Hotel Continental - Santa Margherita Ligure

8.7

Hotel Continental has a fabulous location with stunning views of the sea and the town.Highly recommended for a relaxing holiday with good service. Do need to specify if you require a room with a view. We have stayed here before and this time found the breakfast quality much improved.

8.5

Vista straordinaria sul golfo di santa margherita e Portofino. Bellissimo giardino degradante verso il mare. stanze piccole, ma in linea con il servizio offerto in liguria

8.3

The setting, location, and beach are all beautiful. We requested a "sea view" room and we could see a sliver of the sea, but our room was on the ground floor. It was very dated. I'm not sure if the upper floors are nicer, but if staying there again (and I would stay there again) I would ask for a sea view room on one of the upper floors.

6.7

L'hôtel est merveilleusement bien situé à quelques pas du centre ville et de la plage de Santa Margherita, à 15 minutes de bateau du petit paradis qu'est Portofino. L'accueil a été excellent, le petit déjeuner sur la terrasse surplombant la mer excellent, copieux... sans parler du cadre !! Gros regret en revanche sur la chambre, très décevante au regard du prix et de la qualité supposée de l'hôtel (4 étoiles) ! poignée de porte cassée entourée de ruban adhésif, de nombreuses taches noires sur les murs, mobilier vieillissant, tristounet... et abîmé (éclats, etc.), beaucoup de bruit également car donnant sur la rue arrière. Mais il faut dire que le temps magnifique et la beauté des lieux incitent beaucoup à ne pas rester dans la chambre !

9.3

Ci sono stato al ponte del 25 aprile. Albergo decisamente molto carino e soprattutto ben tenuto, personale gentilissimo e cortese. Lo consiglio vivamente.

9.4

this was one of the best stays while we were in Italy. A lot of it was because of th Continental hotel. This was our first visit to the Protofino area, but will not be our last.

9.7

Fantastic, the staff were especially helpful and friendly - the only thing missing was a room service menu/limited food in room

3.8

Both of the rooms we had were in the "new" building. They were shabby and very tired. The decor was not quite what you might see in a Holiday Inn Hotel. The bed was not supportive and the 2 pillows were hard and lumpy. There was not an additional pillow or blanket in the room. The "full sea view" that we paid for was mostly a view of the pool and a couple large trees that blocked the view of the harbor. The staff did show us other rooms in the main building but they did not appear to be substantially better, though the view was superior. The common areas were well kept and very attractive. My father-in-law has trouble walking and had to take a taxi up the hill to the hotel. This cost 15 euros for each ride of about 0.5-1 km! This was one of the worst hotel values that we have had in our 4 months in Italy.

10

The day concierge, John, was stellar. He was knowledgeable and helpful. Especially in regard to train schedules and a beautiful walk. He is the hidden gem at that hotel, which was one of the nicest places we have ever stayed.

6.6

Chambre tres petite mais tres jolie, superbe terrasse. Acceuil un peu froid mais qui s'ameliore avec les jours passes sur place. Par contre climatisation dans la chambre deja arretee alors qu'il faisait 25 degres. La poubelle de la salle de bain n'etait pas videe a notre arrivee !! Dans l'ensemble sejour agreable.

9.8

Wow, what a beautiful spot in Italy, we had a seaview with a balcony that opened to palm trees and sea, breakfast area is absolutely wonderful with views all around, swimming area was very good, we were able to swim out to a floating dock (maybe only available in summer). The ferry to Portofino was close and easy to do. Rail station is close, a little downhill and uphill walk to hotel.

8.7

We absolutley loved this hotel! Our room was extremely loud. We are on the front of the hotel. We could hear everything that was said in the surrounding rooms and cars driving on the road in front of the hotel were very loud as well!

