terre until about 5.15pm. We sent another email to the listed email address in our booking confirmation, plus tried to ring 3 different numbers, for 40 minutes, but noone ever answered the calls. Not wanting to be stranded in Cinque Terre for the night, incase we couldn't check in, we stayed in La Spezia. At 8pm, 3.5 hours after we sent emails to the host and tried to call him, he replyed to our email, saying that he was waiting for us, and had been at the hotel the whole time. How were we to know this, we said, when you didn't answer or reply to us. We went and saw the man the next morning, again trying to explain, but he said well, thats not my fault. So we promptly cancelled our 2nd night and told him to look forward to a bad review. DO NOT BOOK HERE

14 October 2011 James would recommend this property

Liked: Great location in one of the best towns of Cinque Terre. Fairly clean and safe.

Disliked: The shower head was busted and it was unfortunate that you couldn't leave your bags on the day of your departure.

06 October 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Amazing location, right by the water front....little bit small but here for the outdoors not the hotel....would definately stay here again.

Disliked: Size

01 October 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Private triple wasnt even at the hostel, it was better. we had our own apartment. We had a full kitchen and bathroom and were very very close to the water.

Disliked: It wasnt in the best condition but that was sort of expected

29 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Definitively the village it is set in

Disliked: The owner was very strange and extremely unfriendly

22 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: really greate location, our room was just next to the port and beach

Disliked: it was terribly hot in the night we had a little flood in the morning (nobody knows where the wather came from) WARNING It doesn't refer to the hostel but rather to the whole Riomaggiore - if you want to catch a whiff of Italian town, don't go there. It's full of Americans and Australians and you hear English much more often than Italian. It's specially prepared for tourists... Instead, I recommend Genova, it's wonderful.

19 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Had a kicthen and wasing machine. would stay here again.

Disliked: Was more like a share house than a hostel but still met lots of people.

19 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The private 4 bedroom was in a great location and was awesome. It was pretty much a hotel room with 4 beds, a full kitchen, a washer, and even a microwave.

Disliked: Did not feel 100% secure and safe, and there was a lot of noise at night in around 4 and 5 in the morning.

16 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: good location

Disliked: very squashed too much furniture

15 September 2011

Liked: Room setup wasnt too bad. Thats the only good thing.

Disliked: DONT RECOMMEND THIS HOSTEL TO ANYONE!!! The owner (roberto) overbooked our room twice within the 2 nights we stayed. We found him rude, unwilling to listen and made our stay unpleasant.

09 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Great location to travel around Cinque Terre. Clean bathroom, bedroom and kitchen and terrace was pretty nice.

Disliked: If you're staying in the dorm room, be prepared for A LOT of stairs to the property. The check in time is also very limited and a bit annoying - we got there at 830 and had to wait around to 1030 to check in and put our luggage away.

05 September 2011 Monique would recommend this property

Liked: Good location, small rooms but very clean. Small kitchen which is handy. Would stay again

Disliked: Fridge didn't work and a kettle, toaster and microwave would b good. Also a fan in both rooms would be good. Otherwise everything was good

02 September 2011

Liked: Located near the sea.

Disliked: It smelt of mold in my room, there were no windows. When I arrived my bed has not been made. They said that they gonna make it, but didn't. So I eventually made it myself. In the morning there was no electricity and light in the bathroom and kitchen and people had to shower in the dark. On the kitchen door they posted things like "If you or your room mates don't clean up, we charge an extra 5 Euro per night per person!" - the tone seemed rather unfriendly and harsh. The check-in policies are weird, suggesting that you have to check in before 5 pm online, at their reception it then says 7 pm, and in fact there is someone at the reception till 10 pm - so I don't know why people must check in early. Other travelers told me that they took fast trains to get there in time and were afraid to miss the check in. This inflexibility is a handicap when traveling! All in all I think that the price is not appropriate for the service you get. They should make a little more effort in accommodating travelers - or become cheaper. I stayed at places in Italy that were half the price but twice as friendly and cozy. Guess, it is their location you pay for! Cinque Terre is amazing and an UNESCO world heritage site....

31 August 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: 1. its right in the middle of Riomaggiore - the perfect place to have as a base when visiting the Cinque Terre 2. ensuite included 3 fridge included 4. kitchen with cooking utensils

Disliked: 1. top bunk had no rail! didnt fall off though 2. the whole place is dislocated so you can't really develop any connection with people other than those in your room...this also makes you pretty detached from the owners

27 August 2011 Sam would recommend this property

Liked: The view was amazing even if the climb to get there up all those stairs was less than enjoyable with a pack on. The owner has a few rooms around the place but each one is very seperate from the other so although there is a dining room and terrace for you to chat with the other lodgers a common room for all the rooms would make it perfect.

