We really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Mondail and in Moneglia. The room was clean and well kept, and the extra money for the ocean view was worth every penny (although there is also a very nice patio that looks over the ocean as well). The staff was very friendly and helpful. The breakfast, which is essentially identical in every hotel in Italy, was better than most others as they happily prepared a couple of fresh eggs and had fresh homemade chocolate cake (not our normal breakfast, but not to be missed!). there was a very large pool and modern hot tub/jacuzzi that we didn't get a chance to use. It's about a 10 minute walk to the beach, but there aren't very many hotels that have direct beach access, so this was not a big deal.
Moneglia is a great place to enjoy Cinque Terre. It is far less touristy than the other towns we visited, or maybe catered more towards European families than global tourists. The town is far less busy, but the beach is still nice. There were relatively few Americans in the town, which was a plus - Montorossa, which was still nice, may be trying to turn itself into some sort of hybrid of Italy and Panama City, FL. It's about $15 round trip per person on the train to the rest of Cinque Terre, so not a big deal to stay here if you want to see the other towns. Just don't expect to hear a lot of English except in some of the nicer restaurants.