Very nice hotel...the location is perfect! The breakfast in the on site restaurant is…read moregreat...endless choices and great cappuccinos. The suite was beautiful...shower was amazing You want for nothing and you can just sit on your porch and take it all in. Soany great place to eat...highly recommend Torre out near the castle on the end of the point. The ferry is like 100 feet away and you can ride it all day for a flat fee. Saw all 5 villages and had a blast. My only negative was that the bed is super firm...you might like that but I do not. There is a wonderful spa that is tied to the hotel...highly recommend to relax and set the tone for your stay. Portovenere is quiet at night and full of life during the day. They even have a private beach across the street! This is a.magival place...it is full of history and adventure.

The Grand Hotel Portovenere is a most beautiful hotel in a prime location. My stay here was the…read morehighlight of my trip! The area is incredibily beautiful: at the entrance of the Gulf of Poets: the deep blue Mediterranean sea becons with islands Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto in view along with dramatic San Pietro. The hotel is elegant and retains its history in its respectful and beautiful architecture. In the midst of such beauty, the staff and management make everything truly magic! From the warmest of welcomes to taking care of every detail with genuine kindness and consideration, the experience is heartfelt and magic!!! Great compliments to the chefs for the preparation of meals with delicate flavors highlighting the high quality ingredients. The team even made a dish that I had spoken to them about... a true surprise and absolute delight!! I recommend enjoying the experiences that can be arranged by the gracious staff. I had wonderful experiences in the cooking class with a truly talented chef who was informative, made delicious dishes and was fun! In addition, the sunset cruise experience was truly breathtaking! The boat was beautiful with a great Skipper, who showed me the natural beauty of the Portovenere area that can only be appreciated from the aspect of the sea: the black and gold marble caves, the beautiful islands and the views from the sea towards the Carrara mountains. The lovely aperitivo prepared by the hotel team made it perfect! The beautiful property, prime location and wonderful experiences make this a wonderful and grand place but what truly makes this a special Grand Hotel is the amazing staff led by their General Manager, Mr.. Polesel. They are gracious, warm and phenomenal at what they do!!! I am grateful to have been able to spend time here and will return soon!!!.

Staff were welcoming! They communicated ahead of time to confirm the hotel reservations and…read moreanswered any questions via email that I had. When we arrived, they let us check in our luggage prior to check in and after while we explored Cinque Terre. We booked the very small bedrooms, which made efficient use of the space and had a lovely outdoor patio area. If the weather had been warmer, we would have spent some time out there. However, the biggest highlight of the hotel for us was definitely the breakfast. Breakfast was included with the hotel reservation. Normally it's served on their rooftop balcony where all the lemon trees grow, but due to the weather, we dined indoors, which was just as lovely and more comfortable. Highly recommend Eraldo's crepes with their lemon jam sauce. Three of us ordered omelettes and each omelette ended up being garnished differently. It felt like a home-cooked meal. You could see the staff mixing the batter at the front. Their smoothies also used real fruit, and they had a unique lemon smoothie worth trying! I was surprised how it was more sweet than sour. Then there was the yogurt with lemon curd, the freshly-baked focaccia, croissants...I could go on and on. It was definitely THE BEST BREAKFAST we had during our trip to Italy. After we checked out, the hotel staff allowed us to leave our luggage while we continued to explore more of Cinque Terre, and when we officially checked out, they gave us a complimentary heart-shaped fridge magnet featuring Monterosso. Would stay at Albergo Marina again in a heartbeat!

If this wasn't the off season, I can only imagine how much our room would have been. Just a few…read morehundred steps from the water, Albergo Marina (aka Hotel Marina) was the polar opposite of our hotel in Rome, in an expected, excellent way. The hotel has five floors of uniquely styled rooms with varying layouts, furniture, and views. We had an L (ish) shaped room on the second floor that looked out on the "street" (more like a cobblestone path) with two separate terraces that we could walk out and sit on. Views of the water are very hard to come by in this part of town, but we were able across some rooftops and up into the mountains. Sitting on the balcony all we could hear were footsteps, animals, the wind, and a constant stream of water heading towards the ocean. No cars fit up anywhere near here, so we didn't hear a single engine from our room. The bed was comfortable and warm, and nice and big. Just FYI, the king size bed is actually two not-so-king mattresses next to one another, so movement during the night could create a bit of a gap in the middle. The shower was amazing, larger than I thought it would ever be for a place like this and the rainfall shower head and water pressure were the best. The free breakfast was nice and simple. Coffee, juice, tea, pastries/bread, as well as omelettes and pancakes made to order. They offered a mid-afternoon snack, and a room here gets you into a free pesto tasting that happens every day from 2pm-3pm just down the street. They have free WiFi, which happened to be much faster (11.12/1.89) than the WiFi at our previous hotel in Rome, and enabled us to stream 1080p Netflix at night without issue. The staff here was extremely nice, and provided us with excellent recommendations on food, drinks, and things to check out while we were in town. I would definitely recommend this place for a stay in Monterosso, especially when it gets warmer and you can leave the windows open 100% of the time.

