The splendour of Splendido

"Signora! Welcome. First, the view," insists my elegantly-suited concierge, opening the door of the Mercedes S-Class which has carried me from Santa Margherita Ligure station up the winding hill to the newly revamped Splendido Portofino, a Belmond Hotel. He has all the charming confidence of someone who knows he's got a showstopper up his sleeve, and he gently guides me to the edge of the terrace. 

And there it is, one of the most beautiful sights in all of Europe. The jade waves of the harbour, dotted with yachts. The deep green of the hillside, crowned with the medieval Castello Brown fortress at its peak. All of it framed by magenta bougainvillea and laden lemon trees. "This is your first time to Splendido?" he asks, clocking my dumbfounded expression. "Ah. Soon it will be your second. And then your tenth."

I don't need to be told twice, especially not after I tear myself away from the opening act and turn my attention to the area's second best view: the hotel itself. The former Benedictine monastery has operated as a hotel for more than 120 years, playing host to Richard Burton's proposal to Elizabeth Taylor (one of them anyway) and regular visits from Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. It practically invented the concept of 'La Dolce Vita' and its reopening after a two-year renovation – under the careful direction of LVMH after the luxury powerhouse acquired the Belmond hospitality brand in 2019 – hasn't dampened this premise in the slightest.