Favourite Seaside Stays: Hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi sits on one end of the village of Camogli and is walkable to everywhere in town.
I first stumbled across Hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi on Instagram. It looked exactly like the sort of hotel I love – classic, elegant, a little old fashioned, with its own beach and what looked to be an incredible patio for aperitivo hour. I was intrigued.
The hotel is located in Liguria in the town of Camogli on the Golfo Paradiso. Once a sleepy fishing village, Camogli has started to receive more visitors, drawn by its colourful tromp l’oeil palazzos and charming streets. For those wanting to visit Cinque Terre, Camogli is reasonably located to make it a day trip, but far from the insane crush of crowds who choose to stay there. That said, the area has so much of interest to make it the destination in itself. It has close proximity to the beautiful towns of Portofino and Santa Margherita di Ligure, in addition to a long list of colourful villages that dot the coast in both directions.
The hotel’s history began in 1565 when the powerful noble Dogi family built their vacation villa on the site. In the 1920’s the site was purchased to be converted into a luxury seaside hotel. In 1956, that hotel became Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi.
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi
Today, the hotel sits like a Grand Dame of the Italian Riviera on the edge of Camogli. And you can feel every bit of the elegance that the first Cenobio hoteliers intended. The hotel has sweeping views of the gulf, of Camogli, and right up the coast towards Genoa. With its perfect private beach, delightful swimming pool area, and lush gardens, the property’s exteriors are dream-like.
Camogli from the grounds of Hotel Cenobio
The interiors are gracious. One of the great delights for me was the whimsical paintings - many of local scenes - by Milanese artist, Augosto Monti. The rooms are well appointed - the doubles are of reasonable size, and I highly recommend going for a sea view if you can, it’s well worth it.
A Camogliese scene by artist Augosto Monti
The hotel offers three restaurants for dinner, food & beverage service to the beach, and a very good breakfast buffet. But there’s not much I can imagine more delightful in life than sipping an aperitivo on Hotel Cenobio’s terrace overlooking the gulf as the sun sets.
During my five-night stay in June, I could tell that many of the guests were repeat guests by they way they were recognized and warmly greeted by staff members who seemed genuinely thrilled to see them return. For all its warmth, I can understand how Cenobio is the sort of place people fall in love with and visit time and again.
With all that it offers, Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi is maybe the best example I know of how one can find luxury at a price within reach in places that are less in the spotlight, but no less beautiful. It’s worth considering for your next trip.
The gardens of Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi