In terms of a room with a view, the slopes are quite steep, so you'd have to look hard to find one without a view (and even looking inland is enjoyable too). Probably only Monterosso is the exception to this, as it's much flatter.
See it without hiking? absolutely fine. With train and boat services, you can see each village with ease, with the minor exception being Corniglia, though that does have a shuttle bus service to take you from coast/train station to the village... and I think it's worth it as it has understated charm. IIRC Corniglia has an appealing beach, with the other places being more of a small harbour for boats to berth.
The other consideration is how high up you go for for better views, and to a degree to minimise the shock of the noise as the trains pull in - the shape of the landscape seems to amplify the noise. It is something you get used to, but will be a shock on arrival. Sorry I can't advise on the driving, but hopefully others can.
Getting luggage up the hill - it depends how far you want to go up the hill, as some are a modest walk that a wheeled suitcase would be fine with, but there are steep sections for sure. I did see some minivans used for ferrying luggage, and even with a private let, they may well be amenable to meeting you off the train to help with luggage.
Other good non-hiking options:
- Portovenere is served by the ferries and is a rather charming place, where you can stroll through the relatively flat village and/or enjoy the modest bustle around the small harbour. In another world, this might be the tourist hotspot, but it seems to come in under the radar a little bit, with many focused on the CT villages themselves. Indeed it might even make sense to make THIS the base, and you utilise ferries to visit the CT villages, avoiding the fears of steep slopes (and the noise of the trains).
- La Spezia is a somewhat modest port city, in many ways unremarkable, but as it often the way with such places unencumbered by tourism, they have a wonderfully enjoyable evening passeggiata, with the advantage of a good number of pedestrianised streets. It's about 5-10 minutes walk from the train station (which initially may have you feeling this was a mistake... as areas around train stations are rarely appealing). It's a lovely time to people watch, to grab a gelato or coffee, or do a little shopping in a real (not touristy) setting.
_________
Alternatives? The amalfi coast has (IMO) even more stunning views, and being perched up in Ravello makes the very most of those views. It's a bit rubbish to go visit other places (the bus down to amalfi would be essential for you), and logistically is a greater challenge to get there - probably fly into Napoli and swallow the taxi fare direct to Ravello, which we've done before. Another option is to head down to the cilento region, not something we ever did, but we were tempted.
The lakes. Take your pick on size, but the views might appeal, plus I believe there are transport options on / around the water, plus it will be much flatter
Lago Molveno. This one is much more of a logistical challenge to get to - Flight into Bologna, or Verona, then airport bus to connect with fast / comfortable train. Then a bus into Molveno itself. However, once there I describe it as 'picturesque village overlooking a lake, with 360 degree backdrop of mountains with no boring filler'. I found the view from Ravello to be breathtaking, but the views from Molveno made me giggle, so impressive were they. There is a modern cable car to take you up into the mountains, and a relatively flat walk to a further chair lift to go higher still.
