Eight Hotel Paraggi

Just about everything at Eight Hotel revolves around the bay of Paraggi. Of course, this private bay on the Italian Riviera merits the attention, encompassing as it does a sandy beach, surrounded as it is by soaring, jagged bluffs. Everyone knows the cliché about location et al., and it’s as true for hotels as it is for real estate. Eight Hotel’s location certainly bestows upon its visitors a sense of utter exclusivity that is tough to complain about. Yet focusing on the water, the sunsets, and the vistas threatens to neglect the hotel, which deserves its share of the spotlight too.

The thirteen rooms in the renovated 19th-century villa range from great to fabulous. We’re particularly partial to those that include a nook rendered romantic by skylight and a perfectly set table for two. The Jacuzzi built into a private deck overlooking the bay is nice too. Fresh flowers offer subtle accents. Throughout, lightness prevails, thanks to plenty of windows and a deft hand with drapery, including fabric rippling across ceilings or encircling beds. You could call it minimalist, or you could spin an elaborate metaphor in which the hotel’s interior echoes the white varietals made from the region’s grapes. Do both over a glass or two plus a dinner of local specialties at Eight Restaurant, obviously beachside.

Adorable Portofino, with its pretty villas emerging from the rocky terrain, is but a short shuttle away. Perhaps we’re old-fashioned, but we prefer to travel by boat along the coast of Liguria, passing its colorful villages, its soaring cliffs, its fishermen at work.

How to get there:
Eight Hotel Paraggi is approximately 2 miles (3 kilometers) to/from Santa Margherita Ligure train station and 27 miles (44 kilometers) from Genoa Cristoforo Colombo airport.