Review of Grand Hotel Portovenere 5*

We were most disappointed at our recent stay (November 2010). We booked an ocean view room and we could see the lovely view between the solid cement walled balcony (which was tiny) and the roof/guttering/air conditioning vent. We were staying for 5 nights and asked to change rooms, which we were able to do after two nights (our second room was much better and had a great balcony possibly similar to what is referred to in other reviews). The room itself was quite small and presented as a 2 star complete with cheap furniture and a cigarette burn in the bed spread (thought the hotel was non smoking). We presume the 4 star rating of this hotel comes from the view and some of the services they offer. The shower was tiny — hit your arms against the walls when washing your hair, and the floor of the shower was cracked. The chamber maid woke us talking loudly in the hallway. The breakfast was incredibly disappointing — stale bread which progressively got staler each day, bruised fruit or tinned fruit, a toaster which didn't toast. The lift was sloooooooooow and tiny. Where possible we took the stairs as sometimes you could wait more than 5 minutes for the lift (that is not an exaggeration) and with luggage, the lift really only fitted one person in. The reception staff spoke English but were not particularly helpful (with the exception of one of the ladies who was very helpful) and at times gave us incorrect information. The internet is expensive and slow. On the positive side, the rooms were clean and we used the nearby beauty services (details in the rooms) and the staff there were excellent. The hotel has a great location within Portovenere.