7.5

Our first time in this part of Italy. We looked at all the nearby resorts - Portofino (very pretty but small and expensive) & Rapallo (too big and busy) - and we are glad we chose to be at Santa Margherita, which for us was the right combination of size and attractiveness with lots of restaurants (Da Michele was the best we found. The Continental proved to be a very pleasant hotel, with friendly, helpful staff. It is in lovely surroundings with no road between the hotel and the sea making it much quieter. We had a sea view room which also gave us a small balcony. Rooms at the other side of the building overlook the car park. An easy walk into the main part of this delightful town though uphill on the way back. We ate in the hotel one night but thought it less good than the town resturants. The breakfast buffet was fairly ordinary. Info in the rooms on the hotel and town would have been helpful - we asked and they do not provide this so you need to always ask at reception.

2.7

Room as booked was not available! Room tiny and much too small for a double room. Too expensive for such a small room.We booked the room for 240€. Hotel is directly on the main street. If you walk into the center the traffic is awful and dangerous. We had booked for 4 nights but we went after the second night. Not recommended!

8.7

Wonderful and well kept spacious garden. Beautiful view and easy to get to the private shore.

8.9

Super property. We were extremely happy with our accomodations. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for an wonderful hotel reasonably priced. Now the taxi drivers from the rail station are another thing. A complete rip off.

8.2

struttura molto bella, girdino degradante verso il mare,posizione straordinaria..unico neo le stanze sono poco spaziose, ma con vista indimenticabile su santa margherita!

8.7

We stayed two nights here with view overlooking garden and sea. Perhaps the most delightful ever experienced. The hotel has been recently modernized and everything functioned perfectly, but the French window difficult to operate.Not very spacious room, but comfortable and elegant.Staff friendly and efficient, buffet breakfast plentiful, carte d'hôte dinners satisfactory, not cordon bleu.Fair value for money - highly recommended.

7.8

Buen hotel y servicios

5.5

A great location looking down on to Santa Margharita which is a short walk. The private bathing area is great the only complaint I have is the additional daily charge (around 15 euro each per day). Although this charging policy is flagged and not out of line with other hotels in Italy, I object to being charged to use this facility when I am a hotel guest paying an already substantial room rate. Other than this minor gripe we enjoyed our stay here. It is also easy to walk to Rapallo which is bigger and has more shops/bars/restaurants. There is also a local train station for trips to the cinque terra.

7.4

Beautiful hotel and beautiful surroundings. But this time my room was in the lower part of the hotel. And I could hear everything from the room next door (there is a door between the rooms) , even breathing... But I will 100% return to this hotel, and hope that I am more lucky next time with the type of room.

8.2

We were delighted with the facilities and the surroundings of the hotel. The room was lovely with a beautiful view as well. We were taken by surprise by the rather exorbitant charge for the use of the chairs and umbrella at the swimming area, though.

9.5

We're already planning our trip back and would definitely stay here. The staff was very helpful and eveyrone was so nice. The hotel is beautiful and walking distance to eveyrthing. We absolutely loved it and have recommended it already!!

6.5

Had a lovely 3 night stay at the Continental with our family and booked 3 rooms. The hotel is situated in a beautiful spot overlooking the Santa Margherita harbor. Easy walking to town and activities. Rooms are spartan and can be very small. We complained about our room and were offered a larger more comfortable room although still sparsley furnished. Front desk is well managed and the staff is very helpful. Adequate breakfast included with room. The hotel has beautiful grounds. We would return but know to ask for larger rooms. When we departed we inadvertently left a 11"x18" souvenir painting behind in our room and it was not turned into the hotel management. That was disappointing.

10

Great location, beautiful setting, fabulous property. I LOVED IT!!

8.4

I had a wonderful stay at the Continental. So good in fact, that I returend for another 3 days before my departure from Italy. I had a room with a balcony, and enjoyed the sun and views of the Ligurian Sea, the hotel's lovely gardens, and the village while reading, relaxing, sunbathing in the privacy of a roomy balcony. The staff was accomodating and helpful. Just one suggestion: the room where I stayed would have benefited from a coat of fresh paint.

