"A noble hospitality heritage meets guests’ contemporary needs and desires (and the occasional fantasy) at Grand Hotel Miramare, a luxury hotel in Santa Margherita Ligure a short way from Portofino and Cinque Terre. The Art Nouveau building gleams white in the sun amid century-old gardens. But for all of the grandeur, what most seduces are the intimate and almost down-home touches. Owner Andrea Fustinoni affectionately calls the hotel the Mira, which speaks to the feeling of being welcomed into a private residence. Each of the 36 deluxe rooms has a sea view, while the 26 superior rooms all have balconies or patios overlooking the hotel’s gardens as they rise toward the foothills of Mount Portofino." - Julia Buckley