Hotel La Spiaggia
Monte Rosso al Mare, Cinque terre
A villager-recommended hotel on the beach
Hotel La Spiaggia is a small hotel run by a father and daughter team on the seafront of Monterosso al Mare, the largest of the five Cinque Terre villages. The word 'La Spiaggia' means beach in Italian and it's a fitting name.
Most Cinque Terre accommodation is expensive, and because it's built on the cliffs, it often involves climbing narrow, steep stairs with large suitcases, which can be difficult.
Monterosso al Mare is relatively better, as the village itself is larger than the others, so there are more places to stay, restaurants and shops. There is also a short sandy beach, which is not found in the other villages. So although Manarola and Vernazza have beautiful scenery, Monterosso al Mare is definitely a better place to stay.
On a winter's day when there were few tourists, I thought I would stay in this simple village for a while and walk along the beach at Monterosso al Mare. Sipping a glass of wine with calamari and anchovy fritters in a café, I asked for a good place to stay in the area and the owner pointed to the yellow building next to the shop, La Spiaggia.
It is a lemon-coloured building at the end of a short sandy beach lined with bars and restaurants, and each room has an open terrace overlooking Liguria's emerald sea. It is just a step away from a small beach. On the first floor there is a small bar. It is not as stylish as the small hotels on the coast in the countryside, but it shows that it has been well maintained over the years.
To sum up, the main attraction of La Spiaggia is obviously its location on the beach and the uninterrupted view of the Cinque Terre coastline from the rooms. However, the noise from the café and gelato shop can be a little loud and the facilities are a little dated.
But this place has been run by Mr Andrea for 54 years, and now it is run by his lovely daughter Maria. It is not a place run by outsiders, but by a family that has been in the same place for generations. This is why people in the neighbourhood would recommend it with confidence.
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Slow traveller, slovie, was recommended by the villagers themselves and carefully read a total of 153 reviews over the past year to decide on the recommended places to stay for our next trip.
