La Meridiana Resort Relais & Chateaux in Garlenda at the Italian Riviera

Posted by Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 9/01/2013

La Meridiana Resort Relais & Chateaux in Garlenda at the Italian Riviera

After a holiday at the Italian alps (Alto Adige), I was ready for the sea. Summer is hard to let go without seeing the sea even for just a quick glance. I live close to the beach, at the outskirt of Rome but it doesn't compare to the extraordinary beauty of the Italian Riviera. The Italian Riviera is the whole stretch of coastline of the Ligurian region that lies between Tuscany and France. And that is where I headed to this time.

A lot of things constitute a holiday and planning is the hardest part. Call us perfectionists but my husband and I can't just leave the house without a little background of what to expect in the places we are going to visit, a hotel or hotels that we thoroughly researched and restaurants that will fill us with the local cuisine. Needless to say, we carry around a printed list of these things.

Our hotel for this trip was La Meridiana Hotel, part of the Chateaux & Relais group of luxurious charming hotels & the Fascinating Resorts of Liguria (which I already wrote about in the past). It is set in the more serene part of the Italian Riviera, more inland and just a comfortable distance from the sea, in the town of Garlenda.

This beautiful family-owned villa is set in the middle of spacious grounds with well-manicured gardens and an 18-hole golf course. There's a swimming pool that is surrounded by the garden where my son spent his entire time enjoying the warm water. The pool is designed in a way that it's safe for kids to stay (always with an adult anyway).

The hotel has 25 uniquely decorated rooms and suites with elegant characteristics of their own. There are 4 Classic Rooms with twin beds, bathroom & private balcony, 8 Superior Rooms with double or twin beds, bathroom & private balcony, 12 Romantic Suites with a living room, a private balcony or garden, a spacious bathroom and some have an additional bedroom with bunk beds for the kids. There are also 2 Master Suites that are large studio style rooms with a living room, a fireplace, a private balcony, 2 bathrooms, one with a 2-person corner bath and the other with a shower. Their best room is a luxurious 100 square meter Master Apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 spacious bathrooms one of which has a mini-swimming pool, a TV, A/C & balcony inside and the other one with a large shower, a spacious sitting room and a bar. And this is where I had the pleasure to enjoy my stay in this marvelous hotel.

La Meridiana Resort is a five-star luxury hotel with a unique personality of its own. The proprietors, the Segre family, put a lot of effort in making all their guests feel at home and THAT is what makes this place special. Being able to put together coziness in a luxurious & elegant ambience takes a special touch and that is exactly what you can expect as soon as you enter their hotel.

Sofas fill up the reception hall with books to read, a bar where you can order drinks and a grand piano. This hall overlooks the pool and the gardens with large glass windows. This has to be my favorite area in the hotel because it gives me the feeling of being ensconced in a comfortable setting. It is decorated in a way that the guests can have their own private corners.

Dogs are also welcome so you don't need to worry about separating from your four-legged family members when on vacation. We, ourselves, used to travel with our dog and finding good hotels that accept them was a struggle and kept our options limited.

The hotel also has two restaurants, namely Il Rosmarino & the less formal Il Bistrot, where you can taste the genuine Ligurian cuisine using fresh products of the area. The selection of wine is of excellent quality & importance because of the the decades of great passion that Edmondo Segre has developed. My recommendation: this is the best place to start your education on what Ligurian cuisine is really about.

Below are photos of some of the rooms of the hotel. As you will see, each of them has a charming & elegant characteristic, richly furbished with a warm touch.

The pictures below are of the Master Apartment. The master's bedroom has a 42-inch plasma TV & DVD player. The bathroom attached to it has a mini-swimming pool, a small TV, A/C and a balcony of its own. Nothing can be better than that if you are looking for a complete relaxation.

The living room has a 32-inch LCD TV, sofas, a bar and a balcony. The second bathroom that can be accessed from here has a spacious shower area. Then there is a small second bedroom next to it.

The room below is one of the Master Suites. It is a large room with a sitting room, a fireplace, a private balcony and 2 bathrooms, one of which has a two-person corner bathtub and the other with a shower.

The suite below is a Romantic Suite that has a bedroom tastefully decorated with Fornasetti lamp & bed cover, a living room, a private balcony and a spacious bathroom.

Another one of the Romantic Suites is below. It also has a bedroom, a living room, a private balcony and a bathroom.

The room below is another one of the Romantic Suites available. It is a large studio-type room with a living room, bathroom and a private balcony.

My stay at La Meridiana Resort had been a wonderful experience and my opinions came straight from what I felt & saw. The proprietors, along with their staff who are professionally-trained, had assisted me & my family with all our needs to make our stay as comfortable as possible.

Coming up soon will be my post about the different towns of the Italian Riviera that I visited last week. I hope you enjoyed this post. Until the next post, enjoy your weekend!