contact: info@bownsbest.com
contact: info@bownsbest.com
Thoughts of Heaven come easily to me when I am in Portofino, and never more so than when I am having breakfast at what many regard as the Best Hotel In The World. The sun is smiling, the staff are smiling, the view is smiling, I am smiling and the grilled sea bass on my plate is fit for the Saints above. There is no doubt in my mind that the Belmond Hotel Splendido in Portofino deserves all the praise which is heaped upon it. It is a property where only the finest will do. And those who keep this Rolls-Royce of hostelries purring along deserve the highest praise. The magnificent Ermes de Megni, whom I have had the privilege of knowing for many years, is now the Splendido’s Ambassador. His Excellency is a title which suits him, for everything about him is excellent. The new General Manager is Alberto Pirozzini, and under his careful and expert watch the luxurious accommodations at the Splendido will become even more spacious - for their number is being reduced by twenty or so. My picture shows these two fine gentlemen with myself (Mr Pirozzini is in the middle).
As well as the magnificence of the property and the excellence of the staff, there is another important reason to pay a visit to the Splendido. The walls of the hotel bar are decorated with black and white photographs of those film stars and other notable folk who had stayed at the hotel. And those pictures include one of myself. I present to you a picture of the picture, with your correspondent admiring his portrait. It was taken especially for its current location by one of England’s most distinguished photographers, Jack Hill. You will observe that my photograph hangs below those of two famous cinematic thespians, Monica Vitti and Alain Delon.
There is no secret about why the Splendido’s location has been so popular down the centuries. It looks over one of the prettiest little bays in the world. Monks built their monastery here. They abandoned it in the 16th century, not because they had tired of its charms, but because they were attacked too often by Saracen pirates. Eventually, Baron Baratta built his summer home on the same spot. Then the hotel opened in 1901. Before long it was crowded by persons of wealth and discernment. Winston Churchill, Rex Harrison, the Duke of Windsor, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor – these and many, many more of the world’s finest have sought out a room at the Splendido.
My own billet was on the second floor of the main building. Room 223 was a lovely Junior Suite (around 5,000€-6,000€ a night, bed and breakfast, according to season.) This was my ideal of what an hotel room should be: spacious, elegant, comfortable and supremely practical. Everything I wanted and needed was present and was where I wanted it to be. I loved its parquet floor, its 17 engravings in gilt frames, its five-branch chandelier, its five table lamps, its writing table, its sofa and armchairs, its vases of fresh flowers and the two sun hats provided as presents. Each contributed to the feeling that this was a place of good taste and well-judged luxury. The television and dvd player rose vertically from their cabinet at the touch of a button. The balcony through the French windows afforded the most appealing of views, down to the boats in Portofino’s harbour. And the pleasant feeling that this was my apartment, rather than just another hotel room, was reinforced by the fact that my private safe was behind a picture on the wall, as if I had decided that it was to be precisely there. And all the details were right, like the little carton of fresh milk in the mini-bar, ready for when I wished to use the swish De Longhi coffee machine. It was all just so. And I do like things to be ‘just so’. My one suggestion would be to replace the framed print in the hallway with a mirror – to facilitate that last minute check of appearance before one sallies forth into the world. That done, room 223 would be perfect.
I need hardly record that the bed had been made supremely soft and comfortable for my ailing back. And the hot soakings which also relieved my creaking were had in one of the famous Belmond bathrooms, where I could pamper myself with the perfumed toiletries made by Acqua di Parma, lie in the large tub and shower in the walk-in facility, before drying myself with the thickest towels by Frette. And what a relief it was to be able to set the temperature control for the water, turn on the taps and know that the bath I was running would be exactly as I wanted it. There was a separate loo, of course, and there was also sufficient hanging space even for my extensive travelling wardrobe. This was a bathroom for those who love their ablutions.
And the Splendido is also a place for those of us who love their food - and particularly breakfast. Occasionally, it grieves me to notice that fellow hotel guests not only rush through this most important meal, but also dress for it in a way which suggests that they are addicted to the worst excesses of The Casual. There was less of this at the Splendido than one might find elsewhere – and no wonder, for the terrace of the restaurant is a superb spot for one’s morning comestibles. Here I was looked after with consummate skill and kindness by waitresses like the charming Greta, whose perfect English perhaps came from her time at Durrants Hotel in London.
Pots of Earl Grey tea (with leaves and a strainer), buckets of ice, the aforementioned sea bass and my concluding cappuccini were brought to my table. From the buffet, I obtained bowls of melon, raspberries, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries, pieces of various ravishing tarts, slices of crusty bread and scoops of gorgeous marmalade and various sorts of honey. You will gather that I always started my days properly at the Splendido.
The seats on the restaurant terrace are difficult for my back. But such details are remembered at the Splendido. A more supportive chair from the dining room was awaiting my arrival each morning. Service at the Splendido is like that: both kind and efficient. (In this context I should also mention young Gabriele on the front desk, who went way beyond the call of duty to ensure that I could surmount my incompetence with the computer.)
My days at The Splendido were spent either pottering about its garden terraces or, after taking the hotel shuttle ‘bus for the five minute journey down the hill, looking at the quaint sights of Portofino. There I could watch the boats which come and go from the passing cruise ships, bringing their passengers to enjoy an hour or so of the Portofino magic.
But it was back to the Splendido for dinner – once again on the restaurant terrace, but this time captivated by the darkening sky and the twinkling lights down by the harbour far below. Now my dishes were of the grander sort. The Splendido has a brilliant Head Chef, Corrado Corti. His wonderful dishes are matched by the exemplary service overseen by the Restaurant Manageress Maina Macri. My picture shows me with them both.
Allow me to share with you some of the highlights of my dinners here. Lobster was presented with bright red tomato gazpacho, capers, oregano and stracchino cheese – beautiful to behold and beautiful to eat. Pansotti pasta (like ravioli) was filled with cheese and served with walnut sauce. Utterly delicious. Rib of beef was hearty and full of flavour. And among my puddings was a delightful black currant meringue with Chantilly cream. (Allow 170€-185€ for four courses.)
Such memorable dishes, in this magical setting, with the correct, attentive service (napkins were re-folded) combine to produce the calming pleasure of peaceful harmony. And to add to that harmony, there was the piano playing of Vladimoro Gatto. He has been tinkling the ivories here for over twenty years. You will be pleased to know that he has not lost his love of bright and sparkling dinner jackets.
As you would expect, the Splendido has a fine cellar. It can provide a red from Friuli Venezia Giulia for 60€ or the 2005 vintage of Pétrus for 12,000€. The list is divided into two volumes. In the general list the offerings are from Italy and France, with a few of the “best of the rest” (like 2020 Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc from New Zealand – 130€). These bottles caught my eye: 2020 Cervaro della Sala (180€), Krug Grande Cuvé (410€), 2017 La Tâche (9,000€) and 2012 Cristal (490€). The other list of “great wines and unique vintages” is all Italian and all red. The marks out of 100 given by The Wine Spectator are recorded for each wine. Prices go from 110€ for the 1998 vintage of Summus to 8,200€ for a double magnum of Masseto.
I began by remarking that the Belmond Hotel Splendido prompts thoughts of Heaven. But perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps it is Heaven.
Salita Baratt 16, Portofino 16034, Italy.
Telephone +39 0185 267 801
Fax +39 0185 267 806
Email: reservations.spl@belmond.com
Open: from early June to the end of September
Double rooms from 2,760€-3,860€ a night, bed and breakfast, according to season
Check the hotel website for the rates for specific dates