48 Hours at Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli
I never got familiar with the Cinque Terre. Packed fishing towns with tons of tourists pushing through the tiny streets to shoot the picturesque buildings and leave without any nice options of staying overnight. This is what came to my mind when thinking of the coast between Genova and La Spezia. However last summer on a private boat ride along the real Cinque Terre (which only consists of five - Italian: cinque - towns) I discovered the beauty of the Ligurian coast which should never be summarized by one prejudice. Let’s start in Genova which is definitely the most underrated city in Italy (together with Trieste). Stunning architecture, stellar vistas, mouth-watering seafood and posh neighbourhoods are what you can expect from a city that is often only known as a turnaround point for cruise ship takers. If we go a little south, 30 minutes on a spectacular road to be precise, we reach Camogli. The name actually comes from Casa de Moglie, coming from wives (mogli) who painted their houses in different colours so their husbands (captains and fishermen) could see the buildings from the sea.
As usually in Italy, most famous towns have their grand hotel, and so Camogli has the Cenobio dei Dogi. I think it is fair to title this hotel with a legendary status, not just for the location on the prime spot of the town overlooking what feels like the most picturesque of all fishing villages! Once passing all the way through the town, you have to drive down until the last spot of Camogli where you reach the opulent gate entering the hotel’s grounds. Even though we stayed here shortly after New Year, in the first week of January, a mild sea breeze was welcoming us upon leaving the car towards the main entrance. While the hotel is categorized with four stars, the check-in was professional, the porter offered valet parking and they even took care of our luggage. What I appreciate most about old school Italian hotels is that they don’t give a damn about state-of-the-art interior design and just keep their furniture even if it may look dated for some. Actually, it’s the other way round. We have seen it all and don’t like to see the monotone design pieces again. Cenobio dei Dogi hasn’t changed much of its interior over the years and this is exactly what this place makes it so special.
I don’t want to miss the elderly couples playing cards late at night in the historic games room. And let’s be honest, a classic Negroni tastes so much better in a setting that feels like on a film set of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. All these moments can’t be beaten by any modern hotel where you’re just a number. After understanding the essence of this special property, let’s face the room situation. Since my parents joined on this trip, we got to see two different categories. First, mine was probably the most stellar room in the house with a panoramic sea view overlooking the Mediterranean as well as the picturesque town Camogli. My parents had an entry-level room in the attic, which also came with a sea view and a cosy terrace that my parents adored. So even if you are not planning to splurge at Cenobio dei Dogi, you can score pretty good rooms as well.
My room was pretty spacious and came with a dining table and two chairs, a work desk with television above, built-in storage space as well as a double bed facing the sea view windows. I also liked the spacious and light-filled bathroom with double vanities, shower cabin, toilet, bidet and toiletries by Trussardi. Housekeeping did a great job and came twice a day (again, this is a four-star house and they keep their five-star standards). On the first evening, I realized that the door opens from outside so I told the front desk about it. After dinner, I came back and the door was in perfect order again. Again, see if a hotel is perfectly working shows in the details. Efficient service and attentive staff unfortunately is a rare sight in times of Marriott and IHG taking over the hotel world. You can only imagine how refreshing it is to stay in true luxury hotels such as this one here.
Admitting that as a quite travelled person I had a first time here at Cenobio dei Dogi. Never ever was I swimming in a proper outdoor pool in Italy in January (excluding an indoor pool where you can swim outdoors). Well, here they heat their outdoor pool all year round enabling to swim a few lags while watching the sunset over the sea-facing Camogli. I have to say I was so speechless and the pictures speak for themselves. While the walk from door to pool in your bathrobe isn’t an easy one, the swim in the warm water comes up for the cold refresh. Later that day, we headed towards Genova where we had a delightful menu at a stunning gourmet venue. I have never experienced that this region has such a rich food heritage and great wines, which may be because Liguria isn’t exporting any wine due to the limited amount of bottles they can produce.
Breakfast is served at their main restaurant with panoramic views of Camogli. While I have slightly lost the sensual feeling of the pandemic during this Italy trip, reality hit hard when I saw the buffet. Huge acrylic glass walls were put between the buffet and the dining area. There was a staff member behind each table of the buffet and you weren’t allowed to take anything by yourself. Even though it felt a bit too hard (after being vaccinated three times), it’s totally fine if the hotel decides to be super strict on the rules. This is definitely nothing to blame a hotel for. On contrary, it shows how the hotel protects employees and guests alike and is a sign that they invested time on how to prevent the touchpoints in the house. All in all, I had an amazing stay at Cenobio dei Dogi and of course, you have to fully embrace the history of the place and the patina of this legendary hotel. You aren’t going to stay here if you seek the ultimate contemporary design experience. Think of Amalfi Coast hotels or Portofino back then when it was just a film set back in the 60s.
I was guest of the Cenobio dei Dogi and stayed there for editorial reasons. However all above written hasn’t been influenced.
