Eight Hotel Paraggi

We arrived with high expectations and were not disappointed. Beautiful boutique hotel in a stunning location. We had the most wonderful holiday and thank all the staff for making our stay so comfortable and enjoyable. This is a boutique hotel so the rooms are not huge but our deluxe room was very comfortable with a large terrace overlooking Pariggi Bay. I still hold the memory of my morning coffee sat on thst terrace overlooking the view. Two big bonuses are included..a bed on the beach with towels (beds are at premium cost at establishments either side of the hotel) and a shuttle service to Portofino during the day until 10:30 at night. The beach is sandy and lovely for swimming. We ate a couple of times in the restaurant and enjoyed the attentive service and food. Also the receptionists were happy to recommend restaurants nearby in Portofino which were excellent to. Santa Margherita is also not far away by local bus which stops virtually outside the hotel.

We arrived to Eight hotel in Portofino after visiting several hotels in Italy on self-organised tour. First impressions were good, The reception looked beautiful and the lady went to get us a welcome drink. As we sat down she explained that we had booked the wrong dates and we should have checked in a day earlier and therefore could not stay at the hotel for the two nights confirmed to us when booking. She also explained we would not be getting a refund for the night we had apparently missed. We checked our details and realised it was all correct from our end. My partner had called up prior to the trip and enquired about moving the dates and had been told that it was not possible. However, we found out that the receptionist Silva had changed our dates without confirming with us! We had actually then extended our stay at another hotel because of this I explained that due to the lack of communication, this was entirely their fault and therefore they would have to sort out the situation. After a while they arrived at the conclusion that they would move our room halfway through our stay. Silva and the hotel took no accountability for her lack of communication and it all felt very hostile and unwelcoming, they even felt the need to tell us that we had inconvenienced them!! The next day we saw our moved room and it was absolutely tiny. We could not even fit our luggage in it! We had been downgraded despite paying full price! Again, no apologises or words as to why. The mix up of my partner asking if we could move dates was something we were now being penalised for. I went to the reception and spent a long time complaining and then eventually had us move hotels. This ruined our one and only full day in Portofino as we had only booked two nights. This was absolutely not the kind of hospitality we expected from a 5 star hotel with this price point. I would never stay here again, I cannot believe they couldn’t accept that we are not mind readers.

This is the best kept secret location of the Italian Riviera!! Away from the hustle of Portofino, but a lovely 20 minute hike or hotel shuttle will take you to the town. The Paraggi Bay is one of the best swimming holes in the world. Mattia was the BEST concierge we’ve ever had!! Someone give this man a raise. He was phenomenal, booking us a new restaurant every night for dinner. Noemi was our server on the beach most of the time and she was absolutely lovely. The restaurant manager was extremely helpful pairing wine with our meals. Worth every penny, we will be coming back here.

A lovely small hotel with so much promise that sadly fell short. Ordering lunch on day 1 resulted in being told that 2 of the ordered dishes were not available...after a 30 minute wait, only then to be presented with the original order 5 minutes later (and after ordering alternate dishes). Interestingly, none of the Rose` wines offered on the menu was available. After this experience, other than a breakfast, we chose to eat at restaurants in Portofino. The AC in one room did not work for the 3 nights we stayed at the hotel, and this was brought to the attention of the management, repeatedly. After an initial response, no action was taken and the manager subsequently `argued `in a follow up email that we kept turning it off, and it was due to us rather than a fault with the AC. One bathroom had limescale and a fungal mould around the shower door. Happily, this `5 Star` hotel did not charge a supplement for these delightful extras......nor for the tired condition of some of the surfaces and woodwork. See attached photographs. All of the staff who worked at the hotel were lovely and made every effort to ensure we enjoyed our stay. Unfortunately, those who managed the hotel would benefit from some additional training. Given the issues we encountered and inadequate response from the management it seems unlikely the staff will get the support they deserve, or the hotel to be properly maintained to justify the star rating and room cost. A little training and effort would go a long way. Also, we had to follow up the matters we brought to the attention of the management. Had we not, we would not have even received the courtesy of a reply, which eventually came one month after we left. Oh yes, almost forgot, there was not even the hint of regret or an apology..... Definitely style over substance.....