Portovenere - boat and Royal Sporting
 

We are going to Cinque Terre for a mere 2 nights / 1 day in September, and are scheduled to stay at the Royal Sporting Hotel in Portovenere.

We generally like 4 or 5 star accommodation...not necessarily expensive as much as quaint and beautiful.

Some people on this site have posted saying that they stayed at the Royal Sporting and liked it, but have not gone into any great detail about the experience....

How is parking (we're driving there)? How hard is the walk from there to town? What are the grounds, rooms, bathrooms, public areas, staff, breakfast like?

If anyone has stayed there and can give some more exact info, that would be fantastic! We have also considered staying at the Grand Hotel Portovenere, but it's SO expensive even we aren't prepared to afford it!

Any other suggestions for accommodation in the area?

I haven't stayed at the Royal Sporting but stopped there for lunch (it's a member of the Buon Ricordo restaurant assoc.) a couple of years ago. The valet took our car and parked it in the hotel's garage. I believe the parking was complementary because we were dining at the hotel. The hotel itself is modern in design (lots of glass, mirrors, marble and stone)and the staff all seemed very friendly and attentive. I think we were the only non-guests there for lunch, which was served on a terrace by the pool overlooking the sea. The guests were served lunch via a large buffet, full of all kinds of things, but since we were there for the special buon ricordo dish, we received menus. The food was delicious. The hotel is a typical three/four star hotel for Italians on vacation. There were a lot of families there and it seemed they all were on the half or full board plan which included meals. It is a very nice place and right in the heart of Portovenere so you will have easy access to other restaurants and shopping.

It is a nice hotel but hardly in the heart of town--it is a good :10 walk into town. I like the GHP better, but if you want to pay less look at the Albergo Paradiso--a nice 3 star right above the boat dock and better located.
We have stayed there twice.

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I stayed at the Royal Sporting and loved it. While it is not in the center of town, I found that I enjoyed the 15 minute or so stroll back to the hotel. Since the stroll was along the beach, it was always a pleasant experience. What I found especially appealing about Portovenere was that it was not an "American" resort, but more of a European town; most of the people we saw were either Italian families or from other European countries. There were (3 years ago) relatively few Americans staying in that town.

I stayed in one of the bedrooms with a balcony overlooking the water, and loved it. The room was comfortable (a/c was adequate but not freezing, though we were there in mid-july). I think the rooms are well-kept, moderate in size, and decent if not luxurious.

When we were not exploring the town or the Cinque Terre, we would spend the time at the swimming pool (salt water fed), which was great.

The breakfast buffet was excellent, staff was always helpful, grounds were attractive (the back had a garden, I believe, though I never spent any time there). Breakfast was served around the pool under an arcade, and was a very pleasant experience.

The ferry boat from Portovenere to Cinque Terre is easy, relatively frequent and as others have said, you can stop and get on and off as you please. It was a great way to explore the Cinque Terre.

And I will also add that I liked Portovenere even more than the well known C.T.! The town is wonderful for strolling, has great nooks and crannies, the church at the tip of town is beautifully sited and a great place to explore (and great views, too). The best restaurant we ate in was Da Iseo (I've seen it recommended by others, too).

And yes, there is parking in the hotel. The hardest part was getting there, simply because the town's one-way street system made it confusing. Once there, though, it was no problem getting in or out.

I'd heard so much about the Cinque Terre, but relatively little about Portovenere. Honestly, Portovenere was a major highlight of my husband's and my trip that year. The walk between Monterosso and Vernazza (not easy, by the way!) was a great experience, and the towns had a lot of charm-- but they were crowded with tourists, mostly American. Portovenere, then was less hectic, more relaxing and beautiful in its own right.