Grand Hotel Spiaggia

We love staying at our favorite hotel in Alassio. It’s right on the beach, and the road in front isn’t a through road, so there’s almost no traffic and it’s very quiet. You can just enjoy the sound of the waves. The rooms are lovely, breakfast is great, and there’s private parking.

The first impression was awful, though the rest of our week’s summer stay was much better thanks to the other staff, the location, breakfast, and the room. We’d called to say we would arrive an hour early and were promised the room would be ready. When we got there, Chiara helped us, but we couldn’t get into the room. She was really rude from the start, and there was tension between her and the others. I even had to ask if she could speak to us a bit more normally. She didn’t explain anything about the hotel either. The shower was tiny. The valet parking was handled well by a really nice guy, but having to arrange the car 30 minutes ahead every time is a hassle when you’d rather just take it spontaneously.

There’s beach access, a gorgeous rooftop, a very good restaurant, and a fantastic breakfast. The hotel is conveniently located, and the rooms are clean. The desk is badly understaffed. There’s often a line, and the women there look stressed, with no smiles or warmth, just business. Service at reception needs improvement and more training. At night there’s no security, and during our six-night stay we never once came back to find anyone behind the front desk. The showers in most of the regular rooms are so small that an average-sized man wouldn’t fit comfortably. I had my face against the wall while rinsing my hair. It’s hard to explain just how narrow and uncomfortable it was, even by European standards.

The hotel is at the south end of the beach, about a ten-minute walk from the shopping and restaurant area. Guests can use the private beach just in front. Breakfast upstairs by the windows was superb, with the best view of the sea and beach. The room was fine, though I’d suggest better coffee in the rooms instead of those little instant Nescafe tubes.