9.8

We walked up the hill from the train station with our luggage (with my parents, who are in their 60's). There is a wonderful walkway to the sea - worth spending time there. The views from the sea/harbour are great, the hotel is one of the highest in town. We paid 140 E per night for room and breakfast (per couple). Contrary to a previous comment, we enjoyed the breakfast, except for the coffee (ask for espresso or cappuccino specifically). My parents loved their harbour view on the balcony just under the hotel sign (the balcony adjoins that of the neighbor, not so good when not your relatives or friends) and we appreciated the privacy of our sea view balcony. The bathrooms were tight but the room was fine. Well stocked mini-fridge, with beer. Service at the restaurant is five star, dinner there was good, but our fave resto was il Faro, a 20 minute walk.

9.8

L'offerta è stata superiore sulla base delle mie aspettative. Un'indirizzo da tenere come punto di riferimento per il futuro!!

8.8

A delightful location with friendly, most helpful staff, and excellent food and wine.

6.2

I paid EUR 70,- for the room. However, they charged 12,- extra for parking outside, and a visit to the restaurant set me back another 45,-, even though I only had main course, desert and one beer.

9.7

My wife and I have spent many years staying in the Santa Margherita area and have stayed at hotels rated at 4 stars - I will admit that we were both very pleased with our room and the overall service - from everyone on the staff. We will certainly come back for future visits.

3.7

Really expensive for what is offering. Room old and really small.Is all appearence.

3.2

During August and September 2005, my wife and and I took an extended marketing trip to Europe. Since our 40th wedding anniversary is coming up, we decided to treat ourselves with a short stay at one of our favorite hotels, the Hotel Continental located in Santa Margherita Liguire in Italy. We have stayed in this hotels many times in the past and have always found it to be of outstanding quality. Therefore, even though we found the prices this time to be extremely high, we decided to skimp on other hotels so that we could enjoy these few days. From the moment of our arrival, we realized that things had changed. We had booked a superior double ocean front non-smoking room. When I had called to make the reservation, the person I spoke with suggested that we reserve a room costing an additional 30 Euros per night since it was so much more spacious and comfortable. The room we were given was anything but! First of all, it was small, dark and dreary and in deplorable state. Walls were dirty and patched; furniture was old and beat up and the floors were dirty. However, the terrace facing the ocean was wonderful so we decided to make the best of the situation rather than complain. That was until we found that 1. The room smelled of smoke and 2. The air conditioning did not work. When we called reception, we were informed that “they had no non smoking rooms at the hotel” though I had been assured at the time I made the reservation that we would have a non-smoking room. We were also told to wait for a while since the air would take some time because it hadn’t been turned on. So, we decided to get some lunch and make the best of the smell of smoke in the room hoping that once the air kicked in it would improve. When we returned, there was no improvement in the air conditioning and we were treated as though we were bothering the staff who repeatedly reminded us that “they were busy.” I then tried to plug my laptop computer in to charge it up so that I could catch up on bus

9.7

We had an sea-view room and the view was spectacular. The room was comfortable, but old. The bathroom had all the amenties, but was a bit old. The desk staff was wonderful and the hotel itself is grand. My only complaint was the breakfast buffet. The steam table eggs tasted terrible and the selection of pastries was very limited. I had ham and cheese with a roll each day. The juice was also terrible. We ordered black coffee our first day and it was several hours old. For this reason, we did not eat any other meals in the hotel restaurant. If they can't make a good breakfast, how could the dinners be good?

4.9

The hotel is old and ill-kept. Our very expensive room was very small and the bathroom even smaller. When we arrived, a light switch was broken and dangling, molding falling off, and the minibar broken. However, we did have a balcony that overlooked the hotel's beautiful grounds and entire Ligurian Coast, which made up for the awful room and snotty front desk staff. Be careful if you stay here...they charged us 18 euros a piece to sit near the sea for an hour. Santa Marghertia is absolutely heaven but this hotel is sad. Perhaps someone will buy it, repair it, and teach the employees about hospitality.

