Hotel l'Approdo

My wife and I have just returned after spending seven lovely nights in this brilliant hotel. The owners Greta, Ricardo and all the staff do everything possible to make your stay enjoyable from making sure you are comfortable to advising on trips, restaurants and transport. Nothing seems to much trouble for them. The hotel is not large which we like and in a super elevated location roughly mid point between Santa and Rapallo. We had a room on the top floor with the most fantastic views over the bay, mountains and the church opposite just over the road.. I room was of ample size with lovely white linen and excellent quality quilts. There was enough storage space and a television on the table( no English channels, but who cares), Our terrace had two sunloungers, chairs and a small table. The bathroom is not the largest but more than adequate with a good powerful shower. Towels are spotlessly white and of good quality. Without doubt this is one of the cleanest hotels we have stayed at and hopefully we will return next year. Breakfast is buffet style with plenty options which you can sit either onside or on one of the two terraces. The hotel as a small lounge complete with bar and a very nice covered adjoining outside terrace. Buses to the towns stop directly outside the hptel and costs two euros, you can purchase bus tickets from reception. i am a very early riser and go out walking from five in the morning, there is always a night watchman available to open both the door and the gates to the hotel. As stated this is an immaculate maintained hotel and a credit to the owners who make you feel special and not just a paying guest.

Hotel is in an ideal location if you like walking. Ten minutes to Santa Margherita and 15 minutes to Rapallo, both lovely towns. We also walked to Portofino in one hour and 15 mins, a beautiful walk along the coast. It is also only a ten minute walk from Santa Margherita train station. We booked the hotel on their website, getting a really decent nightly rate and stayed for only 2 nights, having worked our way up the coast spending time in Lucca and the Cinque Terre. We could have easily spent a couple of extra days in this hotel. The welcome was extremely friendly. We arrived at 1pm with the aim of leaving our bags and going out to explore but we were told that our room was ready for us and we were given the key to go straight up. The room was very nice considering the price we paid, although the shower was a bit small. The best part was the view over the sea towards Rapallo. It was a beautiful view and I’m sure pretty similar to that from hotels nearby where guests were paying upwards of 500 euros a night! We opted to have breakfast at €10 each per day and it was certainly good value at that price - pastries, cakes, fruit, scrambled and boiled eggs, ham etc. The coffee was also good, considering it was from a machine. Also very nice to be able to take breakfast on the small terrace in the sun. Everything about this hotel really hit the spot for us and was made extra special by how warm and welcoming all the staff were throughout our stay.

We recently spent 3 nights at the L'Approdo during our visit to the Ligurian coast. The rooms were furnished quite simply, but they were very clean and comfortable. The rooms with balcony and view (particularly higher up) offer a wonderful panoramic vista and I'd highly recommend them. The staff was very welcoming and helpful - they even let us check-in an hour early. Breakfast choices were not lavish, but the food was fresh and offered some healthy choices. The hotel is conveniently located between Rapallo and Santa Margharita. However, the first several hundred yards towards Santa Margharita (a beautiful little village) are quite dangerous to walk since there is no sidewalk and plenty of traffic. Overall, L'Approdo is a great place to stay when visiting the Cinque Terre and I would highly recommend it.

What I love most about this hotel is, it's so close to Santa Margherita (although the walk is slightly 'adventurous', but it doesn't feel as 'touristy'. It is the perfect base to explore Liguria, with Portofino on the right and Cinque Terre on the left. Decor is very minimal, don't expect lush luxurious interior. I would say the breakfast spread could do better. Staff is the loveliest I've met so far.