Hotel Villa Anita

Hotel Villa Anita is a three-star boutique hotel for a stay built around Santa Margherita Ligure rather than a sealed-off resort routine. You are close to the sea, the tourist harbour and the Monte di Portofino Natural Park, with a heated outdoor pool and a bar beside it when the day is winding down.

The hotel works well if you want a practical base with several ways to spend the hours between dives. You can sit by the pool, use the small fitness area, head out on foot or by bicycle, or ask about a boat trip, a walk, a food-and-wine outing or a visit to Genoa Aquarium. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Italian, German and French, so the basic business of checking in, arranging a transfer or asking for help does not require theatrical hand gestures.

The address is Viale Minerva 25 in Santa Margherita Ligure, on the Ligurian coast of Italy. The hotel stands a few steps from the sea and the town's tourist harbour, while the Monte di Portofino Natural Park and the Portofino Marine Protected Area begin at the edge of the surroundings. This is a useful combination for a diving holiday: coastal walks and harbour life are close, and the landscape changes quickly once you leave the built-up waterfront.

Santa Margherita Ligure town centre is about 1 km away. Nearby points of interest include Paraggi Beach, Piazza Colombo and Palazzo della Prefettura. You can also arrange excursions through the hotel, including boat trips, trekking, culinary and wine outings, and visits to the Aquarium of Genoa.

The room range covers solo stays, couples, twin-share trips and groups of up to four, with economy, standard, comfort, superior, deluxe, classic and junior-suite categories. For a couple, the practical choice is a double room; twin-bed versions are available when sharing with a dive partner means keeping the sleeping arrangements strictly business. Some rooms add a balcony, while others face the sea or offer a panoramic view.

The difference between categories is less about a single grand gesture and more about how much everyday equipment you want around you. Selected standard, comfort, superior and classic rooms have air conditioning, heating, a television, a private bathroom and a hairdryer. Better-equipped options add a minibar, safe, desk, Wi-Fi, tea or coffee facilities, slippers, toiletries and blackout blinds. A junior suite can add a patio, which gives you somewhere to sit without turning the room into a storage locker for the day's clothes.

There are single rooms for solo divers, double rooms with either a double bed or twin beds, and triple and quadruple options for small groups or families. Several room categories include a balcony or sea view, so choose according to what matters most once you are back upstairs: a private outdoor space, a view over the water, or a straightforward room with the useful basics. Pets are welcome in some room categories.

The hotel has a restaurant, breakfast service and a snack bar, giving you more than one answer when hunger arrives at an inconvenient time. The exact meal arrangement depends on the reservation, so check whether breakfast or other meals are included before you book rather than discovering it at the table with a towel still in your hair.

There is one named bar: Il Bar. Its particular trick is an aperitivo beside the pool, which is precisely the sort of low-effort evening plan that makes sense when your legs have already done their work underwater. A restaurant, a snack bar and poolside drinks keep the food and drink options on site, while the harbour and town put the wider Ligurian dining scene within reach.

The heated outdoor pool includes hydromassage, giving you somewhere to loosen up without committing to a full day of sightseeing. Pool equipment and pool towels are available, and the seasonal pool operates from March to November, with access from 08:30 to 21:00. The terrace and sun terrace add the obvious alternative: find a chair, stop moving and let the day become someone else's problem.

For a little more activity, the hotel has a small Technogym cardio area and table tennis. You can also hire or use bicycles, go walking and arrange cultural excursions, boat trips, trekking, food and wine tastings, or a visit to Genoa Aquarium. Sauna facilities and massage services are available for a slower recovery session; massage appointments need to be arranged with the hotel.

The setting also does some of the work for you. A few steps bring you to the sea, while the Monte di Portofino landscape gives walking and coastal exploring a proper backdrop rather than a treadmill with a view. Families are welcome, and the hotel also accepts pets.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 20:00, and check-out is by 11:00. All guests, including children, need to be present at check-in with a passport or government-issued photo ID. Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, and an airport transfer can be arranged directly with the hotel, either privately or as a shared service depending on the arrangement available for your stay.

Parking is available, and the hotel can help with transfers, excursions and ticket arrangements. Laundry and ironing services are also available, useful when salt, sunscreen and general travel wear have started to win the battle. Payment is accepted by Visa, Mastercard, American Express and cash.

The hotel is air-conditioned and has heating. It is a non-smoking property, and the rooms include private bathrooms. If you are travelling with a pet, arrange this with the hotel before arrival. The same practical rule applies to massage appointments and transfers: organise them ahead of the day rather than trying to solve everything at reception while wearing flip-flops and carrying a damp towel.