This princely albergo on the Ligurian coast was constructed as a Benedictine monastery and is now adorned with pink azaleas on nearly each balcony from which friends can soak up postcard views of Portofino Bay, glimmering and viridian. The panorama seems to be simply because it did in the Nineteen Sixties, when the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner first checked in to this seaside hideaway. But the resort has been up to date since then; final 12 months, Splendido reopened with the most important constructing utterly renovated, after a multi-year floor-by-floor replace led by designer Martin Brudnizki, whose signature maximalism takes on a gentler, subtler play—extra fragrance than syrup—through the use of lavenders, celadons, and Alice blues to paint the interiors with a pleasingly gentle handsomeness. Outside, the redone saltwater pool shimmers with new tiles color-matched to the sea, and the open-air restaurant La Terazza is as good a spot as ever, serving trofie al pesto and spritzes on its perch excessive on the hill. All advised, Splendido’s sensibility is elegantly understated, permitting its individuals and setting to shine. The employees consists of charismatic good-time ragazzi, and nature seeps so simply into the rooms that dawn and birdsong turned my morning alarms. —Matt Ortile
Address: Viale Baratta, 16, 16034 Portofino GE, Italy