Grand Hotel Miramare Review — Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy

The review

The real Italian Riviera — a restored grand hotel in a town where the Milanese still summer, at about half the price of Portofino.

Grand Hotel Miramare sits on the seafront of Santa Margherita Ligure, one of the most authentic coastal towns left in Italy. This is where Milanese families have spent their summers for generations. In the restaurants, the bars and the little tavernas, the language you hear is Italian. You’re not surrounded by other Americans, and that is exactly what most people are hoping for when they come to Italy.

The town is a real one. Fishmongers sell the morning catch to people who live there, the restaurants are fantastic and the bars stay lively late into the evening. That’s the difference from Amalfi, and from Portofino right next door, where the harbor is lined with Loro Piana and Dior and not much feels local anymore.

That’s why I now point a lot of clients here instead of the Belmond Splendido. The Miramare is the better version of the same idea: a better location, a far more authentic town, and about half the price, while still a very elevated hotel. There’s a big pool, a gym, a spa, a fantastic restaurant out on the terrace and a great bar with great service. Housekeeping was outstanding. Portofino is still a short ride away for lunch, but you’ll be glad to come home to Santa Margherita at night.

The hotel dates back to 1904, and the renovation is beautiful. Most of the rooms are already restored, and the rest should be done by next summer. They kept the Italian character, so it feels like what it is: a historic grand hotel, not a new build. I’ve stayed here, so I can tell you which rooms to ask for.

Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita Ligure

The white Belle Époque facade of Grand Hotel Miramare with green shutters, painted details and wrought-iron balconies — The Belle Époque facade

A restored sea-view room at Grand Hotel Miramare with a chandelier, an iron bedframe and French doors open to a balcony over the bay — A restored sea-view room

View through sheer curtains from a balustraded balcony at Grand Hotel Miramare to a sailboat anchored in the bay — The view from a sea-view balcony

The curved pool at Grand Hotel Miramare, ringed by loungers and white umbrellas on a lawn — The pool

The bar at Grand Hotel Miramare, a painted wooden counter with velvet stools in front of a lit wall of bottles — The bar

Blue and white umbrellas and loungers on the pebble beach at the Grand Hotel Miramare beach club — The beach club

The ivy-covered entrance wall of Grand Hotel Miramare on the Santa Margherita seafront — The entrance on the seafront

What stood out

The details that made the list

01: You’re vacationing with Italians. Santa Margherita is where Milan goes to the sea. Restaurants, bars and the beach are full of Italian families, not tour groups — the authentic coastal Italy people are looking for and rarely find.
02: A renovation that kept the soul. The restored rooms are beautiful, and they still feel Italian and historic rather than generically modern. The remaining rooms are set to be finished by next summer.
03: The beach club. One of the largest beach clubs in Liguria, being restored for next summer. You can swim right off the beach or off the platforms. It’s open to the public, but in practice that means local Milanese families who have kept the same cabanas for generations. I think that’s a plus: you’re at the beach with real Italians.
04: A building that still follows its original plan. In the early 20th century, the noble families lived on the lower floors and the servants lived on the upper ones. The structure can’t be changed, so it still works that way: the lower floors have the larger rooms with real outdoor terraces, and rooms get smaller as you go up.
05: The top-floor suite. I stayed in one of the signature suites, on the top floor, with a wraparound balcony and stunning views of the sea. It’s one of the most beautiful, relaxing hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in.
06: Even the entry-level rooms are spacious. Rooms in the base category are genuinely big. Above them sit six beautiful signature suites.
07: Garden-view rooms that are actually good. These aren’t rooms looking at another building. They face a real garden, so they’re private, quiet and relaxing, with massive, tall ceilings. I’d still recommend a sea view, but if you don’t need one, the garden rooms are a great alternative.
08: Everything you need on property. A large pool, a gym, a spa, a fantastic terrace restaurant and a bar with great service. Housekeeping was outstanding all stay.

Miramare or Splendido

The better version of the Splendido

If you’re looking at the Belmond Splendido, look here first. Portofino is about 15 minutes away by car or boat, so you can still have lunch in the harbor and then sleep somewhere that feels like Italy.

