We liked the place. Short distance to everything. We stayed 3 nights and it was very good. It is a little bit noisy with the train, but I guess it is like that everywhere in the village.
Pros: centrally located in the heart of Vernazza along the trail to Corniglia, comfortable for six people, awesome terrace, charming entrance, washer, Paolo was very friendly at check in. Cons: no dryer like the listing says (but you can hang clothes outside), lots of stairs (fine for us but would be difficult for the elderly or disabled), noisy with train and church bells, no communication about checkout.Overall a fantastic place--highly recommended!
Centrally located in Veenqzza, the uphill trek to and from Casa Carla really gives the impression of how the local lives. The property is perfect for family, the patio which overlooks the village is perfect for morning coffee or late night relaxing.
Comfortable and cozy.
The house was as described and was clean and close to the trail. The deck was nice and spacious. It is recommended to agree on communication ahead of time as we had a minor question that was left unanswered through VRBO message; however, they have a restaurant in town so assume we could have gone into town to ask.
Paolo was wonderful and kind host. The village of Vernazza was very charming and picturesque! The property was a little beat up- one of the windows wouldnât shut and there was a storm that night the window was banging and it scared my youngest son. Although, you had to climb a significant amount of stairs to get to the property, it felt like it was straight out of a movie.
We stayed at Casa Carla for 3 nights and absolutely loved it. Although you need to take quite a few stairs to get to the apartment it is well worth it. The views of the city and the main street are great. You are a short walk to everything Vernazza has to offer. The apartment beds are comfortable and it has everything you would need to make your stay special.
The renovated barn provides access to all Tuscany has to offer. From the cable cab in Certaldo to the exciting vineyards of the environs you have the opportunity to enjoy all. We loved the patio for sunsets, the barbecue for al fresco dining and the vistas of the country side. Gambassi provided a wonderful Enoteca for local wines and information. Leonardo spent time acclimating us to all the wonderful amenities. A perfect place for a extraordinary holiday. Great restaurants and vineyards close by. Highly recommended but be aware of the 1km gravel entrance drive.
The property is very much a part of Vernazza and Cinque Terre. We were greated by the host and escorted to the property and given a tour of the house. Beautiful views of town. Close to train station.
Paolo and his team were so nice. The people of vernazza are warm and hospitable. This was my second trip to vernazza and having a place to stay in the village itself was key to our experience.
Wonderful base for our 6 night stay in Cinque Terre. 2 couples and we loved this apartment with 2 balconies. Paolo and Julia were great hosts and made check-in and out very easy. Lots of stairs to climb and train station nearby but this only added to the charm. Highly recommend this apartment.
This is a great central place to stay in Cinque Terre. After visiting all five towns Vernazza is quite possibly best in terms of scenery and convenience. Both trails were open to hike to Monterosso and Corniglia while all other legs to the south were shut. Plenty of restaurants and shops all around. Overall very good.
Paolo, our host, kindly greeted us while running his restaurant and gave us some pointers about the town. This 3 bedroom apartment is perfectly located up just a few steps to the top of the building with views of the train station and all the businesses in the Main Street. When all the tourists leave for the day, you will be glad you stayed. Great service. Great restaurants everywhere.
We all loved this location and property. It's in a great location, except there are a lot of stairs. We found out there are a lot of stairs throughout Cinque Terre. I can't think of one thing we didn't like. The patio was great. It had a good view of the main street to watch the activities below.
It was clean, the host was helpful answering questions. We needed to check in at the restaurant, it is Tavern/Bar del Capitano. We had a bit of trouble finding it. Other than that our stay was perfect. The food at the restaurant was yummy.
I would love to go back.
Thank you for a great vacation.
First; full disclosure, we are from the United States and our expectations likely differ from others. The listing said air conditioned and that has a certain expectation for us. What it offered was one mobile A/C unit that was in the living room. The 3 bedrooms are not air conditioned. The hose from the mobile a/c unit was going out of a window and the hose was torn where it meets the unit so hot air was basically blowing out the back and cool air out the front. The gate to the property locked, but the doors to the property could not be locked with the key... you could not get the key to turn all the way to lock and remove and the key got stuck in the mechanism a few times as we tried and we finally got it out. Not all the windows/doors close on the unit, but we needed them open for air. The location was beautiful, but the walk up with luggage is no joke... about 75-80 steps so be prepared. Communicating with and reaching the host was difficult, they did not answer the phone listed, they gave the number to the restaurant they owned and said we needed to pick up key at the restaurant, but the restaurant was closed the day we arrived. They knew what day we arrived and assumedly knew the restaurant would be closed, but did not disclose that. The beds were hard (some people like that, we did not). There were 3 bedrooms and only 2 fans. The view was great, the terrace was great and having a washer (no dryer) was very nice. Convenient location even with steps. Lots of potential...
Fabulous location in the best village in cinque terra. Lots of steps to get to apartment not mentioned in description. Friendly hosts at the restaurant, organised luggage to be taken up for us. A few maintenance issues such as broken doors. Fabulous terrace.
