Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Grand Hotel Portovenere, Cinque Terre
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location The hotel is situated right on the harbour in Portovenere.
Annual opening 20 March until 3 November
Closest airport Pisa
Distance from airport About 1 hr 15 mins from Pisa, about 1 hr 50 minutes from Genoa.
Closest railway station La Spezia Centrale
Distance from railway station 30 minutes by car
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant, Garage parking, Boat rental, Spa with Turkish bath and sauna, Fitness room, Excursions by boat, Use of beach club a few minutes from the hotel (at a charge), Bar, Cooking course, Food and wine experiences, Tours of the oyster farms of La Spezia by boat, Tours of the marble quarries by car.
Out and about nearby
Portovenere is at the point where the Cinque Terre meet the Gulf of Poets. From here you can visit the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Lerici and Tuscany by boat, car or train. The hotel is on the harbour where you can take a ferry to the villages of the Cinque Terre. Within five minutes’ walk of the hotel you can visit the historic centre of the ancient port, two churches dating from the 12th Century, Byron’s grotto and Doria castle. Palmaria Island is accessible by boat or ferry.
Sports nearby
Boat rental, fishing, walking.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,580
Holiday Code EXH46313
The prices displayed here are a guide only for this hotel and each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect the actual flight costs and all up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Grand Hotel Portovenere, Cinque Terre
The 5-star Grand Hotel Portovenere occupies what was a Franciscan convent perched slightly above the port and seafront in the village of Portovenere, right on the edge of the Cinque Terre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The exterior of the building is painted in the deep pink traditional of the region, green shutters sit at most of the windows, some of which are arcaded. The hotel’s Palmaria restaurant is housed in a verandah overlooking the harbour and the tall, colourful houses that line the seafront. The interior of the restaurant with its teak wood flooring has the feel of being on a traditional boat. The cushions that adorn the bench seating are made locally and are yellow, pink and green echoing the hues of the village houses. The restaurant menus are inspired by the ‘Grand Tour’ of Italy, combining flavours and products from various regions of Italy and there is also a gourmet 5-course tasting menu. Under the high, vaulted, brick ceilings of the historic building that once housed the Franciscan convent is the Venus Bar, an ideal place to enjoy a drink at any time of the day. In fine weather, you can sit on the terrace with its views of the sea and the island of Palmaria. The hotel’s bedrooms and suites vary in size but many have a sea view and all are decorated in a variety of shades of sea green, sand and yellow that reflect the light and colours of the Italian Riviera. A simple, classical style works well in this coastal hotel. Some rooms have balcony or terrace. With a stay at the Grand Hotel Portovenere you can enjoy being in the Cinque Terre yet at a spot that is accessible by car and then from where you can explore by boat to villages along the coast. The ferries depart from the front of the hotel. The hotel has a garage where you can park the car if you don’t need to use it during your stay. The hotel can also arrange for you to be taken to local places of interest by car and boat, for example to the marble quarries, or Spezia’s oyster farm, or a boat tour on board the Moby Dick, a restored wooden fishing boat. Other local experiences are a visit to a Ligurian vineyard set high above the sea in the cliffs and a cooking lesson at the hotel itself when you learn how to cook potato gnocchi, pesto and a dessert.
Room descriptions
The Grand Hotel Portovenere has a wide choice of rooms. All are equipped with air-conditioning, heating, satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, extra beds for children and babies on request, minibar, robe and slippers and complimentary access to newspapers and magazines through an app.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,580
Holiday Code EXH46313
The prices displayed here are a guide only for this hotel and each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect the actual flight costs and all up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Grand Hotel Portovenere, Cinque Terre
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Grand Hotel Portovenere in the Cinque Terre, our clients usually fly to Pisa airport. From the airport, we recommend that you use a hire-car for the duration of your holiday, especially if you want to tour the region and a hire-car is included in the price of the holiday. If you prefer a private transfer, we can organise one for you. If combining Portovenere with another hotel closer to Portofino or Santa Margherita, you might want to fly into Pisa and return home from Genoa to London Gatwick.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Classic double or twin room for 7 nights.
From about
£1,580
Holiday Code EXH46313
The prices displayed here are a guide only for this hotel and each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect the actual flight costs and all up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Grand Hotel Portovenere, Cinque Terre
About Ligurian Riviera
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the Italian Riviera incorporates the stretch of coast from the French border in the west to La Spezia in the east. This region has been long famed for its gloriously mild climate, its luxuriant vegetation of vines, olives, lemons, olives, cypress, pines, bougainvillaea and roses, and its colourful fishing villages of gaily-painted shuttered houses nestling on cliff-sides and in coves. To the west of Genoa the road along the coast forms a corniche with fishing villages, resorts and fruit orchards, this part of the coast being known as the ‘Riviera dei Fiori' as its mild climate encourages abundant flowers, notably roses and carnations. To the east of Genoa the coastline of the Ligurian Riviera is more rugged with promontories such as the Portofino peninsula, renowned for its graceful beauty, sheltered coves, wide bays and larger resorts. Inland, seemingly a world removed from the coast are greenish-grey rugged mountains and hill towns, ruined castles and fast flowing streams. There are abundant chestnut woods and remote valleys, caverns and grottoes and interesting little churches. The Ligurian Riviera is a delightful holiday region where the emphasis is on stylish and tasteful rest and relaxation.
Highlights of the Ligurian Riviera
There are numerous places of interest on and around the Ligurian Riviera. Visit the resort of Nervi with the collection of clocks, fabrics, furniture and lace in the Villa Luxoro and its Galleria d'Arte Moderna. Genoa, a busy port and bustling city, also has fine palaces such as the Palazzo Reale and the Palazzo Bianco and the fascinating Steglieno Cemetery, full of elaborate tombs. The wild beauty of the Cinqueterre should be seen from the ancient footpath, the Sentiere Azzurro, which links the coastal villages. The Abbbazia di San Fruttuoso on the Portofino Peninsula can be reached by boat or on foot. In Camogli sea shells adorn the house walls and the castle contains a display of sea creatures. Flower market in Sanremo early mornings. Giardino Hanbury near Ventimiglia. Diano Marino known for its olives and sandy beaches. Visit Andora Castello, inland from Alassio, known as the finest mediaeval building on the western Riviera.
Cultural highlights of the Ligurian Riviera
The 12th Century Church of San Matteo in Genoa, with its striped black and white Gothic facade. The 16th Century Via Garibaldi in Genoa, designed by Cantone. The `Adoration of the Magi` by Joos van Cleve in the Church of San Donato in Genoa. Crucifixion by Van Dyck in the Church of San Michele di Pagana between Santa Margherita and Rapallo.
Festivals in the Ligurian Riviera
Festivals include the Blessing of the Fish in Camogli in May and the Stella Maris procession of boats to the Punta della Chiappa in August. Procession at Montallegro, above Rapallo, is held at the beginning of July. La Spezia holds a `Festa del Mare` on first Sunday in August.
Gastronomy in the Ligurian Riviera
Local cuisine is influenced by the sea in particular and the mountains to the north. Local specialities include dishes made with pesto for example Trenette al Pesto and Farinata which is a flat bread of chickpea flour and oil, thin like a pancake and eaten as a snack. Pansoti with walnut sauce is a Ligurian speciality of spinach and egg filled pasta with a sauce of nuts, garlic, herbs, ricotta and olive oil.
