It’s hard to rate this hotel properly. It’s a beautiful hotel. Magnificent gardens and grounds overlooking the sea. The rooms are nice, well cleaned and many nights there were some little goodies by the staff each night. The premises are quite simply, stunning.

The food in the restaurant is lovely. Sitting having dinner or listening to the music on the terrace at night was fantastic. Special mention must be made to Lorenzo who took the time to remember our dining requests and allergies. Likewise the main lifeguard by the pool who seems to remember the guests.

The staff are polite and pleasant. However, with the exceptions mentioned above, there is something about the way in which the reception staff engage with the guests that needs some work. There needs to be a little more personality or warmth allowed to shine through.

Often there would be 8 staff members at reception. Not being overly busy. Yet no one remembers who you are when they’ve seen you every day for the past 4 days.

They don’t go out of their way to help. Late check out? No chance -but feel free to use the showers by the outdoor cabana to wash yourself before an international flight.
Of course a late check out is not a given, and the hotel allowed us to remain on the premises which is something. But at these prices, I would expect more. Grovelling around the semi outdoor showers with suitcases is not ideal. This is not what you expect from a 5 star hotel.
I think if this hotel wants to play in the big league, there is a little more work to be done to make the guests feel special.

We loved everything about the hotel, spectacular location, right on the water with beach access and stunning views (book a room with a balcony!) Gorgeous grounds, garden and pool, walkable to the town and shops.
Hotel staff was wonderful, especially the concierge who rescued us when our hired car broke down (not booked through the hotel, lesson learned!) Rooms were on the small side but with so much to do on property and locally, it didn’t matter much.
Piano player each night on the front terrace added to the ambiance (we loved you Sergio!)
Buffet breakfast each morning was robust with lots of options (even gluten free) out on the beautiful terrace overlooking the water. The dinner we ate at the restaurant was the best we had while on vacation.
We booked a tour of nearby Portofino through the hotel (with a pesto making class and lunch included) and the guide provided (Francesca) was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

Overall, we loved our stay at the GHM!

Note: if you’re planning to visit the beach, pack water shoes the coast is very rocky!

The Grand Hotel Miramare is a lovely traditionally presented hotel.

The location is excellent with a short walk to Santa Margherita, and a longer walk to Portafino (or you can take the bus, ferry or taxi). It’s also an easy drive to Camogli (although the road is narrow).

We found the amenities excellent. The room was fairly typical in size for Italy, and we had a lovely balcony looking out to sea. Do note that the road to Portafino is between the hotel and the sea, but the double glazing is excellent. A small issue with the air conditioning was fixed immediately.

The pool area was a great size, with plenty of sun loungers, and staff on hand for pool service. We didn’t use the beach club.

We dined at the hotel each night, and enjoyed the meals and the location on the terrace very much. The staff were very attentive.

We would recommend.