Portofino weekend breaks

Details Fly to Montpellier from £52 return with easyjet.com. Stay at Alten H?usla (00 49 951 57639, gaestehaus-bamberg.de); doubles in this lovely old house cost £51 (not breakfast). A photographer of the moment, a lover of the sea and the little things, his gaze takes us to familiar and hidden corners with the same delicacy as writing a postcard.

A curated selection of sea, flavor and contemplation

This Portofino travel guide brings together recommendations along the Italian Riviera coast, combining the visual, the practical, and the emotional.

In between your culinary quest, wander from the Piazza Maggiore (where the Bolognesi come to stroll and show off at dusk) and the Palazzo Comunale, and take in the city’s two medieval leaning towers. Every bite carries a touch of ritual and belonging.

Portofino Travel Guide

With this guide, Mauro shares his personal vision of Portofino: a place where he came to stay, inviting you to experience it with pause and depth.

It’s a town for ambling around, taking in the view from St Michael’s Bridge, St Nicholas’ Church and the old port. But give it a chance, because it has an impressive cathedral, a good number of museums (try the Ludwig for modern art, or, if you’re a history buff, the Roman-German), shopping, pavement caf?s — oh, and beer. If you’re on the hunt for a luxury holiday that boasts style, tranquility and relaxation, look no further than this Genoan gem.

Pastel-coloured homes clustered around a bustling harbour, high-end boutiques, lively restaurants, and incredible coastal views, Portofino is a picture of seaside elegance.

The plonk’s superb — Marseillan is swaddled by vineyards — but the oysters are even better. To match its illustrious surrounds, that infinity saltwater pool is heated to the perfect temperature, lined with oversized daybeds and almost leans over into the Mediterannean Sea. You’ll soon catch on to expect nothing but the best on Portofino holidays.

There are cocktails on the white-washed roof terrace of Portofino lighthouse, the option to borrow Hotel Splendido’s 36 foot boat for a sunset cruise and the indulgent realisation that all your taxi rides will be taken in a shiny white state-of-the-art Audi Q7. Follow the scent of honeysuckle down to the pint sized Piazzetta for a lobster lunch, dip in and out of designer boutiques on Via Roma or jump on a boat to the fairytale cliff-hugging fishing villages of Cinque Terre.

Whether you want the sweet luxury of idleness on a sun-kissed terrace or fancy cruising by boat around the Ligurian coast, call in store to see us and we’ll help craft your perfect Portofino holiday.