6.4

Good location. You can go on foot to santa margherita. 5klm from Portofino. But it doesn't deserve to stay in santa margherita, Portofino is more elegant, pittoresque and beautiful.It's much much better to stay in portofino.HOTEL PICCOLO 4stars is a good and not expensive solution for portofino choice. Restaurants are not so expensive as expected. We recommend O MAGAZIN and a wine bar next to it, da u batti restaurant and da mario. all of them in portofino. Parking expensive( 1-5hours approx. 16euros). ROOM at the continental hotel too small, but nice view overlooking the bay. Terrace with beautiful view for the breakfast.

5.7

In a 4 Stars Hotel I expect rooms in an adequate spacious way for the money I paid - even in Santa Margaritha Ligure. Additionally the rooms were in an extension to the real hotel which was not visible on the web appearance of the Hotel. This extension had not had 4 Stars quality.

6.4

The hotel staff was not very friendly or helpful. The rooms were spacious but very noisy and tidy but not clean. The location was excellent, though and the surroundings beautiful.

9.4

The stay at the Continental was wonderfull. Very friendly and attentive staff and a wonderfull setting. Santa Margherita is a gem.

4.0

With respect to the pitcures on internet there was no correspondence between the photographs of the rooms and the room available for us. Price/quality of the room (190 euros!)was unreasonable even if it is high season. You do not expect such an old, tiny and noisy room and bathroom in a 4 stars hotel! The hotel itself, however, is nice. I do not know whether the other rooms are better. On the web pages the photographs and the characteristics of the different kind of rooms should be specified in order to allow you to know what you buy. I did not not complain because I did not want to get angry on holidays! We will never go there again.

9.3

The Hotel and city were fabulous. View and the grounds were amazing. Location to the train station, only a couple blocks, was great. There is a very nice large map on the wall at the train station with all the Hotels indicated. Nice walk to the town for meals. Never did find any store to buy beverages and snacks though, so we always stocked up on what we wanted for our room, and the day at the one at the Train Station. Staying here worked great for going to Cinque Terra for hikes, rather than staying in the touristy five land cities. After reading up, we went for the less traveled hike from Levanto to Monterosso. This leads to a view of all five lands of the Cinque Terre at once at the high point. The hike was to take 2 hours, took us 4. Of course we tended to be the nicer and look for a good spot to yield to others coming the opposite way when passing rather then fight it out on narrow path. We had to swing it getting from the train station to the start of the trail. But basically just head toward the water, there is a very nice street which heads to the sea. Near the beach is an information place, but basically once at the beach head towards Monterossp there is a Castle and up the steps. While Levanto was very pretty, I would recommended skipping this first part of the walk. I would just go to Monterosso, then head up the hill towards Levanto. At the high point, enjoy the awesome view of all the Cinque Terre, then turn around and head back down. There was nothing really to see on the first part of the hike. Second day we took the train to Monterosso and then walked to Vernazza. While most people walk this the other way, this is the better "Postcard" view way. The best view you get is looking down onto Vernazza from this direction. Take plenty, plenty of water on any of these hikes. You might have some small change with you on the Monterosso-Vernazza hike to donate to feed the cats they take care of. Nice

5.8

the location of the hotel was superb, unfortunately the size of the room was terrible and the bathroom badly needed refurbishing - even so I did love the hotel -but please just do it up a bit.

8.6

The place is really beautiful. The only thing was the low quality of the brekfast. We didn't have dinner, since the menu was not appealing

9.6

great location, view, value for the $

9.2

This hotel was recommended to us by friends who have stayed here numerous times, and have come to truly value the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. Like them, we appreciated the genuine cordiality of everyone from the chamber maids to the people at the front desk. We are also happy we took our friends' advice to get an ocean front room. Opening our shutters to the gorgeous hotel garden and lovely view of the harbor was the perfect start to every day we spent in Santa Margherita. The setting of the hotel overlooking the village, with the palm treed gardens and swimming area (with cabanas and light snack area) was the most impressive of any hotel in the area. Because our room was at the end of the hall, where entrances to two other rooms on the side of the hotel converged, we could hear talking at times. But this was definitely not enough of a bother to make us want to change rooms. The setting was more than enough to offset that minor idiosyncracy. Though our room was not huge by American standards, it was very comfortable with many small details, like shelving in the bathroom, and coat and key hooks that impressed us as being extraordinarily well planned and organized. We stayed two weeks, and we were sad to say good bye. We would definitely return here, and greet our "friends" at the Continental with a big hug!

