Grand Hotel Portovenere

Wonderful staff, very helpful with recommendations for activities as well as booking what you might need. Rooms were very clean, views were amazing and the breakfast may be the best I've ever had at any resort including some 5 star hotels in New York. My wife and I weren't sure we'd realize the value we paid initially, but after leaving I would say it's a great deal given what the hotel provides from a service and location standpoint. We will be returning next year.

Incredibly helpful and amazing service, both before our trip end during! Our room was spacious with an incredible view. We had the Scriptorium studio which was perfect for my two teenage daughters and myself. Plenty of room and an incredibly comfortable daybed/sofa. The linens were delightful, as was the bottle of Prosecco to welcome me. The shower was equally divine with amazing water pressure and Malin and Goetz products. They were incredibly helpful to us in advance by email as the Trenord trains were down for the next part of our trip- especially Sara and Simone. Additionally, we hiked all 4 hikes the Cinque Terre , and missed the last ferry! They responded promptly to my email and gave us great directions about how to get back by train and taxi. They also arranged a wonderful driver to pick us up from Milan on our arrival and drive us to the hotel. The breakfast was also a highlight, everything about this hotel was absolutely delightful and I couldn’t recommend highly enough.

We stayed three nights in this charming boutique hotel as our base for a visit to Cinque Terre. The hotel was not busy when we arrived midweek, so the hotel graciously upgraded us from a room with a sea view to a sea view suite. The suite was spacious, nicely furnished and very comfortable. The harbor view was awesome. Breakfast was included, and consisted of a sumptuous buffet as well as made to order eggs. The restaurant terrace is lovely. The staff is helpful and friendly. Parking was also included in the room rate; note that the entrance to the garage is easy to miss when using GPS, so you have to watch carefully for the small sign as you approach the hotel. The train does not stop in Porto Venere, so the most practical way to access the Cinque Terre towns is via the ferry, which very conveniently leaves from a dock just steps from the hotel. Once in the towns, you can either hike or take the train, or some combination of both, between them. Porto Venere itself is a cute town with a fair number of good restaurants and shops. The hotel is the nicest lodging in close proximity to Cinque Terre and proved to be for us the ideal venue for our visit to the area. We had a wonderful stay in the hotel and would recommend it highly.

I can not recommend The Grand Hotel Portovenere enough. From the moment we checked in the staff made us feel welcome and comfortable. When I walked into the room my jaw dropped. I could lay on the bed and stare at the beautiful see right out of the hotel room window. Whenever we needed any advice on anything we went to the lobby and the staff at the desk were always so very helpful. They were very friendly and full of great advice and bent over backwards to make sure we had our needs taken care of. We were even treated to a few surprise gifts during our stay. The restaurant and enoteca at the hotel are fantastic. Truly great food with outstanding views of the sea and a wait staff that made the experience even better. Breakfasts in the same spot were truly enjoyable as well. I will always recommend Portovenere to anybody I know traveling to Italy as a must-stay place. And I will always recommend The Grand Hotel Portovenere to anybody I know going to Portovenere as a must- stay at hotel! A truly wonderful experience!

For the price, would never book it again. Nice rooms and beautiful views but for the price and what the hotel has to offer it is in complete misalignment. The front desk people were very welcoming and nice but overall the restaurant food was not good and the breakfast buffet was definitely not to par with the “category of hotel” they are striving for.

My wife and I highly, and enthusiastically, recommend the Grand Hotel Portovenere!! We spent four (4) nights at the hotel, and we relaxed in comfort with a beautiful view of the port. The entire staff was outstanding in terms of customer service, knowledge of the area, politeness, and anticipating what we might need to enjoy our stay. The delicious and variety of breakfast options was also a highlight of our stay at the hotel!