We enjoyed our stay at Casa Carla. The Two floor apartment had everything we needed. There were 5 of us and if was great to have the privacy of two floors and two bathrooms! There was a small washer for laundry and we hung the clothes out to dry on the lovely terrace. There was early morning street noise and as others have mentioned you can hear the train. It wasnât an issue for us. It was nice to have A/C too. Great location! Just up a few sets of stairs on beautiful back alley.
Short walk from train station we checked in at the restaurant owned by VRBO owner. A helpful gentleman threw 2 of our bags on his shoulder and we started the steep pathway to Casa Carla. The steps mentioned in other reviews are no joke! I counted almost 100 from the Main Street and short walk to the beautiful piazza by the sea. Casa Carla was well worth the climb and Vernazza was more beautiful than I could ever describe! Just a suggestion to pack light if possible.
We stayed in the apartment for 3 nights. It was perfect for the four of us (there was even an additional bedroom where my son-in-law could work if necessary). It was very clean and exactly as pictured and described in the listing. We appreciated the well equipped kitchen and enjoyed breakfast on the terrace each morning. My daughter and I also enjoyed a glass of local wine on the terrace after our hikes. We received our booking confirmation promptly with instructions on how to check in. The owners were very friendly! The steps to Casa Carla werenât a problem and neither was the noise from the train.
We stayed with friends for 3 nights at Casa Carla. Positives: close to everything in Vernazza, spacious apartment with nice outside terraces for relaxing.
Negatives: Very noisy. We were only 100 meters from the train station and the noise from that was problematic. Also, being on the main street, noise from garbage collection at 5am was also unexpected. The apartment was clean but very dated and there wasn't much interior sitting room for 4 people except at the table.
Another factor: There are a lot of steps to get to the apartment so hauling luggage up from the train was also a challenge.
Bottom line: apartment was adequate but nothing spectacular. Views of the ocean were limited.
It is in a great location and has lots of outside space. However everything is very tired and out of date. The upstairs patio chairs were so rusty they would break. No instructions in apartment on what to do with rubbish, nothing said at meeting with your rep. No tea towels, no washing pods for dishwasher. The shower in downstairs had no wall attachment and side of bath broken.
This could be a beautiful place if some tender loving care given to it
The fridge and freezer desperately need cleaning and replacing
The apartment has great potential in terms of its size, its wonderful outdoor areas and its location but we were disappointed with the cleanliness (eg fridge and cupboards), unkept promises (assistance with luggage on arrival) and the maintenance of the property. Trains were noisy but we got used to them and they almost added to the experience. Still had a great time and it was still a fantastic base from which to explore Cinque Terra, but a shame more attention has not been given to detail. There are 79 steps up from street level (not untypical in Vernazza) and in the week we were there, we witnessed multiple falls and injuries on one individual step, so climbing not for the physically faint and care needed on descent.
The first thing you need to know about this property is that it is 72 steps up. It was really hard to drag our luggage up.
To check in, you have to go to town and find this guy who works in a restaurant. The address given is not the place. When I went it was wrong, but some old timers sitting outside asked me who I was looking for. I gave them the name, they instantly recognized it, and told me where to find him. (Charming experience.)
I was unfortunate enough to leave my passport, id and credit cards behind when I checked out. I was miles away when I discovered this, and traumatized. I contacted the owner who was kind enough to go check for them in the unit. She said she would call me back. I waited. Finally, I called her and she said did not find them.
Two days later on our way to the airport, the next guest contacted me to let me know she found them. My trip had to be cut short because of this. How I wish the owner had looked a little more closely. Of course, it is my responsibility not to leave things this important behind, but I would been able to finish my trip as planned if she had looked a little more closely.
Vernazza is gorgeous, but there are flies to contend with. The flies made it hard to enjoy our outside space. You will not find a modern place in Vernazza, that is part of the charm. This place was dated, but clean and functional.
We could not figure out how to use the coffee pot, though.
Nice property with a beautiful terrace. Comfortable. Yes, there are stairs, but that is part of living and staying in Vernazza. It was hot, there is air conditioning but for the living area. Also, I think an authentic part of staying in Vernazza.
We are the Basso family from San Bernardino and Vernazza. Paolo and Barbara Basso are 5th generation of Basso's in Vernazza. This house is our family home we are now renting out in Vernazza. It has been loved for three generations.
Casa Carla is a special place. It is named after my mother who was also the cook at our restaurant that she and Giacomo (her husband) started in 1965. The home offers many special details like Marble floors from Carrara and antique furniture. It has a lagre terrace for family and friends to gather. From the terrace you will hear people coming and going and the train. You will feel apart of the action without being in it. The house is very selcluded and peaceful.
Casa Carla is large enough for family and friends to stay together on the two floors with bathrooms on each floor. Plenty of space outside and inside to relax, cook or just people watch. Children love to watch the train pass. It will probably be the highlight of their trip.