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Reviews of Grand Hotel Villa Balbi

4 out of 5
Grand Hotel Villa Balbi
Viale Rimembranza, 1, Sestri Levante, GE

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 197 out of 333 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 108 out of 333 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 22 out of 333 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 333 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 333 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Joannie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Downton Abbey experience!
The hotel exceeded my expectations. The staff was professional, friendly, and hospitable. While a bit dated it is refreshingly elegant. Sometimes it seemed like a ‘ Downton Abbey experience. Breakfast was quite lovely. I would love to return to this hotel!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fabulous staff, so friendly and helpful. Gorgeous old building, lovely pool and park area.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Francesco

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

KEVIN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rugby
Lovely hotel in centre of town, close to beaches and bars.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Phenomenal hotel in the heart of Sestri and across the street from the beach.
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

silvio, sunny isles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great location, the room was nice with two big windows, acoustic windows, really nice breakfast with many options, the hotel needs an upgrade on amenities, looks too old and lacks maintenance.

10/10 Excellent

Kraig

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nagy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very good location beach front also close to everything silent beach, shops, restaurants. Very helpful staff.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

A

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We couldn’t have had a better stay. The staff at the hotel reception were superb.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Victor

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Louis

Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Pam

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel was a short ride from Cinque Terre and was our home base for a week in Sept. We fell in love with Sestri Levante along the way and the hotel was central and convenient to everything this amazing town had to offer. Wonderful staff and beautiful historic hotel. Beach across the street. A gem.

10/10 Excellent

John Laskey, Tricia

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Julie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Melissa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed for 3 nights of which 2 days the hotel did not have WiFi service for some technical reasons. This caused multiple problems with some work I had to do. Air conditioner did not work well in our room. First 2 nights did not operate. Very sticky sleep. Last night, suddenly it began working. Considering we were in a suite and the historical prestige of the property, overall, this was a major disappointment. This was our second stay in this hotel and certainly the last!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

6/10 Okay

Enrico

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
More a 3 star than 4...
Very good location but old structure with poor maintenance. The room was old and smell old. Took 15 minute to get the hot water in the shower. Air condition without possibility to adjust. Personnel was kind and collaborative. More a 3 star than 4...
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mary Anne Perasso

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic as always!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel in great location
Beautiful hotel, perfect location, lovely room, friendly staff, excellent breakfast. Would definitely book again!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Claude, Belvedere, Ca

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is one of the classic hotels in all of Italy. It combines old-world beauty and history with charm and a true art of service. Sestri is one of the great secrets of Italy and the Villa Balbi is the best hotel in Sestri. Aside from the great location and amenities, the service at the desk is world-class. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The building is old and the air condition did not work well in all 3 rooms we reserved. We had to change to smaller rooms where the air condition can work. However the hotel was very convenient to everything and was very nice. I would have a second thought of returning because of air condition. We also had door lock problem twice
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

jack

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful hotel very friendly and helpful staff beautiful surroundings
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stunning building, brilliant staff. Breakfast is so good. The beach club is excellent and great value. Would definitely visit Sestri Levante and this hotel again.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice property! The person at the front desk was professional and truly caring. Breakfast was great and there is even a reduced rate at the beach across the street for hotel guests! Room was nice, bed comfortable, the only annoying thing is that although the bathroom tissue holder is lovely to look at, the paper falls off each time you use it! A great stay overall!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect
Perfectly positioned for the bars and restaurants. Staff very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

per

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great if you like history and good service
Very good hotel. 300 years old Villa (Big estate building) that was turned into a hotel in 1947. Tall curved ceilings with arches in the lobby and lots of antiques around the common areas. Service was exellent. Restaurant staff were very service minded and remembered the personal preferences for coffee etc. for the next day. Very good quality breakfast buffet. Was upgraded to a very big 40 m2 room from the standard room I booked. Great central location next to the walking street and just across from the beach....parking at the back of the hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

VERENA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel is absolutely beautiful, historic and old world elegance. Service and accommodations are excellent. Parking on premises. Wish we could have stayed longer. Location is perfect, across from the beach, easy walk to the center of town and restaurants. Great visit, thank you.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Gem
This hotel was such a wonderful surprise. The town is lovely, away from the crowds of Cinque Terra, but just a 20 train ride away. Train station is within walking distance of hotel. Wonderful restaurants in the area. Would absolutely go back there.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent!
An amazing Hotel right on the water and in Center of old town. Excellent service and hospitality!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

nancy j

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy walk from train station. Lovely property and easy access to beach, boat, restaurants, shops, swimming.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy time at this hotel
Very traditional palazzo hotel with authentic furnishings and decorations, a little dated, but right for the building. Superb bed. Lovely pool. Very central but our room was quiet. Lovely staff.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Cindy, Houston, TX

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We enjoyed the location and the pool. We could easily visit the beach, many restaurants, or the town center.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautifal building, wonderful location and beach. Close to train, great staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super centre
Charming hotel. Highly efficient reception staff. Exceptionally friendly dining room. Beautifully clean bedroom and bathroom. Sestri Levante proved to be a lovely base for our nine night holiday. Centrally located for short train journeys to Santa Margherita Ligure and Camogli, bus trip to Vasari Ligure and boat trip to Quinque Terre. The station is a ten minute stroll away. There are two bays - the Bay of Silence has free access to the beach and the Bay of Fables has free access but has many typically Italian sections where you have to pay. The hotel has a lovely pool - but be aware of the occasional mosquito.
Stayed 9 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas, Melbourne Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
wonderful position centrally located
This hotel is centrally located to all amenities, including an extremely large choice of restaurants and cheap eateries. There are Michelin Star hotels here offering great food and wine lists at prices that are imminently affordable. The Esplanade provides an easy daily walk. Staff all very helpful and breakfast was always a great pleasure to enjoy under the supervision of headwaiter Francesco.
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Joshua

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traditional Villa stay
Very nice traditional villa hotel right on the sea front. Excellent breakfast under the trees shading the patio. Only stayed 3 nights but would definitely stay again. Bonus is it’s also within walking distance of the train station - about 5 mins on the flat.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old world charm
It's a class place. Pricey in high season, but a night's indulgence now and again, no bad thing. Old world charm. Channel your Ernest and Hadley and have a cocktail by the pool.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Tommy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Grand hotel, once... Service and hotel was great. Best breakfast so far in Italy. The room was dated and the bathroom had seen it's better days. For me, it was not worth the price.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, quiet but close to centre, set in large private grounds.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent location. Parking in premises at an extra 10 euros per day.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old Italian Charm
We love staying in these 'Grand Hotels' when in Italy where you can feel the old world charm of days gone by. The Villa is set in a beautiful garden and the main building which we were put in feels more like a palazzo. All the staff were super helpful and we felt very much at home. We would particularly like to mention the head waiter Francesco who made sure we were taken care of.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017