Grand Hotel Miramare

You come here for a polished seaside hotel with the practical comforts that make a diving break easier: a direct sandy beach, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, a spa, several places to eat and a proper cocktail bar. The setting is refined rather than rustic, with the coast doing much of the visual work.

The hotel belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World and has five floors. English and Italian are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the useful things in English without turning every request into a small language exercise. The atmosphere suits a couple who wants the sea close by, a good dinner on site and somewhere more considered than a basic base for sleeping.

You are in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, at Via Milite Ignoto 30, on the seafront. The hotel has direct access to a sandy beach with sun loungers and parasols, so reaching the water does not require a shuttle, a timetable or a heroic amount of organisation.

The centre of Santa Margherita Ligure is nearby, while Paraggi Beach, Piazza Colombo and Palazzo della Prefettura are among the places to explore around the hotel. That gives you a straightforward choice after breakfast: stay by the coast, walk into town or use the hotel as a base for seeing more of the Ligurian shoreline.

For a couple, the decision is less about collecting room categories and more about what you want to look at when you open the curtains. Double rooms cover the simple end of the choice, while sea-view rooms and balconies put the coast in the foreground. Park-view rooms offer a different outlook, and the larger suite categories add more space and a more layered set of comforts.

The junior suites and many of the named suites include air conditioning, blackout blinds, soundproofing, heating, a minibar, coffee and tea facilities, Wi-Fi, a safe, bathrobes and slippers. That is the useful kit for a night when your body would prefer darkness, cool air and no unnecessary noise. Private bathrooms, toiletries, hairdryers and televisions are available according to room category, so check the individual room card before choosing.

A balcony and sea view make sense if the room is part of the holiday rather than merely a place to leave your luggage. The Signature Marconi Suite, Signature Rivera Suite, Signature Santa Margherita Suite and the other named suites are aimed at guests who want the room itself to carry more weight. Double rooms remain the sensible choice for two people who plan to spend more time outside than admiring the minibar.

Breakfast is included and comes in both buffet and à la carte form, giving you the choice between a quick, self-directed start and something ordered at the table. The main dinner address is Ristorante Vistamare, where refined Italian cooking is served on a panoramic terrace overlooking the coast. The kitchen works with fresh, local ingredients, and the dress code is smart casual rather than formal theatre.

Lunch has two separate settings. Pool Restaurant & Bar keeps things relaxed beside the pool with Mediterranean food, snacks and drinks, while Barracuda Beach Restaurant puts Mediterranean cooking directly by the beach. Both are casual, which is exactly the right level of ceremony when you are still deciding whether the afternoon calls for another swim or a chair in the shade.

For the evening drink, Bar Le Colonne is the hotel’s lobby bar, with cocktails and aperitifs. Cova adds handmade desserts to the edible side of the operation. There is no need to leave the property simply because the appetite has returned; the more important question is whether dinner belongs on the panoramic terrace or whether lunch should happen with the sand nearby.

The outdoor pool gives you a second place to swim when the sea is not the plan, and the indoor pool is useful when you want water without weather being involved. The direct beach adds sun loungers and parasols, while the garden, terrace and sun terrace provide quieter places to sit with a book or let the day become pleasantly unproductive.

For the less decorative form of relaxation, the hotel has a spa with sauna, massages and beauty treatments. A gym and fitness equipment cover the basic urge to move without pretending that every guest has come to train for something. Bicycle hire and excursion assistance are also available when staying in one place starts to feel like a missed opportunity.

The hotel is set up for more than a short leisure break, with a concierge, ticket assistance and facilities for meetings and events. Pets are admitted, and accessible facilities, lifts and an accessible restaurant make the property easier to use for guests with reduced mobility.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to midnight, while check-out is by 11:00. Reception operates around the clock, which is useful when travel timings refuse to behave. The hotel can arrange airport transfers and other transfer services; ask the hotel to organise the journey in the form that suits you. Parking, car hire and an electric-vehicle charging station are available for road arrivals.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. Air conditioning, heating, a lift, luggage storage, concierge services, currency exchange and express or private check-in and check-out are all available. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services cover the less glamorous consequences of travelling with diving kit and holiday clothes in the same bag.

The hotel is non-smoking, and pets are accepted. Extra beds depend on the room category, so check the selected room before assuming that a third sleeper can be added. Italian hotels may apply compulsory gala-dinner arrangements; contact the hotel for the details attached to your stay.