Grand Hotel Portovenere

This is not a 5 star luxury hotel. From the outside it looks nice and may indeed be the nicest hotel in Porto Venere, though The Hotel Belvedere is nearly adjacent and looks just as nice from the outside (at a fraction of the cost). The Grand Hotel has absolutely no amenities and the actual hotel is in desperate need for renovations. But the worst part about the hotel was the service and you will be treated even more poorly for not booking directly through the hotel (which they pointed out). When we checked into the hotel we were told we should head to their “private beach” for lunch and we were thrilled. This wasn’t their “private beach” but they had a few chairs reserved for guests which are in the back row at a beach club which is accessible to the public. We did genuinely have a good day there until we were checking out and the Grand Hotel tried to charge us for the chairs - at a rate that was €10 above what we would have paid directly at The Sporting Club. In addition to this we had asked about renting a boat to Cinque Terre the following day which the front desk kindly offered to research and plan for us. They had an entire day to do so and didn’t. We had to remind them on two separate occasions and they came back to us with an option for a boat for €1,000 when we were able to find a private tour in matter of 30 minutes for €200 for two people. Don’t waste your money here. There are loads of Airbnb’s with balcony’s directly in Porto Venere or Hotel Belvedere is directly next to this hotel and is at a much more reasonable rate.

Service was outstanding as expected from a Grand Hotel. Nevertheless I want to mention that every single person from staff was highly motivated and trying to support us in every way, appreciated! The breakfast had been very good (compared to italian standards); hint: always order italian coffee and forget the american coffee. Small remark, regarding my personal expectations regarding room size: as I booked Executive room type I paid the price and I did expect some room with at least 30 squaremeters; finally I think it was something around 20 squaremeters, which is pretty small. Would be good to clearly mention this in advance; I could not see any room size in my original booking via trip.com. The bath was very modern and good. Sea view and small balcony included, super nice! Free parking included was great (and really necessary; small old streets which are crowed with parking cars, to pay hourly + ongoing street works all the time) We did hike to Quinque Terra (to the next town Remaggiore); hotel was perfect starting point. I would come back again, but next time book bigger room.

Fantastic location, good breakfast, loved the room with comfy bed and great shower. The staff and management were excellent and accommodating. We normally don't try the restaurants of hotels we stay at, but the atmosphere was very inviting, the views to die for, and the food was really good!

We spent the night here. It was such a lovely hotel. The rooms were just the right size for an overnight stay. The bathrooms were beautiful. The location is great....out the door & into town The views are spectacular. The rooms are comfy an clean. The staff was very friendly. There is parking on site. The bar is a great place to have a drink. We ate in the hotel restaurant. It was good. Also there is breakfast in the morning. Slippers and robes provided.

Once we arrived the restaurant in the morning, we found that the view from the hotel was very beautiful. Having breakfast under the glass shelter in the restaurant was nice! The night before when my wife and I arrived the hotel, it was totally dark we could not see any view, we only knew that the car park was small, it was difficult to drive into the park (luckily a hotel staff helped me) and the room was very small as well.

Overall would recommend this hotel as the location is unmatched and not a lot of other higher-end hotels in the vicinity. Some details: -Ambiance: Hotel lobby was clean and nice. Rooms were beautiful, spacious, clean, and well-decorated. It seems like most of the rooms would offer a good view of the marina. -Amenities: Breakfast is on the 1st floor terrace which offers a decent spread and amazing view of the marina. Bathrooms in the units are updated with rainfall showers and spacious. Bed was quite comfortable but the one we had was 2 twins put together so a slight break was felt in between but wasn't uncomfortable. If you are driving, parking is easy and close to the hotel (less than 1 minute walk from the hotel entrance). -Location: This hotel has the perfect location for ferry service (within 2-3 walk). However, it is about 25 minute cab ride from the closest train station (in the event that you want to return to Portovenere after the last ferry from Cinque Terre around 5ish). -Service: The front desk/reception is effective and organized; however, they are a little stiff and low energy relative to other similar properties we've visited in Italy. The wait staff at the restaurant on the 1st floor is slightly disorganized both at breakfast and dinner (eg. forgotten breakfast coffee or provided incorrect dinner wines); but overall everyone is cordial.