First, when the guide books tell you that driving to Cinque Terre is not recommended. BELIEVE THEM! The road from Monterosso to Riomaggiore was closed so alternate routes that our GPS had no knowledge of, had to be taken. We were lucky to find a free parking spot in a parking garage in Riomaggiore. The hotel was a steep walk down the hill to where you check in. The man who checked us in said, "I hope you don't have a lot of luggage because there are a lot of steps to your apartment", and he wasn't kidding. Our room was not in the hotel, but in one of the apartments they manage. His son walked us down the hill to show us our apartment. It was up a lot of stairs, then a sidewalk down a dark narrow passage way to more steps. Then up a steep set of stairs to a landing, then another very steep set of stairs to the apartment. The last flight of stairs was more like climbing a ladder than a flight of stairs. The apartment while very old, gave us a feel of what the residents of Riomaggiore go through everyday. In spite of the steps, we really enjoyed the stay.