Extremely attentive staff. The room had a view on the sea and it was very beautiful during the day but also during the night with the lights reflecting on the water. Location, I would say perfect as it's in the city's center, and can easily reach the other towns of the cinque terre with the boat. Also the view from the sea is great, having the hotel easily standout makes you feel you are in a special place. Finally, the breakfast, in my opinion is one of the strongest points of the hotel. Everything was of excellent quality and delicious making me want to eat everything all the time.

we recently stayed at this hotel and were overwhelmed by the extremely high level of service provided to us by all the staff we encountered. From restaurant recommendations to assisting us with filing a police report due to a stolen bag on the train, to quickly responding to any requests we had, the staff went above and beyond to meet our needs. Location is ideal with great sea views, easy access to the ferries, and everything else in this quaint and friendly village. Definitely recommend staying here if you go to Portevenere.

Very nice hotel...the location is perfect! The breakfast in the on site restaurant is great...endless choices and great cappuccinos. The suite was beautiful...shower was amazing You want for nothing and you can just sit on your porch and take it all in. Soany great place to eat...highly recommend Torre out near the castle on the end of the point. The ferry is like 100 feet away and you can ride it all day for a flat fee. Saw all 5 villages and had a blast. My only negative was that the bed is super firm...you might like that but I do not. There is a wonderful spa that is tied to the hotel...highly recommend to relax and set the tone for your stay. Portovenere is quiet at night and full of life during the day. They even have a private beach across the street! This is a.magival place...it is full of history and adventure.

The Grand Hotel Portovenere is a most beautiful hotel in a prime location. My stay here was the highlight of my trip! The area is incredibily beautiful: at the entrance of the Gulf of Poets: the deep blue Mediterranean sea becons with islands Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto in view along with dramatic San Pietro. The hotel is elegant and retains its history in its respectful and beautiful architecture. In the midst of such beauty, the staff and management make everything truly magic! From the warmest of welcomes to taking care of every detail with genuine kindness and consideration, the experience is heartfelt and magic!!! Great compliments to the chefs for the preparation of meals with delicate flavors highlighting the high quality ingredients. The team even made a dish that I had spoken to them about... a true surprise and absolute delight!! I recommend enjoying the experiences that can be arranged by the gracious staff. I had wonderful experiences in the cooking class with a truly talented chef who was informative, made delicious dishes and was fun! In addition, the sunset cruise experience was truly breathtaking! The boat was beautiful with a great Skipper, who showed me the natural beauty of the Portovenere area that can only be appreciated from the aspect of the sea: the black and gold marble caves, the beautiful islands and the views from the sea towards the Carrara mountains. The lovely aperitivo prepared by the hotel team made it perfect! The beautiful property, prime location and wonderful experiences make this a wonderful and grand place but what truly makes this a special Grand Hotel is the amazing staff led by their General Manager, Mr.. Polesel. They are gracious, warm and phenomenal at what they do!!! I am grateful to have been able to spend time here and will return soon!!!.

I was surprised and amazed with beauty of the location of this beautiful cozy hotel. But, some of the staff and room was not as excepted. They have best doorman, valet, bell services, and restaurant services (one of the best restaurant in town) which they are kind and helpful. But front desk and bar service personnel were rude and not helpful at all. Let's talk about how good the location of the hotel. It is in one word gorgeous. You just steps outside of the hotel lobby and you are in heart of beautiful Porto Venere town with amazing view of harbor and Church of Saint Peter. Check out those photos on my Instagram page minoolifediary and fenulphotography. I cannot find better place to walk and enjoy the weather than this beautiful town of Porto Venere out of all Cinque Terre area. When we drive with car over there, there is no place to stop at front of hotel lobby. However, the bell and valet services was so friendly and useful that they unload the luggage and park the car somewhere in small tiny garage. So without valet parking, I have no idea how you want to deal with the parking in this city. They have also one of the best restaurant in town called Palmiria. The food was expensive but worth the view and quality of service they have provided. I have deduct one star because I could not sleep well in our room. They have disabled the air-conditioner at the time we have visited them and the room became hot. When we also open the window to get fresh air, their personnel working all night outside in the back yard that our window facing and makes tones of noises. Tolerate the noise or tolerate the heat. In both scenarios I had really bad sleep. The front desk at night shift was so rude and he did not care. The morning one, also just simply apologized, and give us parking for free (nice gesture but I expect much more than that, and apology did not seem to be sincere!!!). I have also deduct another star from them because the bar service personnel was so rude. We sat there in the hotel lobby on second floor and asking for hot tea. He instead of welcoming us, noticing us to do not make the furniture dirty with our shoes!!!! While I was just stretching my leg to have relax afternoon, and none of my shoes touching anything which by the way was clean like crystal because they were new. We also asked for the check from same person takes half an hour and finally we went to bar to sign the check!!! Overall, nice and prime location. Cozy and clean hotel. Make sure you get the room with ocean view or street view rather than back yard and do not order drink from bar in lobby. I wish you have five star experience over there because it is possible with few adjustment.

