Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino
With the grape-vined terraces for dining, oversized beds for frolicking, balconies for tête-à-têting, and even a piano bar for dancing, it's hard to imagine that the Splendido was a monastery, back in the 16th century. Surroundings are dreamily Belle Epoque — black-and-white marble tiled floors and delicate trompe l’oeil scenes painted on pastel walls. Bedrooms are feminine — softly hued, with subtly flowered bedspreads. Gardens are wild and beautiful — tangled olive trees and stone paths that lead your way to the sea.
The corner rooms are the best, as the bathrooms have balconies, and of these, Room 221 is generally acknowledged to be choicest, with its view of Brown Castle. A hotel lunch is at your disposal should you want to explore the sea. The heated saltwater pool is the only swimming pool in Portofino. Take full advantage of the beauty salon and dress up. Though this used to be a fishing village, no one dresses like a fisherman anymore, and this is definitely a place where you won't want to be seen without your pony skin baguette. And while normally “annex” is the last word you want to hear from your hotel, Splendido's annex, the Splendido Mare, is a charmer, sixteen rooms and suites right down on the harbor in the town’s main piazzetta.
Restaurants in Portofino abound, but you have to save one night for dinner at the hotel. Dine here, if only for the pleasure of spending one uninterrupted evening in arguably the most glamorous place in the world. And the Splendido boasts a high-in-the-hills view of the city below, cocktails the price of a modest-sized house, and Ligurian cuisine with phenomenal pesto and ambrosial seafood. Just think — it was only five hundred years ago that the monks abandoned this place and fled to the hills. They’re probably kicking themselves in heaven today.
Please note: The hotel is open annually April through October. Also note that the hotel comprises two separate properties connected via a brief shuttle bus ride: the main facility (Belmond Hotel Splendido) and the annex (Belmond Splendido Mare).
How to get there: Genoa International Airport is a 45-minute drive (37 kms) from the Hotel Splendido. The hotel is accessible from Florence, Milan and Rome by the railway stations of Rapallo (8 kms) and Santa Margherita (5kms).
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