Sweet Dreams

The room was spacious, clean and well equipped with a mini fridge, kettle and hairdryer. There were other little touches like tea and coffee, plenty of towels and black out blinds. The hosts go above and beyond! So friendly, helpful and responsive. It’s in a great location, walkable to train, ferry and bus, and your hosts give recommendations of the best spots close by. I can't recommend this accommodation enough!

As his fans know, Shah loves both comfort and convenience. And that’s the split that gives this place a mixed review. On the plus side, this is a very lovely place where the rooms are nicely adorned. Someone has taken very good care to ensure you feel right at home, from the decorations, to the linens, to the layout, and to the nice (and relatively large by European standards) bathroom. There is no doubt that the owners went out of their way to make this a distinctive staying experience. On the minus side, this is not a hotel but a guesthouse, and therfore you do not have all the conveniences that come with a hotel. In fact, in our two days there, we didn’t see anyone at the front office. We received a code to get into the place and the key was left on the door. The biggest drawback however is that the place has a very late check in time (6 pm) and yet a very early check out time (8 am). So if these times cohere with your plans, then that is fine, but Shah found it to be very restrictive. If you need to check in earlier, then that will be done as a favour to you, as Shah was told. If you are traveling on business and need a comfortable place to stay, then go for this place. It is about 1 km from the station. If you are there on vacation (La Spezia is after all a great base for Cinque Terre), then Shah strongly suggests any of the hotels closer to the station. I’m not sure of the comfort there, but you will certainly have the convenience of being closer to the station to make your CT trips and also getting all the amenities of a true hotel. Shah says: Give this place a pass, unless you are ok with the restrictions noted above. Shah’s tip: Yes CT is great, but do not miss Portovenere. It’s really quite amazing. Go there and you will see. You can catch a bus from La Spezia (2.5 euro; tickets can be purchased at the train station Info office). Then take a boat from there to any of the CT towns (except Corniglia). You get a nice view from the water and then you can go back and forth via train (which is amazingly convenient).