Lodging

Like most accommodations in the Cinque Terre, Arpaiuis not a full-service hotel. The Cinque Terre is a collection of five once-sleepy fishing villages that have now been discovered by tourists, but still retain much of their undeveloped charm. With the exception of Monterosso, none of the villages are open to cars, and there are no chain hotels.

Arpaiu is situated high above the sea in the village of Manarola. It’s a long climb up to the hotel but the hike is worth it. The rooms are sparsely decorated in Ikea furniture – you’ll find little more than a comfortable bed, dresser, safe, mini-fridge, and tv in each room – but visitors to the Cinque Terre don’t spend much time in their rooms.

Arpaiu view

With the time that guests do spend in their rooms here though, they’ll be delighted to see that Arpaui has one of the best views in town. Its position on the top of the cliff means guests can look out at the whole town below, and the sparkling blue Ligurian Sea in the distance. The shared balcony invites guests to linger over a bottle of Cinque Terre wine as they take in the sight of the setting sun.

Rates start at 90 Euros per night in high season. For those staying longer, there is also an apartment option, outfitted with a kitchenette.

Address:
Via Belvedere n. 196, Manarola 19010 (SP), Italy

Telephone: +39 340 6879732
Email: info@arpaiu.com

Photo credit: Katie Hammel

Inn on Castro caters mainly to a chiefly gay clientele.

On Sunday, June 28 San Francisco celebrated its annual Pride parade. The city’s gay population and their supporters came out (not pun intended) en masse to celebrate at parties in various locations around the city, but no place more than in the Castro district.

It occurred to me that in the 10 months I’ve contributed to this blog, I hadn’t covered any place in the Castro. Time to change that.

Inn on Castro is a restored Edwardian building one-half block up Castro Street from Market Street. Eight rooms on three floors are available at the inn, and for larger parties, three spacious and well-appointed apartments are located nearby.

Innkeeper Jan de Gier has owned the Inn on Castro for 26 years. He gave me a tour of the inn decorated with modern furnishings, original art, and fresh flowers. Most rooms have mini fridges stocked with water and soda, all have robes, flat-screen tvs, DVD players, and free wi-fi. The patio suite has a relaxing, well-tended outdoor garden with a view. A full breakfast is served daily. One sweet touch is that the extensive collection of napkins and fine china are rotated daily as well.

The living room in the Douglass St. apartment.

Jan also took me across Market Street to his other properties on Douglass and Caselli sts. Apartments are located in residential areas, off of the main hub of the Castro.

As we drove around the Castro, Jan pointed out some of his favorite spots including Toad Hall, Trigger, Sumi Sushi, Anchor Oyster Bar, and the fabulous piano bar Martuni’s.

An informed innkeeper with a passion for where he or she lives is a true treasure. Jan de Gier is one such person.

We hit it off well, chatting about architecture, food, art, death, relationships, and philosopy.  When he found out I’d never been there, he insisted on taking me to Kite Hill Open Space, which it turns out is not a good place to fly a kite (”too windy, It actually has a down draft”) but was named for the small birds of prey called kites that occupy the hill most of the year.

It was breathtaking. A view of the city I’d never seen in the 19 years I’ve lived here. With the Castro in the forefront, its gynormous rainbow flag flapping in the wind, and the bay receding behind City Hall and the downtown skyline, it was impossible not to feel Pride. Thanks, Jan.

Inn on Castro, 321 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114; 415.861.0321

Photos by Lisa Dion