La Poesia was the last stop on our Northern Italy honeymoon and we couldn't have been more pleased. Given that many Italian/European B&B's have their quirks, clearly they were minimized in this gem of a location in Monterosso.

Location: Upon arriving in Monterosso, you have to park in this big general parking lot (10 euros/day). You are going to have a pretty decent walk from the lot to La Poesia. Not La Poesia's fault --- it comes with the territory. I highly recommend you minimize what you have to take with you to the hotel (consolidate luggage and leave other bags in the car). Some hotels offer golf cart transportation. Easy walks, train rides, and boat rides to the other towns.

La Poesia is a little tricky to find. Definitely not intuitive. Make sure you get clear directions upon booking and take them with you and use the directories upon arriving. Once there, expect to be exposed to the ambient noises associated with small Italian villages with narrow streets which may be louder than what you are accustomed to. Again, all of these location quirks are not exclusive to La Poesia, but something you need to consider in your planning if you have mobility issues or are sensitive to noise.

Room: Very impressive. We had a great bed. Room was immaculate and clean. Beautiful floors. Excellent bathroom (cleanliness, layout, water pressure, hot water). Shower was fantastic.

Breakfast: Fairly traditional, but what really stood out was the fresh fruit. That was a big plus.

Activities: The hiking and the beach are fantastic.

Service: Our hostess was superb. She really made us feel like royalty (don't know if it was because it was our honeymoon, but saw nothing that resembled the poor service that was mentioned in other reviews...shocked to even see it). She made dinner reservations for us and always asked us how things were when we ran into her. Housekeeping did a fantastic job and were unobtrusive.

We were so pleased with La Poesia that when we return, I won't even look at other places. We will be back.

We stayed at LA Poesia for 5 nights in July of 2007. We were on a 4 week trip to Italy and stopped here for a few days. We stayed in the Suite and it was a great room. The owner, NIcoletta , speaks a little English, however we speak Italian so it made for a great stay and great conversation. This is by far the best place to stay in Cinqueterre, however the suite is a must as the other rooms are very small. We have already made our reservations for July of 2008, that is how much we liked this place. NIcoletta was a big help with dinner suggestions and hiking information. If you go to Chinqueterre don’t be like most tourist who go for the day, go and stay for a week and kick back and enjoy the real Italy. Leave your dressy clothes and your rental car behind and see where Italians go for vacation.

Ed & Cindy....Venice Beach California

We stayed at La Poesia for three nights and absolutely loved it. It is a quaint, charming little place on a quiet street away from the tourist masses. The rooms have been nicely redone and are spotless. The best part about it is its outdoor patio where you enjoy a wonderful breakfast and peace and quiet, except for the sound of church bells and the occasional clatter of neighboring families as they go about their business. The owner, Nicoletta, further enhanced our experience by offering us heartfelt hospitality. We found ourselves missing this wonderful place as we went on to other hotels throuhout the rest of our trip.

We enjoyed two nights in the Annetta room. The room was quaint and cozy (no more than 2 people) with a nice updated bathroom. The windows open with a view above the outdoor patio. The location is fantastic. You are in the center of the small town with restaurants below.

The service here is amazing! They are so kind, and had great suggestions for dining. Breakfast was wonderful with fresh pastries, fruits, cheeses and coffee. More than enough to eat! We had an early flight the next morning, so they were so thoughtful and placed fruit and yogurts in our mini-fridge the night before.

We would highly recommend La Poesia to anyone staying in Monterossa.

Be sure to eat at Miky Ristorante. It was the best food we had during our 10-day stay in Italy!!