If Audrey Hepburn were to visit Portovenere, I have no doubt that she would stay here. Jutting off the cliffs, looking over the whisper of the town that is this better-than-cinque-terre Ligurian hamlet, this place is all class. Yes you have to pay for parking (20€ a day) and the price for the rooms are a little excessive, it truly is the only grand hotel in the area. Our room was quite simple, but very comfortable, the best part about it was the gorgeous terrace overlooking the town. It was huge and perfect for early-evening drinks before dinner and our dog Ginger loved it too. The ferry to visit the nearby Cinque Terre is located right in front of the hotel (awesome!). The bathroom had a shower which was probably one of the best I've had in Italy (water pressure was on POINT), though I'll never understand why luxury hotels in Italy often forget conditioner! It should be scared, but note to you all who use it, bring your own. I highly recommend eating at their in-house restaurant, the service is almost too good and we really enjoyed our meal there, a smorgasbord of fish and local favorites, like fresh trofie pasta with pesto, served with a dry white local wine from Cinque Terre. Breakfast was also great, plenty of fresh fruit for those pretending to be on diet after gorging on a four-course meal with wine and grappa the night before. Other tips for those staying here, is to visit the 'Locanda Lorena' restaurant in nearby Palmaria island, the free shuttle leaves at the port directly in front of the hotel and it's a five minute ride. Great local fish and simple atmosphere.

Great location. Great view. But Overpriced! Again, I am reminded that 4 stars in Europe is not 4 stars in America. And 4 1/2 stars is definitely not. The Deluxe Room featured a small double bed, and no sitting area. The beach chair and umbrella (that were listed as included) and provided by the Royal Sporting Hotel was to our surprise an extra $40 euro per day, and the hotel owned car service to La Spezia station was 50 euro - compared to 35 for a private car company. (whatever happened to the free shuttle) Combine the nickel and dime amenities with the $400 a night room rate, makes me wonder if I had stayed at one of the many half-priced 3 star hotels available. Breakfast was great. And the staff service was excellent. Guarding your plate from seagul attack was a nice touch. But was it worth paying twice the competition's rates? I can't say, but somehow I doubt it!

Not a top 10 pick if your looking for amenities. Hot water was inconsistent the tv was installed to the right of the bed so you could not watch from the bed without getting a stiff neck, the shower in our room was smaller than on a cruise ship inside room. Staff tries. But just not trained well. The rooms have to have a room key in place to keep a/c or lights on. They have Boston ability to exchange dollars for euro. There is on bank on closed more than open Finally. Not the hotel. But the ferry to the cinque terra is a pushing and shoving nightmare. Not a vacation voyage. The most disorganized operation I have seen in 40 years of travel

Great location, service, staff , breakfast and room! Highly recommend this hotel . Dinner is very delicious and well prepared and 5 star service.

Great location. So close to the harbor to take the boats to Cinque Terre. Breakfast was wonderful with variety and international options. Great dinner view amazing view!