Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte

Apparently the prince prefers the coast. Though the hotel is called the Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte, it stands on the central promenade in the picturesque town of Viareggio, on the coast of northern Tuscany. One glance at the building and you know what the place is about, its ornate 1920s façade rising in all its splendor above Viareggio’s long sandy beach and the Tyrrhenian Sea just beyond. In short, it’s a classic European resort-hotel in a classic European resort-town.

What really sets one room apart from another is the quality of the views, with the best ones featuring balconies that overlook the sea. The beach is an enticingly short walk from the front door, but good luck pulling yourself away from the hotel’s own pool.

Set on a terrace overlooking the sea, with bougainvillea crawling up the marble fountains at its edge, it’s the sort of pool that begs for long, leisurely days in the sun, preferably with a series of icy cocktails and light snacks delivered to your parasol-shaded daybed. The water is warm and, in one section, even capable of giving you a massage, though really the pool is not so much for splashing around in as it is an excuse to lie around doing lots of happy nothing.

The spa is an elaborate one, featuring a Finnish sauna and a Turkish bath among its globetrotting offerings. And the restaurants rate highly among the hotel’s attractions as well, from the lavish breakfast to the rooftop terrace bistro to the flagship Ristorante Il Piccolo Principe, with its two MICHELIN Stars.