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.

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!

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!

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.