Hotel Splendido ****+, Portofino (Liguria), Northwest Italy.

A gracious, charming hotel with all the ambience of old world deluxe style and service but imbued with all the most modern amenities artfully hidden from view.

Peter and Linda D'Aprix 2010

The hotel is built so as to receive the sun all day long and follows the contour of these rugged hillsides. From it's beginning as a luxury hotel in 1901, it has played host to the rich, noble and famous families in Europe as well as the cream of the international jet-set. Bacall and Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor and Burton, are amongst the Hollywood famous as well as Madonna more recently. They are all drawn by the relaxed deluxe high end establishment, its unique ambiance, warm personal attention and the romantic setting. Perfect to celebrate that birthday, anniversary or the wedding that give birth to it. Everyone should experience it at least once in their lives. It could prove to be addictive.

We love the simplicity of the Ligurian based cuisine, especially the fresh pasta and focaccia, and the setting on the terrace looking far out to sea and, in the foreground, overlooking the entrance to the fishing harbor as the sun set in the distance and darkness slowly fell as we ate. By dessert, the necklaces of lights that popped up around the bay made a lovely meal magical. Peter started with the Liguria seafood salad. We both had the pesto pasta with greens and potato (you simply cannot visit Liguria without enjoying it several times) and my sea bass was well prepared and served with the deep-fried potato crisps this region loves. Peter's lamb was cooked to perfection and generous. I finished with a lovely light apple plumb strudel with green apple sorbet while Peter had cinnamon ice cream and chocolate mousse.

Apart from spoiling yourself with lassitude around the pool and Ligurian fodder, more lively activities abound. From the hotel, there are wonderful the walking paths of Mount Portofino. surrounded with flowers, rugged brush and wild herbs. A charming walkway above and away from the clogged coastal road leads down through the landscaped, terraced gardens of the hotel to the port with its cafes and shopping. Takes about 10 minutes unless you get distracted by the flora, views and want to just sit on one of the benches and just soak everything in. To return, if you don't feel like the uphill trek, a hotel shuttle runs every 20 minutes to bring you back up the hotel.

For those wanting to recreate their favorite dishes, cooking classes are available teaching how to prepare the healthy vegetable based dishes of Liguria. A wellness center offers treatments addressing both body and mind. Weather permitting, a lovely secluded garden bower provides a tranquil setting for outdoor massage. (Special treatments are available for both new mothers and mothers-to-be.) There are yoga and pilate lessons and personal trainers. With the sea at your feet, there is scuba diving, sailing, boat excursions with a sunset cruise and aperitifs off the coast of Portofino. For land lubbers, golf, tennis and horse riding are not far away. Excursions to Pisa and Lucca and Genoa on request.

Our bedroom The view from our terrace out over the entrance to the Portofino harbor.

The doors to adjoining rooms. The bathroom with full sized soaking tub, his and hers sinks and walk in shower.