Disliked: The owner is a very strange man, he ignored me until another person arrived who ended up showing me to my room and also made me pay up front even though he has a sign saying payment is accepted the night before you leave. A few of the people that stayed at the same time had bigger problems with him so I guess I count myself lucky there.

23 August 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: great location and there were only 6 beds in the apartment style hostel. There were at least 2 apartments associated with the hostel and mine had a room with 2 bunks and a room with 1 as well as a kitchen

Disliked: the stairs up to the rooms are really creepy

22 August 2011

Liked: Nothing.

Disliked: They made us stay totaly in adifferent buılding which doesn't match with the photos they have put in your web site. There were only one room with 6 beds, a kitchen and a bathrooom. There was no one in case the guests need something or just to ask something. They were very rude, we arrived the hostel at 11.00 am. and the beds weren't cleaned untıl 15:00 pm. we went and told them to change the sheets but they answered rudely that we weren't the only ones who checked in. And also we payed for three single people but the bed they have given us was one single and one double so I had to sleep with my friend in the same bed. The shower was a problem because one second the water is ice cold and the other second it was too hot. I don't recommend this hostel to anyone else. And they have written a warning at least five times on the walls, not to leave dishes on the kitchen otherwise they will have the right to punish every single one with 5 Euros staying at the hostel, because they didn't warn the one who left dishes behind. It's unbelievable. There were no cupboard, closet or wardrobe only two chiffoniers. Not even a safebox or a cupboard that you can lock. And the room itself was dirty.

18 August 2011 Mark would recommend this property

Liked: In the heart of Riomaggiore. Cheap. Quaint. Charming. Bathroom was clean. Sheets were clean. My room had a small kitchen and a table which was a good focal point. If you are travelling alone then you will most definitely meet people here. (Really not as bad as some of these reviews make out!)

Disliked: I didn't particularly dislike anything, but I imagine that the lack of lockers and the sense that someone could just walk off of the street, up the stairs and into your room might put others off. But, the room door can be locked, it's just that Riomaggiore just isn't the kind of place where anyone seems to feel that locking a door is necessary.

16 August 2011

Liked: Good location and there was a fridge.

Disliked: Small room with 6 beds. Toilet has no lock. Shower room has no light. Water is leaking from shower into sleeping room.

12 August 2011 Alison would recommend this property

Liked: Spacious apartment type room for 6 people with kitchen.

Disliked: No wifi but just walk up the hill a little to a church where you can get it. Have to check in by 5 when reception is open til 8.

11 August 2011

Liked: Location was amazing

Disliked: Owner was horrible and very unhelpful. I told him I slipped over due to the massive pool of water from the leaking shower and he didn't even care!!!

07 August 2011 Jeremy would recommend this property

Liked: As per the comments I previously read, I had low expectations. And ended up being positeively surprised. So... Yes, the owner will not talk to you for hours, but by being friendly with him and his wife, you find out they are pretty agreeable and helpful - and understandable if you have specific requests they can accommodate Yes, they own different houses which are not in the very center of the village and you may have to climb up the village - but most people are here for hiking or sighseeing, and, being in a house in the upper part of the village gets you to wonderful views of the surrounding So, once you know and accept this, there are even better news In the house where we stayed, there were kitchens and terraces - and we had great dinner, home prepared, and eaten at sunset from the terrace table, looking at the sun setting on the sea - that's one of the advantages of being in a house out of the center of the village We wanted to change our room after 2 nights (out of 8) and we had no difficulty to get a better room (from a room with a view on the terrace, to a room with a direct view on the sea) So, all, in all, a very positive experience

Disliked: You have to know that there is no luggage room (but we managed to keep them during the day of our departure somewhere in the house where we stayed and, although not secured in a locker, we found them back in the evening when we left), no internet access (but there is the Bar Centrale in the village that offers free WiFi with any drink/lunch), no TV (apart in the guest living room) So, this is not a 4 star hotel, but one can consider it as a nice guest house, conveniently located, clean, and easy-going, with its kitchens and flexibility you can get if you're nice enough - and make some effort speaking "some" italian (maybe that is a "plus" - not sure with my bad mixture of French/Spanish/Italian ;) )

07 August 2011

Liked: It was in Riomaggiore

Disliked: BEDBUGS. BEDBUGS. BEDBUGS. BEDBUGS. My wife and I BOTH got eaten alive by bedbugs. I wish I would have read other reviews of this hostel that also complained of bedbugs. The reviews of the staff are accurate, very rude and unaccommodating. The facilities were absolutely terrible: the "kitchen" was in disarray, the "washing machine" was completely broken and useless. The bathroom was right next to the kitchen with no ventilation. The shower wouldn't shut off so there was a constant sound of running water. One out of three lights in our room worked. BEDBUGS! BEDBUGS! Stay away from this hostel. There are PLENTY of other places to stay in Cinque Terre, either in Riomaggiore or any of the other towns.