The cutest hotel with a fantastic view from their panoramic terrace. Our room also had a little…read morebalcony. The hotel is located farther into Monterosso and up a bit of a climb - they can reserve a taxi for you which picks you up from the train station if you do not wish to lug your luggage up the entire way. There are only 2-3 taxis in Monterosso (costs 15 euros each way). Wait to buy your Cinque Terre pass and Via Dell'Amore ticket - they can help you purchase what you need here for up to half off! We also did the pasta, pesto, and tiramisu class here which was a lot of fun! Would definitely recommend it. It is 120 euros per person and has to be paid in cash - there are several ATMs nearby. We were here for the first day of the Lemon Festival (mid-May) so all the shops had lemon themed displays up!

My husband, my brother in law and sister in law and I stayed at Hotel Villa Steno for two of the…read moremost amazing nights in May 2025. The hotel is beautiful with amazing views out to sea. The rooms are very comfortable and have all the amenities you need including a terrace with a sea-view. The owners, Matteo and Carla, as well as the entire staff, are the best I have ever experienced. They are all kind and welcoming. They anticipated our needs by giving us information about the trains and hiking among villages in Cinque Terra. My brother in law wasn't feeling well and stayed at the hotel the first day. Carla called a doctor and also checked on him throughout the day. We all took a cooking class with Carla and it was fabulous. We made tiramisu, pasta, pesto and branzino. She was so patient with our lack of skills and made it fun. We all felt we might be able to do these recipes at home. We ate the delicious meal on an upper terrace with an even more amazing view. We were in Italy for two weeks and this was my favorite hotel. THE BEST!

The most gorgeous beach in the area! Be sure to bring your own towel and you can rent chairs for a…read moreprice. It's so pretty!

If your coming to monterosso this hotel is awesome! The staff are so knowledgeable and helpful and…read morekind. This is a small family owned hotel. The breakfast is so good and has a variety for everyone's needs. We will stay here again for sure.

This hotel is just a 3 minute walk from the train station and a quick walk to the center of town…read moreand the waterfront. The hotel has had a total makeover, including a very large addition in the back of the property. The facilities are very sleek, modern, well appointed and very inviting. There is an amazing spa where we received wonderful massages and we took advantage of the Turkish bath and sauna. The breakfast buffet is presented beautifully and was kept fully stocked with a large variety of cereals, breads, eggs, yogurts, meats and cheeses. We did not eat dinner at the restaurant but did have desserts there each night which were graciously presented and were delicious. The modern bar is fully stocked and our bartender was exceptional both nights we were there. The staff are over the top friendly and helpful, making us feel like royalty during our short stay in Santa Margherita.

We stayed here during our visit to Portofino and it was an amazing stay. The room was beautifully…read moredecorated and spotless clean. The breakfast had a very good variety (including three types of honey and macadamia nuts!). We received a complimentary upgrade to a suite. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The hotel offers valet parking. It was truly a five star experience!!!

Great experience here recently. Breakfast spread was pretty nice every morning although would have…read morebeen nice to vary some of the items daily as I was there for a week. Decor was retro-modernish, done perfectly. Rooms were not the largest although don't have much experience with other hotels in the area to compare to. Wasn't a problem for us though, had a nice little balcony. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Walk to the train station was about 10-15 mins. Would stay here again.

Beautiful hotel, best breakfast ever. Slightly off the beaten path but perfect. Lobby area was so…read morequiet at night and if I hadn't been so tired I would have "lounged" there. Most accommodating and friendliest staff I have encountered on my two week tour. Helpful for dinner bookings although maybe not suggestions. Maid was fast and efficient--probably the best I have encountered here, too! Quiet too, although the rooms were tiny with only a sliding door and one shower pane door in the bathroom as part of the industrial-eclectic chic style. In short, I loved the lobby layout and breakfast more than my room, and I am not sure when I will return, but I adored this hotel and I would highly recommend it! Our window was tiny and looked into other places but seemed very Italian looking at the hanging clothesline and all!

My spouse and I stayed in the Conchiglia apartment for three nights in Sep 2019. It was an…read moreexcellent home base for exploring Cinque Terre and we would choose it again. Note that though we reserved over a year in advance, some of the da Paulin apartments were already booked. Conchiglia is perfect for two people, and would be tight but doable with four. The owners (Eraldo and Donatella) are very responsive, appearing within minutes if there are any questions/issues. Eraldo also provided us advance notice of a storm watch. The location is very convenient. Unlike many apartments in the Cinque Terre, other than the final few steps to the apt itself there are no staircases over which one must lug luggage. And the woman employee who met us kindly insisted on pulling my wife's roller suitcase up the short pedestrian roadway to the apt. Wi-Fi internet access worked fine. The small (co-op) grocery is located a three minute walk away. One night we bought some octopus, greens, tomatoes, and more in order to make a simple dinner in the apt, after which we finished our wine on the small balcony. The view is a little bit of the ocean and mainly the terraced hillside opposite. Very pleasant. TIP: if dining at Trattoria dal Billy, rather than walking up the winding street one can go left, left, left out of the apt (up some staircases) and reach this restaurant in just four minutes. (The route is shown on Google maps.)

