Grand Hotel Bristol Resort & SPA

We stayed 3 nights at the Grand hotel Bristol Spa. As my husband had diamond Hilton status we were upgraded to an Seaview room which was lovely. It was spacious and comfortable. On arrival we were given welcome drinks in the lounge which was a lovely touch. We also found a gift in our room, a fruit plate and bottle of Prosecco. The best part about the hotel is the access to the wellness spa. It’s just great to get back to the hotel of an evening and use the facilities. Breakfast was included in our stay and it was lovely to sit on the terrace each morning and enjoy the view. The hotel is a 15 minute walk out of the centre of town. The hotel runs a shuttle service which goes to and from the town regularly. On our departure day, they even dropped us at the station so we could catch the train to our next destination.

So GHB looks, from the front, somewhat like the Grand Budapest Hotel in the film with Ralph Fiennes. We went for an end of summer stay and were bowled over by the welcome, the professionalism, the attention and quality. It’s the staff that make the place. Le Cupole on the top floor is superstar quality with every single mouthful bringing a smile. The Veranda is a bit more democratic in its pricing but the quality isn’t compromised. The spa is breathtaking. It’s already our joint top favourite hotel anywhere.

The Bristol is a "5-star" hotel in the Ligurian Riviera offering stunning views of the bay, with Portofino and Santa Margherita in the distance - one can spend hours relaxing by the pool and enjoying the view.  Other highlights are the world-class spa, delicious breakfast and generally friendly staff.  However, we had meaningful issues with our stay around 1) the minuscule room; 2) access to the beach club, despite the hotel's promotion of this amenity.  These issues, given the high price point, give me pause to fully recommend. The hotel is located on a hill, about a 15 minute walk from Rapallo center, which is ~15 minute ferry or 1 hour walk to Santa Margherita and 25 minute ferry to Portofino.  It is an easy walk to Rapallo but they also offer a shuttle (~3 min ride) to take you into town.  The hotel was easy to find and they offer complimentary parking.  The location can be considered a highlight (because of the views) and generally relaxing feel, but can also be considered a major negative, given it is outside of Rapallo (which is a step down from the other towns) and it is not right on the sea. The building is in a Belle Époque style, albeit a bit dilapidated on the outside - not bad, gives it some charm. The decor inside is more modern with artsy finishes. Check in was quick and we were offered a welcome cocktail, which we enjoyed with the live music and views on the terrace.  We had a basic room on the 1st floor - it was very cramped and difficult to navigate for 2 people and suitcases; Diamond member but no upgrade extended (there were suites available but i guess don't qualify for upgrades).  Room did not have a view.  Bathroom also equally tiny, especially the shower stall.  It is understandable that hotels in this part of the world have smaller accommodations, but it is surprising how small, especially at this price point for a seemingly 5-star hotel.  I guess it encourages you to get out of your room! Services / Amenities: - The pool is a major highlight here.  Large and many comfortable loungers with plenty of shade, and offering stunning views - While they advertise a private beach club on their website, during our stay they indicated it was full and not possible to access the day requested.  They explained that the beach club is run by 3rd party and the hotel is only allocated 30 seats.  This was exceptionally frustrating as going to this beach club was a factor in choosing the hotel.  The front desk also stated that complimentary access to the beach club only for those staying in suites; again, this is not stated anywhere on the website or in reservation or at check in.  BEWARE. - Spa is world class; definitely worth allocating enough time for full circuit of sauna, steam, and various pools and showers - Fitness Room is afterthought, with only a few pieces of basic equipment Breakfast was fantastic - significant variety and delicious.  We did not otherwise dine at the hotel, but there is a formal restaurant on the top floor.  We had drinks in the evening in the lobby bar, which has funky art-inspired decor - it is nicer to sit outside on the terrace, but it was a bit buggy so we transitioned indoors. Staff was fairly polite and helpful, other than the issues around beach club access. Overall, it is a nice hotel, relaxing and has pleasant staff - but you are well outside of the most attractive towns in the region.  Coupled with size of room and lack of beach access, I am unsure worth the price point for everyone - if we return to the area, will likely try a different hotel.

We have just completed two weeks at this hotel. The staff (without exception) are a credit to themselves and the hotel. Friendly, professional, helpful and knowledgeable. Nothing was too much trouble for them. The hotel is spotless, but does show it's age a little - for us that was part of the charm. The food and drinks were delicious. By way of advice to others, if you are looking for a quiet, peaceful, retreat type of holiday, this probably isn't the place for you. Certainly the sea view rooms suffer from traffic noise from the busy road below and from the busy train line a little further away. This is also the case when using the swimming pool and sunbathing terrace. This isn't a complaint, just an observation. The reason I have given it a four star rather than a five star review is because of the behaviour of some of their French guests. The hotel is dog friendly, but some of the guests allowed their dogs to wander around the breakfast and restaurant area without leads or control, settling on the feet of other diners and generally causing a nuisance. The same guests allowed their pets to wander around the pool and sunbathing areas unsupervised and thought it was acceptable for the dogs to pee in those areas. The hotel failed to deal with this and their response was "We've had a lot of complaints about this, but what can we do? The guests have paid a lot of money to stay here and think that gives them the right to do what they want.". What about the other guests who have also paid a lot of money to stay here? This was our only complaint. Other than that we enjoyed our stay immensely.

We had the most magical stay in this hotel! The view from our beautiful room was simply stunning. The staff are excellent, from the bell men, to the front desk, the concierge and the wonderful servers on the beautiful terrace - we were made to feel really special. Will definitely be returning!