You're 30 minutes away from Cinque Terre (by train or car), but a world apart -- in a good way. It's not filled with foreign tourists, so you get a feel for the Italian side of the area.

We loved our hosts -- Debora, Vicenzo and the other guy (whose name I forgot) and with the beautiful, scenic walk to Lerici. We were there off season -- late May, but we plan to go back in season. The beach and the facilities looked great.

The room is clean, cool (not just temperature-wise) and the coffee outstanding. The terrace and garden provide shade and shelter from rain showers. The parking is included and there is a garage, too.

Highly recommended -- we'll definitely go back when we're in the area next time!

We stayed in a one bedroom apartment at this property for two nights. The apartment is basic but nice and clean. It has a small kitchenette, a shower in the bathroom and a washing machine with a portable dryer frame to hang outside. Our bedroom had one double bed and a bunk bed. The sofa also converts into a sofa bed. There is a tiny patch of yard outside the apartment for your exclusive use (gated) and a paved area at the back. There were a few issues, which if we had been staying for more than two nights I would have brought to the management's attention: the sofa had a huge brown stain right in the middle of it, there was a serious ant problem in the yard and the bunk beds did not have proper sheets on (thin, towel like material instead). There isn't a restaurant on site, you are expected to eat out or make use of the kitchenette. We drove into La Spezia to find a supermarket to stock up on essentials. Tried to ask the reception for directions but their English is practically non-existent. Luckily the apartment's wifi is great, so google was our friend in that regard. I would say that in similar set ups I've stayed in before, there is usually a complementary basket including sachets of coffee, sugar and condiments as these are things you usually want but don't necessarily want to buy normal sized versions for a short stay. Given the price of the stay, I was disappointed that nothing of this sort was provided. A small cleaning bag was provided with a washing up sponge, washing up liquid and basic surface cleanser. To make use of the washing machine or the dishwasher, you need to buy (or bring) your own supplies. Again, a few small sachets for each appliance would have been appreciated.

We brought our dog and we had informed the hotel of this and encountered no problem at check in. We did however get some passive aggressive comment from a member of staff when we took the dog for a walk (keeping in mind, our dog is elderly, quiet and friendly. We also pick up all waste) which was not a big deal but was not appreciated.

Each apartment has a designated underground parking space which was appreciated. On the second day after a day out in the town, we entered to find another car in our space. Luckily they were still there and told us that the reception had mixed up the spots and and asked us to switch. This was fine with us but I was annoyed that they didn't bother to inform us specifically and if we hadn't bumped into these people, we would have wondered what was going on. No message was left for us at our apartment either.

You do need a car to get to the nearby towns of Lerici, San Terenzo and La Spezia. The property is set at the top of a hill and a short walk down the hill from the apartments reveals a small, rocky beach and it is really lovely. Its accessible to the public but when we went it was nowhere near as busy as the beaches in Lerici. Lerici is lovely, parking is really difficult and gets worse as the day goes on so try to go earlier in the day.