My husband and I stayed in the room called Perla for 2 nights in the fall of 2013. Donatella and…read moreEduardo rent 3 rooms and 3 apartments in the town of Manarola. The 3 rooms are located in the building that they live in and it is located on the main street of Manarola. The apartments are located away from this building. The 3 rooms that they rent have just been renovated and they are brand new! Everything worked well in the room and we had no complaints. If you are staying in one of the rooms, I would recommend "Perla" since it has a patio. We got beer, wine, prosciutto and parmigiano from a small grocery store on the same street, and hanged out on the patio every night. It was quite lovely. I would love to stay in one of their properties again! Donatella and Eduardo are very responsive via email. Highly recommended!!

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY LA TORRETTA LODGE - MANOROLA…read more UP FRONT: When you visit Cinque Terre in Italy, (literally "five lands"), you have five choices on where to stay out of the five fishing villages. If you're like most tourists, you're going to visit all of them, but one has to be your "home base". After visiting all of them, I think your best bet is either Manorola or Monterosso. The scenery in both places is astounding. Manorola is small and quiet and has some cliffs you can dive off at the bottom of the hill. Monterosso is a bit more sprawling and has a good stretch of beach. We stayed in Manorola two nights. Got the tip about La Torretta on Trip Advisor. This hotel is a dream. From start to finish, it felt too good to be true. Check in was a breeze - it was only us in the lobby - and we sipped Prosecco on the patio while the front desk copied our passports and finished up the paper work. Our room #7 was at the very top with the most breathtaking view (see photo). Bed was very comfortable, and the bathtub (we didn't use it) is literally the biggest I've ever seen - HUGE. No problems with the room - temperature control was good, mini-bar was complimentary. Be aware there is no phone in the room, and if you need something, you need to go down the steps to the office or call down from the window as you see the hotel staff moving about the property. lol. I did that once, we needed towels for the room, but no phone, so I just called out to the maid while I was standing on the balcony. It worked. The hotel sits on top of the hill. You walk down the hill to all the shops and restaurants. There's everything you need, ATM machine, train station, pharmacy, and more. At the bottom of the hill is the ocean, no beach, but there are places where you can lay out and many people do. There's also swimming allowed and the water is so cold and refreshing. You can dive in from many areas, and climb to the cliffs where you will be afraid to jump, but do it, it's so much fun. It took me 15 minutes to get enough courage to get off the cliff, but with the encouragement of fellow cliff divers, I was able to do it. Kept going back up to the top to do it again. There's breakfast in the mornings, all kinds of goodies - meats and cheeses, croissants, pastries and of course coffee. The hotel staff work hard to make sure you have everything you need. But keep in mind, they are not at the front desk 24/7. They close at 9:30 PM and they weren't clear about that when we checked in - neither did they say there was no phone in room. When we left, we were taking a train at the bottom of the hill, and they brought our luggage down with a golf cart. All the good things that have been said in the reviews are true - nothing hyped up about this place. Worth every dollar we spent on the room. Recommended restaurant around the corner: TRATTORIA DAL BILLY

La Toretta was a diamond in the rough for us, as we had started to plan our trip towards the Cinque…read moreTerra area, a friend recommended this hotel to us. Coming in on the offseason, we were still greated by a concierge who met us at the bottom of the mountain, and drove us up to the wonderful views that Manarolla had to offer. We checked in, but before that, we were given gifts of food and champagne to celebrate our arrival there. The view was outstanding, and the hosts were more than generous. They talked with us about where we had been, where we were coming from in the United States, and also about what else we had planned. To top off how great of a stay we had... they gave us an upgrade to the honeymoon suite for free! The room was absolutely gorgeous! A giant tub in the room, fiberoptic lights in the ceiling, and a gorgeous breakfast spread for nothing?!? It was amazing. To truly make it, what it was... as much as everyone always wants to be connected to the world... I was glad that I could not get any wifi at the hotel. It was nice to finally be away from everything, and not to be bothered by anything or anyone. We were left alone... to be alone. Waking up and taking in the view from our hotel room left us enjoying the beautiful views of the sea. Not to mention a nice little gift of bottle of champagne that was waiting for us once we got back from visiting the rest of Cinque Terra area.... as the concierge said... "Just because" I would recommend this place to ANYONE visiting the area... it is a little pricey, however I can tell you that the service is top notch, and well worth the euro's in my book.