Romantic Honeymoon Retreat on Italian Riviera (that isn't the Splendido)?
 

Hi there-

My fiance and I (we're 28 years old) are planning our two-week honeymoon (May 2008) in Italy, and we basically have our itinerary down:

3-5 days in Venice (hoping to stay at Oltre Il Giardino)

3-5 days in the Piedmont region (staying in Turin for a day/night, and then hoping to stay at a villa in Asti or Alba, and visit the surrounding vineyards)

***3-5 days on the Italian Riviera -- Here is where I need the most help.

We really want our vacation to be super romantic, quiet, and to FEEL like a honeymoon (i.e. trying to avoid staying at places with children).

While I think our first two stops we can find places which achieve this feel, I'm pretty stuck when it comes to the Riviera.

I've been to Cinque Terra - and it seems too touristy to me, particularly in late May.

Portofino seems way too trendy and WAY too expensive.

We were thinking of staying in Rapallo or SML. Camogli sounds beautiful, but I cannot find anywhere that fits my criteria to stay.

What we're looking for: accommodations that are upscale, beautiful, romantic, and ideally children-free (or at least a children-few and far between-type place).

Can anyone recommend a hotel in either SML, Rapallo, Camogli, or any other town on the riviera that I'm not thinking of, which would be a perfect honeymoon spot?

Any thoughts are appreciated....

Budget is not really an issue - staying at Hotel Splendido in Portofino is to us a ridiculous amount of $$$ -- we can afford mostly anywhere else...

The closest so far that I've found is Grand Hotel Bristol in Rapallo....

Thanks!!

PS-If anyone has hotel recs for Venice and/or the Piedmont region as well that fits the above-criteria, I'd appreciate feedback there as well!!

I don't have personal experience with it, but frinds honeymooned at Excelsior Palace Hotel in Rapallo and loved it.

Take a look at the Hoel Continentale in SML. They have some large rooms with sea view terraces. That is what I would write ans ask for. This is a very nice hotel, and they can get you a romantic retreat of a room.

If you like, and if you think it would do any good, you can tell them that Signora Weber who wrote about their hotels for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recommended the hotel to you. It may mean nothing, but they were grateful for my positive reveiw at the time. I can post a link to the article that might help secure a special room for you.

I don't think Rapallo has the charm of Portofino or SML. There was a discussion in the doctor's office today concerning everyone's love of SML.

I've posted this article here before, but will do it again for you. At least I'm not the poster who pops his trip report link into every post on that destintation. I try to do it only on occasion, and a honeymoon is an occasion!
http://www.postgazette.com/travel/20...fino0810p1.asp

Off to bed...

Thank you guys so much!

I will definitely mention your name and your newspaper -- and I'm looking forward to reading your article! :)

I appreciate the feedback!

If you are considering Piedmont (and you should!), give The Baur B&B, in Acqui Terme, a try. It is a quick hour drive away from Camogli, and it is a perfect spot for your honeymoon. Super romantic, and exactly the kind of spot I would go for my honeymoon.

I wasn't honeymooning when I visited, but I wished I was. :) It is simply the most beautiful inn I have ever visited - gorgeous rooms, unbelievably huge and delicious breakfasts, and lots of sweet extra touches in the decor and the service.

The location is perfect for touring the lush, rolling countryside of the Langhe and Monferrato, and Acqui Terme itself is perfectly darling little city, with great shops and restaurants.

http://www.baurbb.com/

Faredolce:

WOW. It looks amazing! I just emailed Diana about availability.

Is it just as easy to get around from there to the different wineries as it is from Asti and Alba?

I don't know the region well, but I assume we have to have a car. How is the driving?? I'm a little nervous about that (and we don't drive stick, so it may be really $$$ to get an automatic!)

Also, did you feel at all that because the B&B is so small that you and the other guests were "on top" of each other?

I know there are few rooms, so I imagine it's not really an issue.

Just curious what you thought about that.... it looks great, and you definitely sold me!!!

Hi May, sorry it took so long to get back to you.

As far as location, you will be fine...you can get to Asti and Alba no problem, as well as Torino, which you should not miss. The proprieitors know exactly where to lead you and can help you decide what to see, and they kindly print out maps to supplement whatever you bring.

Every inch of land in Piemonte is devoted to viticulture, or so it will appear. No worries. There will be so many vineyards and winemakers to visit, your head will spin. Micha is devoted to the wines of his home region and will happily point you in the right direction, or you can book a tour with him.

