Best Western Regina Elena

A waterfront hotel for divers who want the sea close, a proper meal on site and a base for exploring Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino and the wider Ligurian coast. The setting puts you between the regional natural park and the Gulf of Tigullio, with the protected marine area of Portofino close by.

The Best Western Regina Elena combines a historic seaside address with the practical things that matter when your day has involved salt water and a full cylinder: air conditioning, Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a swimming pool, a private beach and a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. English and Italian are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the useful details without resorting to underwater sign language.

You stay at Lungomare Milite Ignoto 44 in Santa Margherita Ligure, directly on the seafront. The private sandy beach is accessed from the hotel, with loungers, parasols, a beach bar and a beach restaurant ready for the less ambitious sort of afternoon.

Santa Margherita Ligure’s town centre is about 0.6 miles away, close enough for an evening walk rather than a logistical exercise. Around the hotel, you have the Paraggi area, Piazza Colombo and the Palazzo della Prefettura to explore, while the natural park and the Gulf of Tigullio provide the scenery. Genoa Airport is about 22 miles away.

The room range gives you a choice between straightforward accommodation and a more scenic finish. Couples can look towards the double rooms with sea views, while the versions with a balcony and garden view add an outdoor spot for a quiet coffee rather than another piece of furniture to trip over. Superior rooms and suites take the choice further, with sea outlooks available in some categories.

Room facilities vary by category, so the small details matter when you book. Air conditioning is available in several room types, along with private bathrooms, televisions, safes and hairdryers. Some rooms add a fridge, minibar, blackout blinds, Wi-Fi, tea and coffee facilities, slippers and toiletries. That means you can cool down, keep a drink cold and close out the early light when your body clock has not yet accepted the Italian timetable.

For three people, the triple categories are the practical direction, with garden-view and balcony-and-sea-view options available. Families are welcome, and children under 12 can stay free when using an available extra bed in their parents’ or accompanying adults’ room. The hotel also accepts pets.

Breakfast is served as a buffet from 7.30am to 10.30am and is included in the breakfast formula. Expect both sweet and savoury choices, with Ligurian focaccia and honey from Monte di Portofino giving the morning a proper local accent. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

Principessa is the main indoor restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its cooking draws on the land and the sea, with an emphasis on local produce rather than culinary acrobatics. After diving, that is usually the right level of ambition: sit down, eat something recognisable and let somebody else worry about the washing-up.

For lunch by the water, La Conchiglia sits directly on the beach and serves quick dishes and lighter pauses beside the sand. A bar and a snack bar are also available at the hotel, with room service and breakfast in your room listed among the services.

The outdoor infinity pool has panoramic views and hydromassage, giving you somewhere to loosen up without putting a wetsuit back on. The private sandy beach adds the simpler option: a lounger, an umbrella and no timetable beyond the one you choose for yourself.

For a little movement on a non-diving day, the hotel has a fitness room equipped with Technogym equipment, plus table tennis. You can also hire bicycles, go hiking or arrange boat excursions. The combination suits a couple travelling together when one person wants to explore and the other has already perfected the art of remaining horizontal.

The hotel can help arrange excursions to Cinque Terre, Portofino and Genoa, as well as cultural outings. Families are welcome, with a children’s play area, children’s club and babysitting service available, while the restaurant offers menus adapted for children.

Check-in runs from 3pm to midnight, and check-out is by midday. Reception is open from 7.30am until midnight, with express arrival and departure available. Early check-in and late check-out can be arranged on request, useful when travel times refuse to behave themselves.

Airport transfers are available, and the hotel also arranges transfers to and from the railway station. Airport and station services are chargeable. Parking and a garage are available, with parking chargeable as well; an electric-vehicle charging station is on site.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. You also have a lift, luggage storage, concierge services, laundry, dry cleaning, ironing and a safe. Cash and major cards including Visa and Mastercard are accepted. A doctor can be arranged on request, and smoking is permitted in designated areas.

The hotel is certified Green Key and takes part in the Stay for the Planet programme. Its environmental work includes monitoring consumption, sorting waste and raising awareness about waste reduction.

That is the practical side of sustainability rather than a speech on the subject: keep an eye on what the hotel uses, sort what can be sorted and avoid wasting what does not need wasting. A sensible approach for a base beside a protected marine area.