9.8

The staff were most friendly & helpful, we hope to return to this idyllic setting

10

We only had 2 days to explore the coast and we could not have had a better time. The hotel is beautiful and the staff was very kind. Just sit on the veranda and enjoy an afternoon cocktail and the fabulous view.

9.9

This was the second time I stayed at this hotel - the first time I was alone, and had a very reasonably priced single room. We had the ocean view room, and it was lovely. My only complaint would be that the restaurant closes very early and has a limited menu, but you can walk down to town in five minutes. I would stay here again.

8.9

Very nice location. Comfortable and gentle staff.

9.9

Attenzione alla scelta della stanza: puo' cambiare radicalmente la qualita' della vacanza. Le possibilita' sono molte e le differenze notevoli: su strada ristrutturata o non ristrutturata; vista mare ristrutturata o no, piano alto o basso, con balcone o con finestra, junior suite n. 31 (semplicemente splendida).

9.1

This hotel was in a lovely spot with great outlook to the beach. You do pay more for these rooms though. Bathroom very large with bath which is geat in Italy. Overall hotel was all that was expected. The only thing missing for me was a swimming pool. Santa Margerita is a beautiful place.

9.2

A delightful venue in a delightful location. We would stay again.

6.0

The Continental Hotel in Santa Margherita Ligure has the 'wow' factor as far as its unique position directly on the sea with beautiful gardens and views over the bay is concerned. Also it is only a short walk into town which means that you do not really need a car. The rooms - for the prices charged -are mediocre apart from the views(when you book a more expensive seaview room). The grey and unlovely bathroom had a hospital feel to it and the breakfast was a real letdown. We knew that Italian breakfasts are not something 'to linger over' as it was put in a guidebook but Continental's breakfast was extremely disappointing. The tea tasted like dishwater and was not hot enough, the bread was stale, the orange juice tasted like sweet lemonade and the only fruit available was canned! The plus points were the beach bar with great views, the rockpool area and the gardens and terraces that were all equiped with nice new outdoor furniture. If the hotel was mine I would do the following: Upgrade the breakfast, dim the overly bright lighting in the public areas and in the bar (which feels like a refridgerator!) and get some decent feather pillows for the rooms!! Altogether I think that this hotel has great potential and could -with a few improvements - be much much better than it is at the moment. Regards Renate Lagler-Thompson Cheshire

7.6

A superb location. The staff were friendly and helpful. Our room was small and a bit dated but no doubt they are not all the same. Overall a nice hotel, the only criticsim being that it needs a little attention from a decor perspective in some areas. We would go back again

9.1

This was a great place to stay. The only draw back was the extra 18 Euro per person to use a chair and towel at their private beach. I thought that should have been included in the cost of the room. Other than that, it was a great place to stay!

7.9

An excellent hotel - in easy reach of the town - good shopping - an Italian resort with mostly Italians on their holidays. Charged twice on credit card on return - might have been mistake!

8.5

We were very impressed abot this beatiful hotel, its location and the provided service.

3.8

ROOM VERY BAD NO MORE 2 STARS

8.9

Excellent stay, staff very welcoming & helpful. We specifically requested a quiet room overlooking the bay, and were pleased with what we got. Only slight disappointment was room & ensuite were quite small and tired, but the large terrace and spectacular view more than compensated. Hotel confirmed they had larger refurbished rooms with similar terrace & view, so we know what to ask for next time. Gardens were well maintained, and it was an easy walk to the restaurants & shops in the evening. Only one small niggle - why do Italian hotels still charge to use pool / chairs / umbrella? The cost is not significant, it's the principle!

