Hotel Porto Roca

If you are looking for deluxe accommodations along the popular Cinque Terre, the Hotel Porto Roca comes closest to filling the bill. A narrow lane leads up the wooded hillside from Monterosso al Mare to the hotel, which is splendidly located on a cliff overlooking the sea. Only taxis are allowed up this road but the hotel will pay the fare from and back to the public car park. The lobby is one very large, all-purpose room with the reception desk as you enter, the guest lounge in the middle, and a bar at the far end. The room has almost a medieval look with dark furniture, large oil paintings, one wall of stone, ornately upholstered sofas and chairs, and, to top it all off, two regal knights standing in suits of armor. The dining room is one level up and has a wall of windows overlooking the sea. However, when the weather is warm, meals are served outside where white wrought-iron tables are set on a delightful terrace overlooking Monterosso al Mare and the sea. Throughout the spacious property there are many secluded nooks where guests can relax, but the most popular place is a terrace perched above the cliffs where lounge chairs are arranged to capture the view. The hotel also has a dramatic salt water swimming pool with panoramic views and an outdoor Jacuzzi.