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We loved the Italian Riviera town of Camogli so much that we couldn’t leave, even after a week.
So we extended our stay with a weekend at the fancy hotel perched on a cliff above the beach that we’d been eying up all week.
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi did not disappoint. While it is expensive, it has lots of perks, including stunning views, a heated pool, and a private beach.
It’s ideal for an elegant but relaxing break, with easy access to the town and station if you want to explore.
In this Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi review, I share the pros and cons of the hotel, including our thoughts on its rooms, location, restaurants, facilities, and more.
Contents
Location of Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi is located in the small seaside town of Camogli in Liguria, Italy.
It’s situated at one end of Camogli Beach with fantastic views of the town including the colourful seafront houses, church, castle, and mountains beyond.
Camogli is a wonderful base for exploring the Italian Riviera. You can easily visit San Fruttuoso, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Rapallo by train or ferry.
There are some lovely hiking trails from town—our favourite is the Camogli to San Fruttuoso hike (then take the ferry back).
The Cinque Terre villages are about an hour away by train (usually with a change) and also have great hikes (such as from Corniglia to Manarola via the vineyards of Volastra).
Genoa is about 50 minutes by train and has the nearest airport.
It’s easy to reach Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi by train as it’s only a few minutes’ walk from the station. There’s a lift opposite Camogli Station that takes you down to sea level where the hotel is located, so you can avoid the stairs.
If you are driving, the hotel has a free car park, which is rare in Camogli.
Camogli is very small so you can walk from the hotel to all the restaurants and bars.
History of the Hotel
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi’s history dates back to 1565 when it was a holiday villa of the powerful Dogi family that ruled large parts of Italy at the time.
In the late 18th century, it was divided into two villas and sold off separately, but in the 1920s, Emilio De Ferrari reunited both villas to transform them into a luxury hotel.
The hotel finally opened in 1956.
Our Room at Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi
Room types at Hotel Cenobio vary widely, from standard rooms without sea views to large suites with separate bedrooms.
We were happy with our Standard Double Room with Sea View and Balcony. I do recommend getting a sea view if you can.
Our room was in the main yellow villa (there’s also a pink villa next to the pool) on the third (top) floor or attic.
There’s a lift up from reception, but we found it quicker to take the stairs, especially when we wanted to use the back entrance to get to the pool quickly (rather than going through the bar).
The corridors in the building are quite dark, but it’s an old building and that no doubt helps keep it cool.
Our first impression was that the room was fine but nothing special. At 26 sqm, it wasn’t huge but was big enough for the two of us.
Decor was fairly plain with white bedding, light grey walls, and cream coloured wooden furniture. I did like the parquet floors.
The room very much grew on us, though, and we didn’t want to leave.
The highlight is the sea view. We could lie in bed with the balcony doors open and see the sea. We left them cracked open at night and found the sound of gentle waves soothing.
There was a table and chairs on the balcony, which was a lovely place to relax and has perfect sunset views.
On the attic floor, the balcony walls are high so you have to lean out to see Camogli Beach and the town, but it feels very private.
The queen-sized bed was very comfortable with super soft sheets and a couple of good pillows each (not always a given in Italy).
There was also a small table in the room with two comfortable chairs—good for working or ordering room service.
We had two wardrobes (one with shelves), a stocked mini bar (€3.50 for a small water or soft drink, €4 for a beer), a kettle with a selection of tea bags (but only Nescafe for coffee), a luggage rack, and air conditioning. A TV was mounted on the wall.
The bathroom was nice and very clean. We loved the powerful shower with rain and handheld shower heads. The Culti toiletries (in small bottles) smelled lovely. Bathrobes were provided.
My only complaint is that I would have liked some hooks on the door. The only place for towels was the towel rail at the end of the shower. It worked fine, but at the beach, you always need somewhere to hang wet gear.
In the end, we loved our room and would choose that category again as we appreciated the sea view and balcony.
There are rooms on lower floors with larger terraces, but some of them overlook the pool—convenient for swimming but much less private and further back from the sea.
Swimming Pool
The salt water pool at Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi is a lovely place to relax. It’s a decent size with lots of sun loungers around it, some with views of Camogli Beach.
In May, we never had a problem finding a place to sit, but in July and August that might be different (you can pay to reserve a spot).
The pool is heated to 28ºC from October to May, which Simon appreciated as the sea was 18-20ºC in May and a little cold for him (perfect for me, though).
The pool hours are limited. In the summer, it’s open from 9am-6pm, and in winter from 10am-5pm.
It’s a shame not being able to have an early morning swim, but I went down to the beach instead and swam across the bay, which was nicer anyway.
Private Beach
The private beach is my favourite aspect of Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi. It’s a tranquil place to relax and swim.
From the pool, take the stairs down to find it. You’ll pass changing rooms, toilets, and a restaurant on the way.