	Grand Hotel Miramare	Belmond Splendido
The town	Santa Margherita Ligure: a real town with local fishmongers, restaurants and bars	Portofino: a tiny harbor of luxury boutiques and day-trippers
Who’s around you	Milanese families on their summer holidays; you hear Italian everywhere	Mostly international visitors
The sea	One of the largest beach clubs in Liguria, swimming off the beach and the platforms	A hillside pool above the harbor
The hotel	A restored grand hotel with a big pool, gym, spa, terrace restaurant and bar	A former monastery on the hillside, Belmond’s Riviera icon
Families	Connecting suites and rooms with sofa beds	Better suited to couples
Price	Sea-view rooms from around $1,000–$1,500 a night	Roughly double

Know before you book

The Fine Print, From Your Advisor

01: The floor you’re on matters more than the room name. Ask me before you book. The hotel’s ground floor sits a full level above the street, and its “first floor” is higher again. So even the lowest rooms have a true sea view, and the floor numbers don’t mean what an American would expect. If you want space and a large outdoor terrace, the lower floors are the smart choice, because that’s where the noble families once lived. The upper floors are smaller, and the newest top floor, added after a fire, wasn’t allowed balconies at all. The exception is a couple of signature suites, including the one with a wraparound balcony I stayed in. Reach out and I’ll walk you through it and put you in the right room.
02: Book the sea view if you can. It’s the one I’d always recommend. If the sea view doesn’t fit the budget or the dates, the garden-view rooms are quiet, private and still a lovely stay.
03: It works very well for families. Certain suites can be combined behind one closed door, so you get two proper suites as one private unit. Some rooms with a sofa bed take up to three adults, or two adults and two children under 10.
04: The beach club is open to the public. Don’t let that put you off. In practice it means Italian families who have had their cabanas for generations. It’s part of what makes a stay here feel real.
05: Portofino is a day trip, not a base. Go for lunch, a walk around the harbor or a boat along the coast to San Fruttuoso and Camogli, then come back to Santa Margherita for dinner. I arrange boats and drivers.
06: Transfers and boats, arranged. I arrange private transfers from Genoa or Milan, and private boats along the coast to Portofino, San Fruttuoso and the Cinque Terre.

Build the trip

The Italy honeymoon I’d plan for myself

The Miramare is the coastal leg that ties northern Italy together. It’s more affordable than Amalfi and it sits right between Lake Como and Tuscany. These are the routes I’d build around it. I handle every piece: the hotels, the rooms and every private transfer in between, timed to your check-outs and check-ins. You never touch a train timetable or a rental car.

For honeymooners

Lake Como, the Riviera, Tuscany and Florence

Arrive: Fly into Milan. A private driver meets you and takes you straight to the lake.
3 nights: Lake Como. The romantic start: Passalacqua, Villa d’Este or Il Sereno.
3–4 nights: Santa Margherita Ligure. Grand Hotel Miramare, the beach club, and Portofino by boat for lunch.
4–5 nights: Tuscany. A countryside borgo: Il Borro is my honeymoon pick, or see all three borghi side by side.
3 nights: Florence. End in the city at Four Seasons Firenze or Villa San Michele, then fly home.

Two weeks, four completely different Italys, and no logistics on your plate.

For families

The Riviera, Tuscany and Florence

Arrive: Fly into Milan. Straight down to the coast by private car.
4–5 nights: Santa Margherita Ligure. Combined suites at the Miramare, the pool and the beach club.
4–5 nights: Tuscany. A villa with space to spread out, like Borgo Pignano.
3 nights: Florence. Finish in the city, then fly home.

I’d skip Lake Como with kids. It’s at its best as a romantic stop, and the coast and the countryside give children far more to do.

Mountains, lakes and the sea

Venice, the Dolomites, Lake Como and the Riviera

Arrive: Fly into Venice. Or into Munich or Innsbruck and start in the mountains.
2–3 nights: Venice. Hotel Cipriani across the lagoon.
4 nights: The Dolomites. Forestis above Bressanone, Gardena Grödnerhof in Val Gardena or COMO Alpina Dolomites on the Alpe di Siusi.
3 nights: Lake Como. Down from the mountains to the lake.
3–4 nights: Santa Margherita Ligure. End on the sea at the Miramare, then fly home from Milan.

Some of these drives are long. I plan where to break them up so they feel like part of the trip, not a day lost to transit.

Book the Miramare through me

Fora perks.
And someone who knows the hotel.

Work with me and you get two things: Fora perks, and someone who knows the Miramare personally. Grand Hotel Miramare is a Virtuoso preferred partner, so booking through me includes preferred partner amenities like daily breakfast, a hotel credit and upgrade priority where available. I know the property and the team, so I personalize your stay, from the room I request to what’s arranged before you arrive, and I’m your direct line to them while you’re there. Rates are identical to booking direct.

When are you thinking?

Tell me who’s traveling and when. I’ll match you to the right room at the Miramare, build Lake Como, Tuscany or the Dolomites around it, and handle every transfer in between.

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