La Meridiana Relais & Chateaux

In Garlenda, roughly halfway between Monaco and Genoa, a couple of miles inland from the beaches of the Italian Riviera, is something a little bit unusual: a hotel from the Seventies, a decade that’s only now crossing over from unfashionably old to fashionably retro, renovated and restored to the latest 21st-century luxury-hotel standard. This is La Meridiana Hotel & Golf Resort, a modestly sized but nevertheless luxe 26-room escape surrounded by gardens and seemingly endless views of the Ligurian countryside — and set, not incidentally, right next door to one of the region’s finest courses at the Golf Club Garlenda.

The rooms and suites show the influence of a contemporary eye, but they’re classic in style, featuring an abundance of objects and artworks that feels collected as much as designed. The pool, surrounded by gardens, is a quiet delight, and there’s a private beach with a shuttle service that’s available by reservation. La Meridiana is both kid-friendly and pet-friendly, and the activities range from tennis and mountain biking to paragliding, windsurfing, and sailing. And while every region of Italy has its own culinary tradition, the Ligurian one is exceedingly fine; in Il Rosmarino and Il Bistrot, La Meridiana’s twin restaurants, you’ll find out why for yourself.