The pebble beach is quite large with lots of sun loungers and umbrellas spread over two sections. It’s totally separate from Camogli’s public beach, although just around the corner.
If you sit on the far right you’ll have a beautiful Camogli view.
It was never busy on a May weekend (much quieter than the pool). While it will be busier in summer, I think sunbeds on the beach are guaranteed for each room—a useful perk in high season.
There are QR codes at the loungers to order drinks, but they weren’t working on our visit. Someone did come by once to ask if we needed anything.
There’s also a beach kiosk for snacks that’s open in the summer months.
Restaurants
There are four restaurants at the hotel, but most of them only open in the summer.
Il Doge Restaurant
Il Doge is the main restaurant and is open year-round. It has a prime location with big windows overlooking the sea and Camogli.
Breakfast
The breakfast buffet was included in our room rate and was served in Il Doge from 7am to 10.30am. You can also order breakfast to your room for an extra charge of €12 per person.
We really enjoyed the buffet. There’s an incredible range of cakes and pastries (I counted at least 20) plus various focaccia (this Ligurian speciality is a must), fruit, cheese, cold meats, and cereal. There was even a vegan croissant.
As usual in Italy, hot food is limited, but they did have bacon, scrambled eggs, and boiled eggs.
Dinner
We loved dinner at Il Doge so much that we ate there twice (despite the fairly high cost).
You definitely want to make a reservation and request a window table. Try to time it just before sunset, but bring sunglasses! The sunset view is one of the best in Camogli.
Il Doge has a much larger choice for vegetarians than other restaurants in the area.
We ate a lot of pesto in Liguria, and the trofie pesto at Il Doge was the best we had—I had to order it again on the second night. The gnocchi with butter and sage was also excellent.
For a main course, we ordered grilled vegetables and potato mousse to share and they were the creamiest mashed potatoes we’ve ever had!
Terrazza Bar
The hotel’s Terrazza bar is located near the pool. It was open for lunch in May.
There are some sofas and tables inside, but the highlight is the tables on the terrace with wonderful views. This is a great aperitivo spot.
Unfortunately, the lunch menu was more formal than we wanted, so we didn’t eat there.
We really wanted something casual to eat by the pool, so we had to go into town to get some focaccia. Everything is close by, but it would have been nice to stay in the hotel’s bubble and not leave the pool for a snack.
La Playa Beach Restaurant
The beach restaurant looked like it had great sea views, but it’s only open June to September (lunch and dinner).
Il Chiosco on the Beach
The casual beach kiosk is supposed to be open from May to October in the afternoon and early evening, but it didn’t seem to be open in May.
It has a small menu of sandwiches, salads, fries, and ice cream.
Other Facilities
The hotel doesn’t have a huge amount of facilities (there’s no gym) or organised activities, but you can always ask the staff to arrange activities in the area.
It’s also easy to explore independently.
There is a small beauty centre where you can arrange massages and treatments. A 60-minute massage costs €90, and a manicure is €25.
The free parking is a big perk in Camogli.
There are lots of meeting and event rooms, and there were a couple of weddings and gatherings during our stay.
Note that you have to download the official app to have access to all the hotel information including restaurant menus.
The hotel are happy to store your luggage if you arrive before the 2pm check-in time. We were able to head to the pool, and then they texted us when our room was ready and took our luggage up.
Check out is at 12pm, which is fairly generous for Italy.
Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi Pros and Cons
Pros
- Elegant, comfortable rooms.
- Sea views and balconies in some rooms.
- Beautiful views of Camogli.
- Private beach with sun loungers and umbrellas.
- Salt water pool (heated in the cooler months).
- Excellent onsite restaurant with stunning views.
- Great breakfast buffet (if you have a sweet tooth).
- Friendly staff.
- Easy access to Camogli Train Station and everywhere in town.
- Free onsite parking.
Cons
- It’s pricey.
- No casual place for lunch outside of summer.
- Limited pool hours (no early morning or late night swims).
- No gym (not that we wanted one!).
Cost of Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi
Hotel Cenobio is one of the more expensive hotels in Camogli (but still cheaper than nearby Portofino).
On a weekend in mid-May, our standard double room with sea view and balcony cost €428 a night including breakfast. Weekdays are usually cheaper.
August is the most expensive month (our room would be €650).
You can get some great deals in winter, but I recommend the shoulder months (April/May or September/October) for better weather.
It’s a popular hotel, so be sure to book far in advance for the summer, or if you want a particular room.
Check prices and availability of Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi on Booking.com.
Or direct on the Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi website.
Final Thoughts
We absolutely loved Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi and would love to return for a longer stay.
The location and views are exceptional, our room was very comfortable, and the food was delicious.
It’s perfect for a relaxing trip where you can combine time at the pool or private beach with exploring the beautiful hikes and other towns of the Italian Riviera.
More Italian Riviera Posts
Read more about this beautiful part of Italy with our other posts:
Camogli
Elsewhere on the Italian Riviera
