There is a small pebble beach at Riomaggiore that is worth a visit.  The sandy beach at Monterosso can be crowded but this little beach generally only has a few people on it.  The beach is pebbly so it is not as comfortable to lay on as the sand but it is pretty and generally not crowded so we enjoyed it.  If you are facing the sea the beach is off to the left of the train station.  You have to follow a small path and if the water is rough you may get your feet wet walking over there.

If you go to the Cinque Terre you have to visit the harbor at Vernazza.  This is one of the most picturesque places in a very picturesque area.  If you are lucky you will see one of the local fishermen pull their boat up the boat ramp.  The little natural harbor is surrounded by restaurants and cafes so you can grab a bite to eat while you sit there or you can just walk out on the breakwater and sit there and enjoy the view.  If you walk part way up the hiking path that goes to Monterosso you can take a picture looking down on the harbor. 

Walking the Via dell Amore is a great warm up to walking the other trails in the Cinque Terre.  More of a walking path (it is actually paved) than a hiking trail it is still beautiful.  It is easy enough for anyone to walk and is flat and wide enough for a wheelchair.  There are benches where you can stop and enjoy the beautiful view, something that you often don’t do enough of when you are hiking some of the more difficult trails in the Cinque Terre.  We took a picnic lunch and ate along the path.  If you go to Cinque Terre and don’t do any of the other trails at least do this one.

Al Carugio is a great little restaurant in Monterosso al Mare.  I had a wonderful seafood risotto that was full of fresh seafood while my husband had a tasty gnocchi. I normally do not like gnocchi because the gnocchi we have in the US is so heavy, but this was light and delicious. The prices were reasonable and there were a lot of choices.  When I looked around at what other patrons of the restaurant were eating I realized that I could have had almost anything on the menu and would have enjoyed it.  We had a delicious little fruit tart for desert.

You have to love this place.  The twin brothers from Sicily  who run Il Pirata are friendly and provide some of the best food I have ever enjoyed.  We were lucky to visit Il Pirata on our first night and went back the next.  It was hard not to go back the third night but we felt like we had to try someplace else.  We also stopped by for breakfast to enjoy their wonderful pastries and coffee before we started our hike. The pastries are made in the restaurant.  You have to go up the hill from the train station to get to the restaurant.  It is near the Post Office.  We had a swordfish appetizer that was great and then various pasta dishes all of which were excellent.

The Albergo Stella della Marina Hotel in Monterosso al Mare was adequate.  It is in a good location though I suspect that all of the hotels in Monterosso are in a good location since the village is fairly small.  Our room and bath were small but adequate.  The Stella della Marina does not have an elevator so we had to carry our luggage up 3 flights.  Fortunately our suitcases were small as we never count on their being a working elevator even if the hotel says it will have one.  The roof top terrace was very nice and the breakfast was on the hearty side so we could eat light at lunch.  The price was a bit high, but probably no higher than similar hotels in the area.  Our air conditioner worked well which was important since it was warm and damp when we were there.  The staff was very friendly and we were able to communicate with a mixture of English and Italian.