which hotel in Santa Margarita, Liguria?
 

Hi,
can anyone advise which hotel is better, Hotel Joland or Hotel Metropole - Santa Margarita, Liguria, near Portofino.

Thanks in advance

I think you may mean Jolanda. It is good value but not on the water. Have you looked at Hotels Laurin or Continental? Both are good choices.

I've never stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure but when I visited I noticed that a couple of the more expensive hotels sit adjacent to the train tracks on the hill far from the water, while another (I think it was the Continental) was closer to the harbor but is on a street with lots of car traffic. Both struck me as rather noisy. The town of SML is dominated by its yacht harbor, and while it shares many of the charms of all the Ligurian coast towns, it wasn't my favorite.

If you are staying in the area primarily to visit Cinque Terre, you might consider staying in Sestri Levante, which has a lovely beach and is on the train line that will take you to Cinque Terre. You might also consider Levanto. Portovenere and Lerici are not directly on the train line, but they are reachable with a bus connection from the train in La Spezia and they have boat service to Cinque Terre.

If you could care less about CT but are simply interested in a lovely coastal village, I think Camogli, which is 20 minutes south of Genoa by train, is gorgeous and affordable, and from Camogli you can take an enchanting boat ride to Portofino. If swimming and relaxing is your main goal, Sestri Levente and Camogli offer the most.

Although I've never stayed at the Hotel Metropole so I can't compare, I did stay four nights at the Hotel Jolanda in Sept. 2004. It was a very enjoyable stay and I can highly recommend it. The room was very large and it looked exactly like the photo on the hotel's website. There is a charming patio where you can have breakfast if the weather is nice. The hotel had a small garage so we could park our car, although it can only accommodate a few cars. The train station is maybe a 10 minute walk, which made it very easy to catch a train to the Cinque Terre for the day. As mentioned elsewhere, the hotel is not on the water, if that is important to you. Since we were not in the room very much, it did not make a difference to us.

We also spent two nights at the Hotel Continental on the same trip. While we enjoyed our stay at that hotel too, the Hotel Jolanda was a much better value.

We stayed at Hotel Jolanda a couple of years ago and it still stands out as a really nice hotel for a great price. It was a great location and we so enjoyed our time in Santa Margherita. Enjoy!

If you want to stay near the water, you might look into the Laurin. We stayed there and loved it. It is across the street from the marina and harbor and within walking distance of many restaurants and shops. Our room had a lovely terrace with table, umbrella, chairs for dining and chairs for sunning. We had a great view of the sea, the surrounding area across the bay and the busy street in front. Thye have a roof top pool with great views also.

Enjoy your trip!

does anyone know what the hotel jolanda's website is?

Yes, we loved Hotel Jolanda too. They even had bikes you could use for free. And DOOOOOOO go to the "White Duck"(not sure of the Italian translation) restaurant just down the street...one of my best meals ever!

We really liked Santa Margherita Ligure last month. We were in a small B&B w/o view of the water, but it suited us fine.
The Imperiale looked like a nice hotel if you want first class and a view of the water.

We just stayed at the Albergo Fasce over Christmas. It was a very short walk to the water and in a very quiet neighborhood. www.hotelfasce.it

A couple of years ago, we stayed in Santa margerita at the Laurin, while friends stayed at the Jolanda.

Both are fine. Jolanda is a 2 minute walk from the shore, while the Laurin is right across the street from the water. I think the Laurin is a bit better, but both are acceptable lodging.

I am planning to stay in Santa Margherita Ligure for 5 days around the middle of October 2007. I am also trying to decide between the Metropole and Jolanda and would appreciate any help. To travelbug - where did you end up staying?

I enjoyed the Hotel Laurin. We had a water view with a large patio. You can see photos on my website: www.travelswithdiane.homestead.com/Italy6.html

I have stayed at the Hotel Jolanda many times. It is a nice-clean hotel if you don't mind being away from the water. They have a great breakfast buffet and you can sit on the terrace if the weather is good.

I stayed at the Metropole. I've been in many more luxurious hotels, but I'm not sure if I've ever been more charmed. The grounds were gorgeous, lined with carefully planned fragrant flowers. Our room (in the red villa by the water, which is preferable if you can get a room there) was not especially large, but it was plenty large enough for two people. It was so beautifully designed and appointed that it was a real pleasure to come home to. Even the bathroom was beautiful. Plumbing and air conditioning worked perfectly. Common areas were sunny and spotlessly clean. The quick, simple lunch we had at their outdoor restaurant was excellent - the best food we had in Liguria, despite our efforts to seek out good food elsewhere. And the free breakfast was outstanding, probably the best I've ever encountered. The hotel is located at one edge of the harbor, which means that it's both right on the water and close to the train tracks. It's very close to the train station -- we dragged our suitacases from the train station to the hotel without needing other ground transportation. The hotel is family-run, and the staff was wonderfully friendly and helpful. The only caveat that I'd offer is that hotel is located right on Via Pagana, a main street that has a lot of incredibly noisy Vespa traffic. We didn't notice it at all from our room, which faced the water rather than Via Pagana. But when we walked back at night, I do remember thinking that I'd probably be quite disappointed if my room faced the street.

I don't know anything at all about the Jolanda. I might consider Camogli if I were returning to the area. But if I were returning to SML, I wouldn't think of staying anywhere other than the Metropole, provided I could get a room facing away from the street.

Thanks so much for the help. Hawksbill - your description of the Metropole certainly convinced us. You mention that the red villa is preferable to the main building. In the offer sent us by the hotel, the main building was more expensive but had a balcony. Can you tell me why the red villa is better? I really appreciate your input.

Well, I haven't seen the rooms in the main building, so I can't say if they're better or worse. The main attraction of the red villa is that it's right next to the sea. You can appreciate this in the picture that first greets you when you go to www.metropole.it. The red villa is the building marked "Villa Porticciolo." Really nice if your room faces the water. And if your room doesn't face the water, then it will be facing the street and the Vespa noise, so you should try to change it!

One disadvantage is that the "beaches" out there, which are basically just concrete platforms, are essentially public, and people sometimes make a little noise out there. The little pier with a rounded end that's right outside of the red villa was used by locals for fishing sometimes, and for just hanging out - elderly folks in the mornings, occasional smooching teenagers at night, and just about anyone during the evening passagiatta, which by the way was one of my favorite events in SML. I'm a person who likes a very quiet hotel room, and I never found the beachfront noise to be a problem at all. The folks out there were generally quiet, peaceful, and non-threatening. I can imagine that the rooms in the main building that overlook the hotel grounds and the pool could be quieter, though.

The other downside of the red villa is that it's a little less convenient to walk into and out of. The villa has its own entrance from the street, which will be unlocked for you when you bring you luggage in and out. But for all of your comings and goings in between, you'll have to go in and out through the main building, which means walking across the grounds in between. Again, I didn't find this to be a problem. The grounds were by no means opulent, but they were lovely. The scent of the honeysuckles that lined the path from one building to the other was wonderful. I think they were honeysuckles, anyway. I'm not much of a flower expert!

It's interesting that the rooms in the main building cost more. In 2005, everyone on this board and on tripadvisor seemed to be recommending the red villa. Back then, I think the rooms cost the same, and you could request a red villa room, but they wouldn't guarantee one. Go figure.

This will be short. HOTEL Laurin. Water view and very very nice. We're cheap so it wasn't that expensive in 2003

Thanks for all the help. We have made reservations for the red villa at the Metropole. Has anyone done half-board(dinner) there? We wouldn't want to do it every day but 30euro more a day for 2 seems very inexpensive for dinner - if it's any good.