Hotel Splendido
Portofino is one of the great summer playgrounds of Europe, and the Hotel Splendido is...
.. at its very heart.
Many of the wealthiest families in Italy summer here in their own villas or stop by in their yachts, and it is easy to see why.
The harbor is both picturesque and perfect for the kind of water sports that Italians love: waterskiing and speedboat racing. (Nearby Santa Margherita is ideal for less strenuous activities.) Nocturnal sports are just as much fun, though, and the town's discos and nightclubs stay open well into the morning.
Positioned overlooking the harbor, the Splendido, a former private villa, is at once part of it all and wonderfully removed. You can come here and dance until dawn or just relax and let the superb staff pamper you.
The hotel also has a sister establishment, the Splendido Mare, which is located in town.