8.7

We were very happy with the overall accomodation and the hotel had a nice friendly athmoshere and beautiful location.

8.5

My wife and I loved Santa Margherita Ligure (SML) and a large part of the experience was staying at the Continental Hotel. My only complaint would be some mold on the ceiling of the shower- besides that the room was very clean and had a summer cottage feel to it. Also, charging 18 Euro for a beach chair seemed excessive- but you can do as my wife and I did and just lie on a towel to catch some rays. The town is so lively and the fun that you probably won't be spending as much time as normal in your room. The hotel has a great area for swimming- internet access- great restaurant/bar and sitting area. The walk to town is about 5 minutes. We chose SML as a gateway for seeing Portofino and the Cinque Terre. We stayed for three days and after seeing the surrounding area were glad we had stayed in SML. Portofino is very nice, but a little stuffier and more foriegn tourists. The Cinque Terre is beautiful, but too quiet to stay overnight. We got the distinct impression that SML is where Italians go to vacation, and this lended the town a feel of genuineness that other places lacked. This is the town where you can go to the market and shop for breads, produce, and cheese and feel like you belong. We paid the extra money for a room with a ocean view balcony- it is well worth the added $40-60/night. They have such a great view of the ocean and town that we ended up eating one night on the balcony and spending most of our early evenings having some wine and watching the sunset. A great town and great hotel... would recommend both to anyone!

6.8

I like this hotel so much because of its location and the beautiful view. This is my second time staying at this hotel. First one was on 2002 but the room were cleaner 2 years ago than now and I got a bigger room last time I stayed there. The room was too small for 2 adults and a baby and it was not clean. Stilll I like the hotel, the staff and the food. I hope they will improve the cleanliness of the rooms in the near future. Jinan Haba

8.4

Not great food. Better to go outside for meals.

9.5

A beachfront hotel. Beautiful sea views, beautiful gardens. Beachfront cafe, good value. Rooms small but adequate, 2 chair balcony. Breakfast on terrace with sea views, magic.

8.5

The hotel is located in spectacular gardens overlooking the town and bay of Santa Margherita Ligure. We had a double room with sea-view. This was in the extension of the hotel and had its own small balcony with chairs/fold down table. The room was not tiny but not huge, but immaculately clean. The fittings were 'tired' but very clean, as wat the ensuite. The staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast on the terrace was a real treat - the usual continental fare plus bacon and scrambled eggs (kept warm rather than individually prepared). There was tinned fruit, cereals, crossants, jam, tea, coffee, water, juice etc. It was the ideal location for doing as little or as much as you wanted. Towels for the bathing area were free, but if you wanted a lounger it was 16Euro a day, each - a bit of a rip. But there was nothing to stop you laying your towel out! I wouldn't hesitate to go back, I had a wonderful stay.

5.0

While the staff was nice and the view spectaciluar, I would be hard pressed to accept this as a four star hotel. The room was much much smaller and lower quality than expected. Especially for the price.

9.1

Lovely hotel - beautiful gardens with easy access to private protected sea and sun bathing. Breakfast buffet a little disappointing but the view from the restaurant terrace compensated for this. Recommended.

7.8

The view from and location of the Hotel Continental is superb! We stayed in room #302. Located on the top floor, the spacious (and A/C) room had a large, private balcony overlooking the sea and town. The gracious staff were accommodating and seemed much more knowledgeable than any tourist office! It's also a very relaxing place to stay, & our al fresco morning dining on the terrace was such a treat. Our only complaint was the configuration of room's bathroom: the ceiling slanted so the placement of the showerhead was so low that we had to bend down to avoid hitting our heads, and the lighting seemed inadequate for shaving and putting on makeup! Overall, it was serene.

