Grand Hotel Miramare - Santa Margherita Ligure

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Grand Hotel Miramare. Our room was large with a balcony facing the pool and ocean. The sun streaming in the windows with the serene colors of the room was gorgeous. The rooms are beautifully appointed with lovely linens, towels and amenities. Who knew a shoe sponge could make my sneakers look almost brand new. We loved the breakfast and found walking to the train station and Portofino easy and enjoyable. We had cocktails most nights and loved the piano player on the grand patio. We ate dinner one night at the hotel and found the service excellent and the food so-so. Our meals were luke warm and lacking flavor. There are much better restaurants in Santa Magherita Ligure. We would definitely return.

The Grand Hotel Miramare was our favorite hotel during our 12 day tour of Italy. We came toward the end of their season so it was much less crowded. Our travel agent booked the hotel for us so we were not aware that this town basically shuts down at the end of October. The hotel is beautiful and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. The weather was not great during our stay and one of our tours was cancelled. We were able to get to the other towns and do our own tour with the help of the front desk. Another reviewer complained that there were no taxis. That seems to be the case. And if you want to hire one, it is expensive. The ferry closed down during our stay because of the weather so we walked the 45 minutes to Portofino (there is an easy bus option available too). It was a gorgeous walk. And to get to Cinque Terre, we walked to the train station (15 minutes from the hotel) and took the train there. The town of Santa Margherita is nice and quaint. Maybe because we came late in the season or maybe because of the weather, but we found a lot of the restaurants closed. We had great meals in Portofino and Vernazza so it's great to explore the neighboring towns. We also ate 2 dinners at the hotel's restaurant. While a little more expensive, it was amazing food and fantastic service. And their pastry chef is impressive as well. From the morning pastries to the dessert, it was all delicious. Because of the time of year we came, we didn't have the opportunity to take advantage of the pool area. Highly recommend this hotel.