Belmond Hotel Splendido - Portofino

This year, my husband and I have made several trips to Italy as this is one of our favourite countries; who doesn’t like traditional Italian cuisine and exquisite Italian red wines?! A few weeks ago, we returned once again to the land of pasta. This time, the flight destination was Genoa airport and there we were picked up by a black Mercedes (sent by the hotel) which drove us to our final destination. The sunny and picturesque fishing village of Portofino is nowadays one of the world’s most glamorous holiday destinations, and the grandiose Belmond Hotel Splendido is the village’s focal point where sunbathing and dining next to actors and designers are everyday happenings.

With extremely high expectations on this star studded hotel, we arrived in style and were greeted warmly by the bell boy as well as the reception desk and shown up to our room. Our Deluxe Junior Suite with sea view was located on the first floor, in the middle of the building. We entered our room and fell in love immediately! In front of us was a vast and open space bedroom built like a bridge with a king size bed, a small table with two chairs as well as a working area with a desk and a sitting area with a sofa and a television in front of each window/balcony door. Upon opening the balcony doors, we were met by a large balcony divided in two areas (one with two lounge chairs and the other perfect for a romantic breakfast in the sunshine). If the impressive room was not enough, the view from the balcony was taken straight from a painting! Opposite the hotel was the beautiful bay of Portofino filled with impressive yachts and sailing boats. Instantly, I understood why Richard Burton had chosen Belmond Hotel Splendido to propose to Elisabeth Taylor. Back inside, the room tour is not yet completed as I must also mention the roomy bathroom, elegantly decorated in white marble and brown wood panels. Double basins were accompanied by a separated shower and bathtub as well as a toilet and a bidet. And as if luxurious and generous Bulgari products are not sufficiently impressive, you also find Molton Brown mouth wash and makeup remover as well as English Penhaligon’s shampoo, soap and body wash. I had arrived to the bathroom amenities’ paradise!

From the body to the feet, the hotel provides his and her slippers (two sizes and two colours), elegantly wrapped and presented in cotton bags indicating Gents’ or Ladies’ slippers. Furthermore, my passion for good quality laundry bags was further stimulated due to the beautifully embroidered laundry bag made of organic cotton. And to my surprise, there was not only one but three laundry bags in our room (triple score!). Generosity is definitely a keyword at Belmond Splendido Hotel! Another great detail (more fun than required in my opinion) is the safe cleverly hidden behind a painting on the wall. I have never seen that in a hotel (it’s like stepping into a film). The overall decoration is classically Italian with wooden furniture mixed with floral bed linens, sofa cover, vases and paintings. Due to Portofino’s pleasant weather climate, the hotel is beautifully decorated with colourful flowers everywhere. The hotel exterior is as magic as the inside with its clear blue infinity pool, relaxed pool restaurant, classy gourmet restaurant and stone-paved paths taking you through the lush gardens passed the Dolce Vita suite to the spa reception. The scenery is taken directly from a romantic Italian film. 

Also the atmosphere is calm and quiet, perfect if you are seeking to recover after a hectic period in your life or if you just want to leave all your stress at home. And I must not forget the impeccable service from all staff members who elegantly treat you like royalty and as if you are the only guests. During our stay, my husband and I tried both restaurants and the piano bar and we were amazed by the rapidity and effectiveness of the staff who did not let us wait a single time before giving us tables and providing us with the various menus etc. Regarding the food, the quality is very good, with the use of excellent fresh and local products such as squid, fish, pesto and pasta. The pool restaurant offers a small A la carte consisting of pizzas and fresh pasta dishes, but the main event is the generous salad buffet with endless variations of mozzarella, tomatoes and mixed salads and fresh vegetables and fruits. And the best part; eat as much as you want! On the contrary, the A la carte pasta dishes are delicious, but rather small portions (especially for men!). Nevertheless, the pizzas are amply decorated and the dough is thin and crispy (just like it should be!).

We also enjoyed a romantic dinner at the La Terrazza Restaurant with the stunning views of the Portofino bay. Knowing that the portions are slightly small, we opted for a four-course dinner (Antipasto, Primo, Secondo, and finally Dolci) accompanied by a powerful Brunello wine (my favourite). The dishes were appealingly presented and exploded with flavours, particularly the Roasted Lobster with Garden Vegetables and Local Black Olives, Thinly sliced warm sea bass with cherry tomatoes and capres, and the Homemade John Dory ravioli served in a delicate red mullet sauce. However, the meat dishes lacked some refinement and were less interesting than the starters. On the other hand, the cheese selection was outstanding! Or are you not impressed when I tell you that there was even a à la carte for the cheeses!? My husband decided to taste two types of Pecorino which were both delectable. 

 

 

After our dinner, we walked past the bar filled with people dancing to live music and song by a true entertainer in a flashing green sequined jacket! We could not resist but to enter, have a drink and embrace the cheerful atmosphere, before heading upstairs to our room for a good night’s sleep. Every night, the room was prepared for the night and on each beside table there was a bottle of still water and the room-service breakfast menu was awaiting us on the bed. I have rarely seen such an extensive room-service breakfast menu such as the one at Belmond Hotel Splendido. There was everything that you could possibly wish for, from eggs and pancakes until French toast and Parma ham.

With all the eating during the weekend, my husband and I had the intention of burning some of the newly acquired calories in the hotel fitness room. However, to our slight disappointed the fitness room was not as glamorous as the rest pf the hotel. There was one bike and one thread mill for cardio and some other machines for working the muscles. For couples, or even friends, it is more convenient to have at least two of each so that two people can do the same thing at the same time. I have to admit that this fact discouraged us from working out and thus visiting the fitness room was our only time spent in there during our weekend.

Next up, we had to discover the spa and its treatments and thus we had reserved (in advance) two aromatherapy massages. The spa receptionist was kind and welcoming and our two female therapists arrived on time to fetch us and show us the way in to our couple’s treatment room (to our surprises they had organized for us to be together). The massages were relaxing and we were asked to select our oil prior to the treatment (something which I appreciate and thus depending on my mood and physical wellbeing I can alter the effect of the massage). The spa also offers a sauna, which unfortunately is not located in the spa but next to the fitness room which is two floors down with no inside access but you have to access it by passing by the pool area). As already repeated several times in my previous posts, my husband and I enjoy going for a sauna or steam room session after a day in the sun and before dinner time. However, due to the misfortunate (and inconvenient) location of the hotel sauna, this is not really possible at Belmond Hotel Splendido.

Nevertheless, and I emphasise on that word, the hotel is truly impressive and you feel like a film star when staying here. Everything, from the basics down to the very small details, oozes Italian luxury. The rooms are spacious and romantically decorated with magnificently lush balconies. Do not forget that it is absolutely vital to indulge the breakfast on the balconies with the amazing views of the luxury yachts anchored in the Portofino peninsula. And last but not least, you must take a drink the hotel bar with live music! What a romantic dream for couples! This is definitely not to miss!

Learn more about the hotel here.