Hotel Continental or Cenobio dei Dogi
 

Planning to spend a few days in September along the Riviera with family. Which of these hotels is most reliable and most convenient in terms of seeing Portofino, CT, SML The rate I've been quoted is the same except Continental doesn't include parking. We'd like to "stroll" as much as possible and take the boats rather than driving. Would also like access to beach, which Continental has, for lounging. We will have a 4-year-old with us as well. I've read several posts of people not getting the room they were quote -- any ideas how to prevent this?

I would pick the Continental--more to see and do in SML.

Cenobio dei Dogi is located in Camogli, which is a very pretty, but SMALL fishing village. And unless they've done some renovations in the last year, many of the rooms at the hotel are tired, with paper-thin walls and tattered furnishings that don't really belong in a 4-star hotel.

You'd probably much prefer Hotel Continental, and its location in Santa Margherita, which is a great town for strolling and wandering, especially with a child along. From Santa Margherita, it's pretty easy to get to the towns of Cinque Terre, and also to Portofino either by bus or boat.

I can't give an answer to your specific questions, but wanted to say that we stayed at the Cenobio Dei Dogi 20 years ago on our honeymoon and had an absolutely wonderful stay. The rooms were large and comfortable, and watching the sunset from the dining room overlooking the Mediterranean was breathtaking. When we were there, the movie Star Wars had come out and we had a lot of fun with the name, calling it the "Obi-Wan Cenobio Hotel". Also, there really isn't a beach for lounging in that area - it's all very rocky, not sandy, if that's what you're expecting. The pool was very nice, though.

Another vote for Santa Margherita. We stayed at the Cenobio dei Dogi last year, and I'd say it was just OK. (Of course, being on the Italian Riviera, just OK is still fabulous, but ..) And as noted previously, Camogli is a tiny little town - charming and authentic, but pretty limited. I'd opt for SML, which still has an awful lot of charm, but a bit more in the way of options for strolling, dining, etc. It's also closer to Portofino and the Cinque Terra.

I'm not sure I know the Continental though ... we were at the Grand Hotel Miramare (which was so nice we ended up having a daughter). I think the Metropole looked nice too, but I don't remember Continental. But that doesn't meet it's not great.

As to avoiding unpleasant surprises on the room, the best you can do is indicate your preferences clearly, have them fax or email you back with the specifics, and then bring a copy along. And when checking in, you can always ask to see other rooms if you're not happy. I've learned to never start unpacking immediately, because my wife usually decides she wants to see what else is available, and it's about 90% of the time that we end up with something nicer. (For some reason, some hotels have an odd habit of saving the good rooms).

IMO, the Italian Riviera is nearly as good as it gets. And September is the ideal time. Eat, drink and enjoy.

I agree with Weadles. We checked out of Cenobio dei Dogi 3 days early because of paper thin walls, and we were not the only ones to complain about it! Also agree that SML has much more to offer. It definitely is our preference. We have stayed at the Continental and the rooms were small but adequate. The plus side is that the walls were not paper thin!