Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
here, it's an unpretentious beauty with a pedestrian promenade that follows a peb-
ble beach. Tall, narrow houses—decorated with restrained
trompe l'oeil
detailing
and green shuttering—stand near the shore. It's a relatively undiscovered gem,
with an excellent selection of good-value restaurants and hotels. Even the
ferry
trips
(
%
0185-772091; www.golfoparadiso.it)
are significantly cheaper if taken
from here. Come as a day-tripper, but if you regret not basing yourself here, you'll
find suggested lodgings below.
LAY OF THE LAND
Like everywhere else on this stretch of coast, getting to
Camogli
and
Santa
Margherita Ligure by train
is easy (and cheap): It takes about an hour to get here
from Monterosso (
€
9.70-
€
11; 20-26 trains daily), and half that from Genoa
(
2.20). Traveling by car can be tedious, with parking anywhere carrying a price
tag that pushes up your daily hotel budget by as much as 30%. And that's if park-
ing is available at all (don't make the mistake of parking illegally, a misdemeanor
for which you'll pay
€
100 in Portofino). If you want independence from public
transport, it's better by far to hire a
scooter;
call
GM Motor Center Rent
(
%
3294-
066274;
€
40 per day).
From Santa Margherita,
there is only one (narrow) road
into Portofino
(the
southern tip of the triangle); the
bus
journey between the two takes about 15
minutes and costs
€
4.50). Buses run with
equal regularity for the same price between Santa Margherita and Rapallo.
Portofino
can only be reached
by foot
(around 5 hr.) or
by boat
from
Camogli (a very pleasurable journey with two possible stops along the way—the
first at Punta Ciappa where there is a truly great trattoria, the second at the San
Fruttuoso Abbey; see top sights below). To get between Camogli and Santa
Margherita, you can either take the 10-minute train journey (runs hourly or twice
hourly;
€
1.10) or the more scenic 25-minute bus journey.
PICK OF THE PROMONTORY: ACCOMMODATIONS
& DINING
In addition to the following hotels, you can also stay at the Abbey of San
Fruttuoso (see “Waiter, Could You Order My Boat?” below).
Hotels & Restaurants in Camogli
€€
€
1.30. You can also get there
by boat
(
€
For the most peaceful stay on the Ligurian coast, and for an array of good-
value dining options, the pretty fishing village of Camogli can't be beat. Bargain
hunters should look no further than
La Camogliese
(Via Garibaldi, 55;
%
0185-
771402; www.lacamogliese.it),
where rooms are light, bright, and relatively
spacious (there's even a small writing desk!), and someone is always on hand at
reception to assist with queries. Doubles range from
€
70 to
€
87. Book the cor-
ner room on the second floor if possible; it costs no more and has the best views.
The hotel also has five rooms with small balconies overlooking the stream that
runs into the ocean.
€€
Another good bet, on the other side of the harbor, is
Locanda Il Faro
(Via
P. Schiaffino, 116-118;
%
0185-771400),
a small hotel efficiently run by the
