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La Baia - Portovenere/Cinque Terre Area
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Accommodates 3+1 - 3 Bedrooms,
2 Baths
First of all, let’s get the location of La Baia straight.
When we say “Cinque Terre Area”, what do we mean?
Well, it’s not the Cinque Terre themselves. Rather,
we’re talking the town of Portovenere, a truly beautiful
fishing-village-turned-elegant-summer-resort, on the other
– that is, on the southeastern – side of the Gulf
of La Spezia. Portovenere is gorgeous, with its characteristic
castle, Romanesque churches, little harbors and coves, and
narrow, multicolored 3- and 4-story houses. And it’s
big enough to have all the services you’re likely to
need or want, like restaurants, elegant boutiques, banks,
post office, grocery stores, and so on.
Portovenere makes a great base
from which to visit not only the Cinque Terre, but also up
and down the coast from Genoa, Portofino, and Santa Margherita
to the north, to Lerici, Carrara and Pisa to the south.
But we want to emphasize one
thing: Portovenere in itself will capture you in the same
way Capri does. Even if you sit down at home before your departure
and plan a weekful of excursions “out”, one day
after another, we guarantee that you’ll find Portovenere
so seductive that in the end you’re going to want to
be staying close to home and getting immersed in the ordinary
life of a real Italian seaside town.
Obviously, however, you will
want to do some touring. Can you get around without a car?
Yes, you can, but we believe you should probably have one,
if only to run errands, food shop, and for inland excursions.
Renting a car isn’t cheap, especially when you consider
that there will almost certainly be several days when you
won’t use it at all. For example, let’s say you’re
staying at La Baia and you want to go to the Cinque Terre
for the day. How do you get there? Even if you have a car,
you’d be insane to use it. The best way would be to take
the frequent bus from almost in front of La Baia to La Spezia’s
train station (about 15-20 minutes) and from there to the
Cinque Terre (20-30 minutes depending on which of the Cinque
Terre you’re going to). Another beautiful alternative:
again take the bus, but this time into Portovenere itself,
and from there by boat to the Cinque Terre. Otherwise, you’re
looking at minimum 90 minutes of stressful driving and, in
the season or on any nice weekend, probably much longer.
In fact, all of the coastal
destinations you’re likely to want to explore are reachable
most easily without a car: Far easier are the train from La
Spezia or the boat from Portovenere – both connected
by bus from directly out front of La Baia. But if you want
to go to Lucca for the day, we think the car is best. Also
Pisa. Also Carrara. Also the lovely hilltowns inland.
Now, let’s turn to La Baia
itself. It’s a typical seaside holiday accommodation,
one of four housed in a centuries-old building which is still
home to the olive presses which the Olivetan priests at the
nearby church used for producing olive oil. The building is
nestled just across the road from a lovely little bay in a
hamlet called Le Grazie a couple of miles before you reach
the center of Portovenere. There’s what passes as a “beach”
just across the road. And there are several little food shops
and coffee bars walking distance from the property.
Inside, you’ll find that
La Baia is comfortably and tastefully furnished with a nautical
feeling: it’s welcoming without being at all upscale
or elegant. You can tell it’s been lovingly furnished
by its owners for their own holiday use, not to be photographed
by AD. It’s a great place for a couple or for a family
with one or two children. The place consists of a living/dining
room with TV (Italian channels only), decorative fireplace
and comfy sofas and chairs; separate fully furnished kitchen
(dishwasher, washing machine); plus two small single bedrooms
most suitable for children. On this level is a brand-new bathroom
with shower only. Up on an open loft overlooking the living
area is the principal bedroom, with a matrimonial bed, plus
a second full bathroom with tub and telephone shower. Paid
street parking in immediate neighborhood. Through one of the
the two smaller bedrooms you come out onto a neat terrace
with a partial view of the sea. This makes a delightful setting
for eating outdoors. Our opinion: a pleasant family spot in
a great position.
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Tentative
rates:
|
Jun 4-Sep 24; Easter/Xmas/NYear
|
Apr
2-Jun 4;
Sep 24-Oct 29 |
Other
periods |
1,470
euros
per week |
1,270
euros
per week |
1,050
euros
per week |
| Extras: |
80 euros final cleaning
|
| Arrival: |
Saturday in high season; otherwise
flexible
|
| Minimum stay:
|
1 week
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