6.8

The grounds were beautiful and the restaurant was very nice. However, the lobby and the room corridors are shabby and badly need updating. Our room was TINY!

9.8

a great place to stay - the swimming pool set up is just great and the team are service-oriented. hihgly recommended.

7.4

We were in the annex and I was slightly disappointed that our room was small and old. But the location and view from the property was fantastic. The terrace was wonderful for breakfast. And we especially enjoyed the sea front facilities. The hotel is easy walking distance to town, and it is in a quiet area.

9.4

Beautiful view! We had room 34 and it was excellent.

6.6

Surerb location, view very good,parking facilities exellent, atmosphere a bit cold.

9.3

The Continental is positioned to give views over San Margherita and the Mediteranean which are truely magnificent(Sea View Room Essential)The hotel exudes a character of luxurious old world charm and efficient service, however, all this comes at a price.

4.5

I booked a room with sea sight, but they reserved me a little room downstairs, with a very little sea sight. They should have advised the real sea sight rooms were all occupied by people from a wedding.

8.1

Overall the facility was great and we'd definitely stay here again. I was a little disappointed with the size of the room as well as the size of the balcony. The access to other locations like Portofino and Rapollo couldn't have been better. The views of the Mediterranean from the reception as we entered as well as from our room was outstanding.

9.9

A lovely hotel, with helpful, courteous staff. The restaurant offered a different menu daily and the food was superb. I was up early each day to take a photograph of the sunrise which was beautiful. I will definitly stay there again.

8.2

Nice, historic hotel in the center of the city. Biggest draw back is the parking and dragging of luggage from outside the city wall to the hotel. Had no map via email and was hard to locate. Once we were there is was very nice. JOhn and Cyndi Berglund, Texas

8.4

The hotel is lovely with very clean and specaious rooms. The only issue was the noise, the walls must be paper thin as we were kept up most of one night from the noisy children of the family staying in the next room. The staff were very attentive and our room had spectacular views over the coastline.

9.8

Great stay in a great hotel, I will return. One minor glitch was that the final bill was not for the rate as secured through the booking. This was noticed by my companion at the airport, we called the hotel and the matter was sorted out satisfactorily.

9.5

This is a wonderful place to stay, only 5 minutes walk to Santa Margherita, much closer than we had expected. We have a sea facing room with a very spacious terrace and it was wonderful. We will definately stay again.

4.4

Our stay was not very good. We were given a room on a lower level and it have mold all over the bathroom ceiling. It was very disappointing. The staff was also rude. They treated us very coldly. For the amount of money we paid, I expected more. I would not recommend this hotel.

9.9

My husband and I spent one night at this hotel. We arrived late by train and were pleasantly surprised that the hotel was so conveniently located right next to the station. Our room was very spaceous (living room, large bathroom, good size bedroom), very clean, modern, good airconditioning and this was the only hotel in Italy we stayed at where getting a double bed meant just that and not two singles pushed together! The hotel is very nice inside, the staff were helpful and friendly and the lobby and breakfast room was great. I'm not too sure about the area...we were there just to spend the night. The only thing I should mention is that we were told by the staff that there is a bus (volabus 100) that stops at the train station and picks people up and takes them to the airport. We stood out there for about 45 minutes and saw 2 buses just pass us by...it turns out they don't stop there and we had to eventually take a taxi to the airport. The cost of that was 12 euros, but one must pay for the cabie's return into the city when they leave the vicinity, so the bill was actually 24 euros. We were fortunate because as we stood in line waiting for the bus, we found some other people to share a cab with. We later recognized others from the line at the airport and they all said the bus didn't come and they too took a taxi. We wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again.

9.9

This would have to be the best place to stay in Santa Margherita. The hotel has been renovated and is first class in all repsects. The view over the bay and out to sea is breathtaking, but be sure to book a sea view. We had a street side room and upgraded to a junior suite at a cost which the hotel were happy to negotiate. Room was amazing and well worth it, esp as these were our last three days of a three week tour of northern italy. Breakfast is served on a balcony over looking the water and is extraordinary. Staff were great. Get a sun bed and have a swim, it's unbelievable (even for an Aussie). Two minute walk to everything, and a five minute bus to Portofino (dont get a taxi unless you want to pay). A great find.

