Help me, I'm having second thoughts!
 

Has anyone actually stayed at the Grand Hotel Portovenere? I've booked Hotel Paradiso but am worried after reading other posting that I will be stuck in a small shoe box size room with a family of 4 for 3 days and eating their terrible food! No option is of course given during high season,you must take the full plan. Do you think the Grand is worth the extra $40+ a night? The Grand just has breakfast included, which is our preferance, but I would love some personal insite. Thanks again you people are great!

What city? Rome?

Sorry, if I wasn't clear, the Grand Hotel Portovenere is in Portovenere. <BR>Somebody must have stayed there, please help me decide!

Liz, <BR>If you do a text search, you will find some relevant posts to address your question. <BR>Including some you posted a few months ago. <BR>Did someone recently post a negative opinion?

- <BR>liz: <BR> <BR>I stayed with a friend in La Spezia; so my visit to Portovenere was just as a day trip. Portovenere, along with other towns on the coast (Cinque Terre)are just lovely! <BR> <BR>I did a quick online search & pulled up the Hotel Paradiso (http://www.itsyn.it/paradiso/). It overlooks the bay --- says that all the rooms do have a view. And yes, the example of the room they provide IS very small, but in my experience you don't spend alot of time in your room. <BR>

Liz, I have stayed at both and that is a hard choice. The food at the Paradiso is ordinary at best--I am amazed they are still demanding half board. The GHP is the better hotel and more modern---with a family of 4 I would be tempted to pop for the difference. There is a 3rd option that is close to both---the Belvedere. Not fancy--a 3 star--but even less than the Paradiso and may not require meals.

Thanks for the advice, especially Bob, (my personal hero)! I had the thought of arriving at the Paradiso and looking longingly at the Grand for 3 days wishing I'd made another choice!

We were just there two weeks ago and stayed at the Hotel Belvedere. We had an incredible view of the Gulf, and had dinner in the hotel one night, which was very good. I believe we paid 120,000L (about $60).