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Santa Margherita Ligure: Hotel Continental

Phone: 0185286512
www.hotel-continental.it

Reviewed by: colleenk from MA, review #154

When: September 2002

A beautiful and convenient hotel from which to explore the Cinque Terre area. {4 stars}

This hotel located on the sea front was a perfect base for us to explore the Cinque Terre. It is a charming yet modern 4 star hotel with spectacular views. There was a large terrace with 2 chairs and a table off our room which was shared with the other room on our floor. The double room we stayed in was a good size, with a large modern bathroom. The hot water and water pressure were very good and the bed was very comfortable.

It had a mini-bar,hairdryer, air conditioning and a phone in the bathroom. As in most European hotels it did not have an iron. (I'll never travel to Europe again without one!)

There is Internet access in the beautiful lobby. There are private cabanas, chairs and umbrellas available for the guests to enjoy sunning and swimming on the rock platforms in shallow water. The flowers, palm trees and landscaping are beautifully done.

The breakast buffet was very good and quite extensive. It was served in a gorgeous setting overlooking the water. The hotel is located on a hill, affording the great views of the port and sea - which is a 5 minute walk from both the train station and the center of town.

The train trip to the CT towns was about an hour, a little faster on the express trains. The ferry ride to Portofino was 15 minutes and to San Fruttuoso a half an hour. The train ride to Camogli (on of our favorite towns with the best gelato of our trip) was a 5 minute train trip away.

We really liked the town of Santa Margherita for its variety of restaurants and shops. Although it is a resort town, it was not crowded in mid-September and it didn't feel too chi-chi to us. We had wonderful seafood and pasta meals at several restarurants - our favorite being Il Nostromo which had such a good mixed grill and spaghetti vongole that we ate there twice!

The only negative was that I had asked for a room on the highest floor thinking it would provide the best unobstructed view. The view was indeed awesome but it would have been better if the terrace was not shared. Also the Hotel Continental Sign was right over our terrace. When it was lit at night you could hear its electrical hum which was somewhat annoying.

I would stay at this hotel again but would ask for a corner room on the second floor with a sea view and a private balcony. Overall, a lovely experience and a good value.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.

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Santa Margherita Ligure: Hotel Continental

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