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| A closer look at our family |
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Karen
Brown Guides
Constantly in search
of places to stay in the increasingly popular
Cinque Terre, we were pleased to receive a
letter from one of our readers highly praising
the Hotel Villa Steno and its gracious owners,
Matteo and Carla. We are pleased to confirm
her impressions of Villa Steno, a simple yet
most appealing small, family run hotel with
a tranquil location just above Monterosso.
An enormous advantage is that it offers parking
for guests (space is not guaranteed, but usually
available).
The hotel, an attractive, mustard-yellow villa
accented by green shutters, offers guests
a warm welcome. Usually Matteo, or his sweet
wife, Carla, is at the reception desk to greet
you (you might also catch a glimpse of their
adorable daughter, Chiara). The heart of the
hotel is the breakfast room where there is
also a small guest sitting area. Here modern
furnishing made of blond wood and sunlight
streaming in through large windows create
a pleasing mood. A hearty buffet breakfast
includes fantastic pastries baked fresh each
morning by Matteo’s father. The guestrooms
are simply furnished, but fresh and impeccably
clean. Each of the bedrooms has a private
bathroom, almost all of sthem with a shower
enclosed by a wraparound curtain. Except for
two, all of the guestrooms have either a balcony
or a private terrace. Matteo’s brother,
Marco, owns another hotel, the Pasquale, located
in the center of the village. Both hotels
were started by their enterprising grandfather,
Pasquale, and his wife, Fortunata. |
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Italy
for Dummies
This is the hotel
we prefer most in the Cinque Terre. Unpretentions,
it offers comfortably appointed guest rooms
with a minimalism look and bright white walls.
In addition, each room has a private terrace
or small garden.
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Rick
Steve's Italy
The lovelingly managed
Hotel Villa Steno features great view balconies,
private gardens off some rooms, air-conditioning,
and the friendly help of English-speaking
Matteo. Of his 16 rooms, 12 have view balconies,
includes hearty buffet breakfast. Readers
get a free Cinque Terre packet and a glass
of the local sweet wine, sciacchetrà,
when they check in-ask. The Steno has a tiny
parkeing lot (free, but call to reserve a
spot). |
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