LHP Hotel Santa Margherita Palace & Spa

it is the second time I went to LHP. always excellent.. the location( near the railway station), the reception, the room, the breakfast and the staff. at breakfast a girl calle Crystal was the epitome of cordiality and efficiency. they could only pay a little more attention to pamper the guests, such as a daily bottle of water.

Everyone at the hotel was very friendly and helpful. The room was very nice and comfortable. The bathroom was also big and well appointed. The breakfast buffet was very good. The only negative thing I would say is that we didn't know you needed to pay extra to use the pool 20 Euro per person. They should advertise this more prominently.

The property was lovely. The staff was exceptional. They allowed us to check in a bit early and stored our luggage until we got back from lunch. Then they personally escorted us to our room . We did not partake of the breakfast. It cost 30 euro per person and we thought that was a bit pricey for the amount of food that we eat for breakfast. We walked two blocks and had a great breakfast for about 15 euro instead of 60 euro. We stayed in the newer part of the hotel in the back. Very modern rooms, white, bright but small.

We chose this hotel based on the central location and cost (we used our credit card points). I was worried after reading some of the negative reviews, however, the hotel ended up being perfect for our stay in SML. At the same time, I do understand the reviews from people who did not like their rooms. I'll try to explain below. Location/building: - The hotel is located on the same street as the train station, just a 10 min walk down the road. Very easy to access with rolling bags and we didn't need a taxi. - It's not located on the water nor does it have any majestic views of anything. Consider it a "city center" hotel, in a small, quaint, beautiful Italian town. - From the main street (Via Roma), you walk through a huge patio into the main building that has the lobby, restaurant and some rooms. - Our room was located in a 2nd, separate building which you access from a side street. It is behind the main building, further away from Via Roma. This building has the spa and pool, but I believe shares upper floors with a residential building. From the "street" level, we entered a small lobby, and went down 1 floor to our room on the "basement" level. - Our room had a terrace that looked "up" at the street level/patio of the building. No view to speak of but some natural light. - Location: We walked everywhere and skipped the 30 EUR breakfast each morning which allowed us to try different cafes and bakeries that are located a VERY short distance away including Pinamonti Focacceria, Panificio Dama, Pasticceria Pestarino, Caffé del Borgo, and Caravaggio Café. We spent most of our time exploring and really only used our room to shower/sleep. We took the train to Cinque Terre one day and accessing the train was so easy. We walked 1 hr to Portofino on a beautiful day and then took the public bus back - very easy and cheap! The walk going over is mainly along the side of the road, beach and includes a path up into the hills - lots of beauty! - Room: The room was pretty large, modern and clean. Everything worked as expected and the bathroom was actually wonderful. Our terrace had no view, but we weren't expecting one. They have a motorized shutter that you can close which created complete darkness at night - it was fantastic! We were in a basement room, but at the end of the day it didn't matter. We had no noise issues. - Service: The employees were wonderful and helpful. Couldn't have been better!

This would have been a one star review had it not been for the brilliant Riccardo in the hotel bar, the lovely breakfast team and the equally lovely housekeeping team. Sadly, there are too many faults to ignore at the Santa Margherita Palace. The begin with, it’s not a palace, it’s a modern boutique hotel. It’s not a 5 star hotel either, it’s a 4 star at best. The sweeping views of Santa Margherita bay you see on their website are misleading. If you stay in the main hotel building your view will be of the bar and/or other neighbouring buildings at very close quarters. If you stay in the ‘spa wing’ as we did your view will be of the 50 private residential apartments towering above you from your position in the basement next to a car park and right beside the main railway line through Santa Margherita. You will also be party to the daily lives of the apartment residents including domestic disputes, kids playing games, vacuuming, laundry and echoing conversations late into the night. We booked an executive double with hot tub for 4 nights as part of our honeymoon. It wasn’t obvious at the time that these rooms are in a separate building entirely 50yds behind the main hotel although that’s now been rectified on their website. The terraces are completely devoid of sunlight and the privacy screens between you and your neighbours are pointless because, when you sit in your hot tub or on a lounger, you can see straight through to next door between the large gaps underneath without even trying. If you want to use the hotel pool it costs €50 for 90 minutes. If you foolishly book a room without breakfast like we did it costs €30 per person per day for a very average buffet. The room we booked was small, there was evidence of damp being painted over (see photos), there is only instant coffee and tea (two servings per room per day) and the shower will soak your bathroom floor whichever way you point it because the screens are too small. The large top drawer in our room didn’t work probably because it’s slider *****s had come off and were housed in the drawer itself (see photos) and the air con was stuck on permanently at 10c because even the housekeepers couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. Again, I want to sincerely thank the people I mentioned above for being so kind and wonderful; they are a credit to the establishment and I hope they are as appreciated as they should be. This place has real potential, the bar and public areas are genuinely lovely, but sadly it’s not currently reaching it.

Most likely worst hotel experience. During check in the reception forgot to scan the passport and we had to deliver 2 times in the middle of the night passport. The guy had extremely bad attitude. I asked what is his name and he refused to tell me. After I asked is that the service that should be in 5 star hotel. He blaned that they were understaffed and no apology. Room was in different building and the alley seriously looked very poor. Other cons: No free water, Room was dirty (not like it bothered but worth a mention as the overal experience was bad) Alot of hidden fees, if the called a taxi they charges 35€ by just calling. Friend ordered double portion lasagne from room service total 66€ from normal big portion. The 5 star is a joke, avoid

Booked 3 suites for 3 nights TERRIBLE TERRIBLE, This hotel use to be my favourite location wise and service. This stay was basically the front desk staff trying to make everything hectic and unpleasant. Housekeeping was filthy, leaving cleaning items in the room , not changing the bedding which had a tanning oil stain. Towels smelt like it was washed in a kitchen. Unbleached, with spots on the corners. In addition they had us pay for parking for 6 hours although the duty manager informed me a day earlier that he won't charge as I am a regular resident. At check out I was served with a rude, disrespectful bigot that made it her duty to override the managers decision as she wanted to charge me initially until the duty manager waived it. As he wasnt available on check out she kept ranting and raised her voice infront of the people checking in which shocked the prospective residents and said " you signed a contract at check in , if you dont know how to read that your problem, you can afford it so pay it. Which Is true i did sign out of good faith as this wasn't my first time staying at this hotel. All in all , this hotel needs to train those new staff members the real meaning of hospitality. Continuing this manner will definitely ruin the hotels reputation as word of mouth and reviews are what intices booking a particular hotel, and myself and all my friends and family will surely not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Good hotel very well located for exploring the town and area. We had a very comfortable stay, never used the spa or the restaurant etc as we stayed only the one night. Room was a good size and had all the usual facilities stocked fridge, hairdryer, coffee etc. The best features about the hotel was firstly the staff were so very accommodating, and pleasant, they let us leave the car for a few hours after check out to get some lunch before our onward journey and the breakfast is outstanding such a wide choice from cereals, meats, cheeses, muesli, yogurts etc the cappuccino they make are also perfect. Some areas to improve, 3 of our towels were stained, we just think they never washed correctly however they brought new towels straight away, and we thought the pricing was little too high for a hotel that has no swimming pool or designated bar/lounge area. However we had a great stay and would book again without hesitation.