Hotel Laurin

Sea air, a proper town outside the door and a hotel that keeps things straightforward: Hotel Laurin is made for divers who want the coast within reach without spending the whole stay in an isolated resort. You are in Santa Margherita Ligure, with the waterfront at the hotel and the town centre close enough for an evening stroll rather than a logistical exercise.

The atmosphere is more practical than theatrical. There are 44 rooms, a lift, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and English-speaking staff alongside Italian-speaking staff, so you can deal with the useful things in English when you arrive tired, salty and carrying too much luggage. Families are welcome, pets are admitted, and the building has wheelchair-access facilities.

Between dives, the hotel gives you several ways to slow down: a pool with a view, a terrace, a fitness room and the Ligurian coastline immediately outside. It is a sensible base for a diving holiday with some town life attached, rather than a place that expects you to remain on the premises from breakfast to bedtime.

The address is Lungomare G. Marconi 3, on the seafront in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. This is not a hotel behind another hotel, with the sea somewhere beyond the car park: the property sits directly on the waterfront, and beach access is on foot. Sun loungers and parasols are available for the beach side of the day.

Santa Margherita Ligure gives you a proper base for exploring the coast. Piazza Colombo, Palazzo della Prefettura and Piazza de Ferrari are nearby, while the wider area opens towards Portofino and the Cinque Terre. Boat excursions are available, and the hotel also lists trips to both Portofino and the Cinque Terre.

For arrivals, Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport is 30 km away and Pisa Airport is 100 km away. By car, take the A12 and leave at Rapallo; Santa Margherita Ligure is then 4 km away. The S. Margherita Ligure/Portofino railway station is 800 m from the hotel, which is handy if you would rather leave the hire car out of the story.

For a couple, the sea-view double rooms with a balcony are the obvious place to start: a proper double bed, private bathroom, air conditioning and blackout blinds make the room useful both for the view and for recovering from an early start. The twin versions suit dive partners who prefer separate beds, while the terrace rooms add outdoor space to the sea view.

Travelling alone, you can keep things simple with a single room, including a sea-view option with a balcony. The family rooms are the practical choice when several people need to share one base, with family quadruple rooms available for groups of up to four. Sea-view family rooms give you the same coastal outlook without splitting the party across different parts of town.

Room equipment varies by category, so choose with care rather than assuming every room carries the full list. Depending on your choice, you may have air conditioning, heating, a mini-bar, safe, television, Wi-Fi, desk, hairdryer, slippers and toiletries. Private bathrooms are provided, and some rooms include blackout blinds — useful when the alarm is set for a dive rather than for sightseeing. Pets are allowed in the relevant room categories.

Breakfast comes in two forms: buffet or à la carte. The small detail worth remembering is the homemade tarts prepared by Mrs Paola, which gives the first meal of the day a little more character than the usual anonymous hotel pastry. Breakfast can also be served in your room when getting downstairs feels like an unnecessary expedition.

For the main meals, Da Alfredo is in the same building and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It works under separate management, so the hotel and the restaurant are neighbours rather than one single operation. The cuisine is local, which is exactly the sort of arrangement that suits a diving day: eat without going far, then get back to the room before the tiredness catches up.

There is also a hotel bar, along with a snack bar and a pool bar. The available meal arrangement depends on your booking, so check what is included before assuming breakfast, lunch or dinner is covered. Room service is listed among the room facilities, giving you a fallback when the appetite is there but the enthusiasm for going out is not.

The outdoor pool has a view, and there is a pool area with pool equipment and pool or beach towels. The seafront location adds an easier alternative: walk down to the beach, claim a lounger and parasol, and let the day become less ambitious. After diving, that can be a perfectly respectable itinerary.

For something more active, the small gym uses TechnoGym equipment. Tennis, golf and cycling are available, while excursions by boat can take you towards Portofino or the Cinque Terre. Cultural excursions are also offered, so a non-diving day does not have to mean sitting indoors watching the weather forecast.

Massage and a steam room are listed among the hotel facilities, giving you a way to loosen up without turning the evening into a full-scale expedition. There is also a sun terrace, while the hotel’s terrace and outdoor furniture provide somewhere to sit when the pool or beach has had enough of you.

English and Italian are spoken by the hotel staff. That is useful from the first message to the final check-out, particularly when discussing arrival arrangements, parking or anything that has become less obvious after a day at sea. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the hotel, and luggage storage is available if your travel times do not line up neatly with the room.

Airport transfers are available to arrange through the hotel. Car parking is also available, with parking and garage facilities listed; parking is paid, so it belongs in the travel plan rather than being treated as an afterthought. If you arrive by train, the station is 800 m away. The hotel has a lift and accessible facilities, and it is non-smoking.

Laundry and ironing services are available, as are dry-cleaning services. A safe, concierge services, wake-up service and reception facilities cover the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of a trip. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, cash, PayPal and bank transfer are accepted. Pets are welcome, and children and families can stay.