Driving is fun in Piemonte...for me, personally, it was easier than in parts of Tuscany and Umbria. There are some climbs and drops and twisty turns, but everyone seems to slow down and drive respectfully.

The two rooms of the inn are separated by a corridor and a stairway, and the beds are positioned on opposite sides of the building. Plus, it is a 400-year old farmhouse, or so I was told, and the walls are super thick. So no, you won't feel like you are on top of the other guests.

I think you will have a great honeymoon stay there. You can reach Liguria and parts of the coast easily, and there is no end to what you can see in Piemonte.

I really wish you good luck in your plans, and I hope you enjoy all of your honeymoon!

Faredolce:

Thank you so much! What wonderful information!

I am really set on Baur now -- I was wondering if we were doing the wrong thing by going to Piedmont instead of Tuscany, but it sounds like this is an undiscovered treasure of an area - I'm really excited.

Thank you again for all of your wonderful advice!!

Regarding a hotel on the Italian Riviera, did you check out the Hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi in Camogli? Can't guarantee an absolute lack of children but there should be relatively few in May.

Have you checked www.tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews? Also www.venere.com.

Mimar - Thanks so much. I had heard about Hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi, and it looks great. I love the idea of staying in Camogli -- I've heard it's more akin to a small fishing village, and I love that feeling of authenticity --- perhaps Portofino has that too, but since I can't afford to stay at Splendido, I choose to assume it doesn't :)

I have been looking at trip advisor for reviews, but hadn't known about venere -- I'll definitely start looking there.

Thanks re: the tip about kids -- believe me, I LOVE them (and want 3!!!) -- just for the honeymoon I'm trying to find somewhere that's quiet/romantic without tons of families. I think it's more difficult to find that kind of thing in Europe than it is when you go to the Caribbean or somewhere like that for a honeymoon.....

Keep the thoughts coming guys...they're great!!!

So now we're thinking of only splitting our time between Venice and Italian Riviera -- I REALLY want to do the Piedmont region, but even with 2 weeks, it feels like a stretch (because the train rides are pretty long, it's tough to not feel rushed).

Because of this change, we'll probably do 6 nights in Venice, 6 nights in Portofino, 2 nights in Milan (we leave from Milan, so we figure we should at least be there for a day or two, so we get to see some stuff there).

Does anyone know ANYTHING about Splendido Mare? The Splendido is absolutely out of the question price-wise, but Splendido Mare is do-able (sort of). I've heard really good things, and it seems more like "us" in terms of size/charm (than a large resort), but I was curious if people had any input....

Thanks again for all of the suggestions!

May I suggest you check out Villa Gnocchi a romantic B&B villa sited in the hills above SML, in the country, but within site of the sea and 15 minutes walk to town. It is charming, and won't break your budget it been written up in Travel and Leisure. www.villagnocchi.it/. In Portofino I would go with Hotel Piccolo, (google them) a gem in Portofino, but of course somewhat more expensive.

I'm sorry if you decide to miss out on Piedmont after all the discussion, whether you stay around Acqui, Asti or Alba, we think that Piedmont has so much to offer and is relatively untouristy compared to Tuscany. but don't rush on your honeymoon, you can always come back with the kids! Buon viaggo.

If you have 2 days to spend at the end of your trip I would spend them in Piemonte instead of Milano. Milano is just too big and too industrial for my tastes, especially on a honeymoon.

Piemonte is very close to the airport (MXP or LIN) and you would get to see one of the most beautiful areas of Italy.

For the Ligurial I would also look at Camogli first but you might also try Setri Levante - we looked into staying at http://www.hoteldeicastelli.com/eng_...el_camere.html for our honeymoon...

I have to agree with monty. Unless you have a very early flight out of Milan, I would consider doing Piemonte instead of the 2 nights in Milan. It is only a 1.5 hour drive.

We spent 5 nights in Baur B&B in June 2006, and frankly, it is probably our favorite place we have stayed in Europe. The region is beautiful and MUCH less touristed then Tuscany. It would be a quick drive from the Italian Riviera.

If you haven't picked your hotel in the Italian Riviera yet, you may want to consider staying in Portovenere or Lerici. They are both located just south of the Cinque Terre.

bookmarking

So Portofino is definitely on your itinerary now? If not, check out The Grand Miramare in Santa Margherita. It's a very elegant, upscale hotel with its own (smallish) beach just across the road. There's a lovely pool as well. When we stayed there a couple of years ago, we didn't see many kids at the hotel. We did see lots of honeymooners.

Forgot to mention- the hotel is within easy walking distance of town.