Portofino’s Hotel Splendido

The Hotel Splendido is part of the famous Orient-Express group of hotels.  Set on a hillside in four acres of romantic tropical gardens with superb palm trees, the hotel overlooks the bay of Portofino in Italy less than an hour from Genoa Airport.  Sister hotel, the Splendido Mare, is situated in the heart of Portofino village with wonderful views of the harbour and the castle of San Giorgio.

Hotel Splendido was originally a monastery, but the four-story building was attacked with such frequency in the sixteenth century by Saracen pirates that the monks abandoned it to the sheep that roamed the coastal hills.

In the nineteenth century, Baron Baratta revived the wreck of the building, converting it into a summer house for his family.  It had been built on an east-west axis, following the contour of the hill, so that as well as having views of the sea from all its principal windows, it also had the sun all day.

In 1901 Mr. Ruggero Valentini, the pioneer of tourism at Portofino, transformed Villa Baratta into the Grand Hotel Splendid.  Since the beginning the hotel has played host to the most famous and noble families in Europe and the cream of the international jet-set.  The Duke of Windsor was the first person to sign the visitors’ book at the Hotel Splendido in Portofino.  His name is scrawled next to that of Wallis, his wife.

In 1952 they were the first in a long list of illustrious visitors who came to cushion themselves against the uncomfortable realities of life.  Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Catherine Deneuve, Liza Minelli and Rex Harrison all stayed at the Splendido.  In the Fifties and the Sixties, Harrison, who had a villa on the slopes above the Splendido, transferred la Dolce Vita from Rome to Portofino, where he played it out on the hotel’s celebrated terrace, at his villa and in the bars and restaurants of the little port.

Some were Harrison’s guests, at his villa; the rest occupied most of the Hotel Splendido bedrooms and suites, each of which has its own balcony or terrace, overlooking the cove of Portofino and the Gulf.

In 1985 Orient-Express Hotels bought the Hotel and started a major project of renovation.  All the rooms in the hotel have since been completely redecorated and refurbished.  The hotel now has 64 rooms and suites, with most rooms having a balcony or terrace offering breathtaking views of Portofino’s bay.

Facilities at the Hotel Splendido include:

• Health and Welbeing Center
• Gymnasium
• Open-air heated salt-water swimming pool
• Tennis court
• Private speedboat for excursions (up to seven passengers)
• Boutique and signature shop
• Hairdresser
• Hotel Splendido

For Al Fresco dining La Terrazza outdoor restaurant seats 90 and the larger Indoor Restaurant can accomodate up to 120 diners.  The Pool Bar serves informal luncheons and drinks and there is also a Cocktail and Piano Bar located close to La Terrazza.

Click here for more information on the Hotel Splendido

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