When we decided to go to Cinque Terre we looked up the best hotels in the area given it was our honeymoon. Up popped Grand Hotel Portovenere on researching the net for a really nice place to stay with excellent reviews on all major sites.
Portovenere is not actually part of Cinque Terre but is essentially the next town along. We really loved this fact having visited the other towns as they were densely populated with tourists which was not that enjoyable. Instead, Portovenere has the same charm, beautiful colourful buildings and amazing coastal views of the stacked up town.
It’s just ten times more authentic and special as its not completely destroyed by tourism. I am sure it won’t be long before it becomes ‘Sei Terre’. For now, it’s the areas best kept secret!
Grand Hotel Portovenere
The beautiful Grand Hotel Porotvenere is a relatively new hotel that most certainly has one of the best views in the entire district from many aspects around the building. A converted convent, it also has a lot of history but is completely modern inside with a historic shell. I particularly loved the narrow cave-like arched walkways on the ground floor. I could just imagine it being a chamber for maids once upon a time.
We stayed in a beautiful suite on the third floor which had the most perfect views of the port at the doorstep as well as the beautiful town. The room faced west so it was enjoyable to watch the town become a warm orange as the sun went down.
The hotel clearly know this is probably one of the most amazing experiences for guests and have tactfully placed the most comfortable armchair ever at the window to watch all the magic! Even Esmé appreciated the beauty of it all despite being a two year old.
The rooms were big with an extra closed off living space. As always, it’s perfect when you need somewhere to chill out after little lady’s sleepy time. The beds were so comfortable and the rooms are air conditioned so it was an all-round comfy experience.
The beautiful dining room which serves breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening is tranquil with its large patio facing to the sea.
I could spend hours sitting there watching the world go by. I definitely would have sipped on my coffee for longer with a newspaper and just soaked it all up if it wasn’t for the toddler demanding one of the yummy croissants.
The breakfast was lovely but had mainly a large selection of fancy cakes and pastries. The coffee was great and the service made us feel like royalty.
During the day we spent our time exploring the local town as well as made visits to Cinque Terre. Portovenere has beautiful narrow cobbled streets with many restaurants and cafes dotted along the way! This is literally on the doorstep of the hotel. They are really helpful with sorting out boat tours of the area. Unfortunately we could not go on our visit due to weather conditions but I am sure its something worth checking out.
In the evenings once we had our dinner and got Esmé down to bed we got a babysitter and had a couple of cocktails in the bar. They were literally the best cocktails we have ever had. If you like bloody mary’s you have to try them at Grand Hotel Portovenere!
When it was time to leave we were feeling super sad and were wishing we could make our stay longer. It is definitely somewhere we would love to return to in the future. Thank you so much to Grand Hotel Portovenere for having us as their guests.
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