6.8

We loved the Continental's location, lobby, and outdoor terrace (w/ view) for eating breakfast. The waitpeople were very good in the restaurant and lobby bar. We were in room #301 which had a huge terrace (probably larger than the room) and even though you had to go out on it to see the view..still, it was lovely. There seemed to be only one man who spoke English who was luckily the concierge. He was helpful if not especially friendly. Our room was quite small and cheaply furnished...in fact it was an "attic" room which had sloping ceilings. You could not stand up in the shower because of this, even though the skylight in the bathroom was a plus and was supposed to accomodate this. This was a "DOUBLE SEA VIEW" which was more expensive, so I'd hate to see the lower class of room. We were aware that this was a "resort" town which was reflected everywhere from the cab fares on up. This said, I'd stay here again (after comparing it with other hotels in the area)because the setting and view was delightful and overlooked the bay. It was just the rooms that were below par, I felt. Oh yes, my roomate felt that someone had been through her bag, I'm sorry to say, although nothing was found missing.

6.0

Although in a beautiful spot and the hotel itself is very impressive I was extremely dissapointed with the size and quality of the room for what we were paying. Considering I had come from Cinque Terre and was paying less than half for my accomodation there, (for a room that was 10 times better that at Hotel Continental)I thought we were being somewhat ripped off. I couldn't believe you then had to pay extra(16 euro) for your beach chair.I wouldn't go back there unless money was no object and the room was at least twice the size of what we had.

10

We would highly recommend this hotel. We checked in a day early and they gave us a great room, newly renovated with a beautiful view. The service was excellent and the air conditioner worked really well. Only complaint would be that my wife had some problems getting the shower holder to work properly. However, everything else was so perfect, it was really no big deal. We really loved the property.

9.5

I would highly recommend the Continental to anyone visiting Santa Margherita. It has some of the nicest views in the world. The Breakfast is great in the morning and the Staff and Service is the best we have encountered in Europe. Their dinner recommendations were absolutely incredible!!!!!

6.5

The Continental has a spectacular location, grounds and view. But we were very disappointed with the tiny size of the "sea view" room we got, in the annex section of the hotel. Ask for a view room like in the web page photos--which I believe are all in the main hotel building. There was mold in the shower and while the room was clean it was pretty well worn. The hotel location was great, close to the train station. Santa Margherita was a great base for exploring the Cinque Terra, Portofino and Camogli--which is not to be missed!

8.5

We loved the Continental. The staff were highly pleasant, helpful and accommodating, and the hotel was absolutely beautiful inside and out. We look forward to returning. Venere made booking easy and was highly accurate. Great service.

7.4

It's a beautiful setting with old world charm. The room and bathroom were very small but clean. The waterfront amenities were very nice and there was a very relaxing atmosphere.

9.1

The Continental Hotel in Santa Margerita is a very special place. The location on the coast is superb. The rooms are very comfortable, the bed just right, nice balcony over looking the sea. Service was excellent and the front desk helped us with all of our restaurant and sight seeing details and were extremely helpful. All of their recommendations were right on the money. John was especially helpful and very professional. I would deffinately stay here again!

8.1

I would add that they did give us a fantastic room on the top floor with an amazing terrace I was very impressed and would definitely go back. I stayed at the Hotel Splendido the following night which was excellent but very expensive. As such on a cost versus accommodation basis the Continental would come out on top

9.9

We really enjoyed our stay at the Continental. Everything was almost perfect. We will be back next year!!

7.9

Well located, great views, lovely surrounding. Breakfast was excellent in a spacious room with great views.

9.8

An excellent hotel in a perfect location. Walking distance to the train station. Modern double glazing windows means that there is virtualy no noise from the road. Rooms beautifully decorated.