We booked this room fairly last minute - about a week prior to arriving. There weren't many options left, but this hotel seemed decent and seemed to be in a good location.
When we arrived, this hotel exceeded our expectations. We had a car and the parking was no problem (there's a pay-to-park lot when you enter town) and we had a short (but steep) walk to our hotel, which was to be expected. There were clear instructions on the door for what to do, and we were delighted to see that we got upgraded when we arrived (i had emailed the hotel directly asking for a room with a view if possible, so it was great to see that this was honored with no upgrade fee).
The room was perfect - recently renovated, very clean, large bathroom and a great view of the town and ocean. The room is about a 10 minute walk to the water (also steep but this is Cinque Terre, what do you expect?!) Great cafes in the area, an awesome bar with live music at night, and a great view from the water of the village. There's also a great bar (Nessun Dorma) and a little cliff jumping spot with a ladder. The train is also a 5-10 minute walk so it's easy to get around, and a few hiking paths pick up right in the area.
The owner was also very accommodating and was quick to respond to emails. One thing to note - when we arrived, it was requested that we pay in cash. We were able to ask the owner to charge the card given through Orbitz instead since we were short on cash and he had no problem doing so.