Royal Hotel Sanremo

Sanremo's course is Circolo Golf degli Ulivi, which lists the Royal among its affiliated hotels. Designed by Peter Gannon and opened in 1932, it climbs a hillside among olive and mimosa trees with views of the sea. It is short but narrow and demands precision: the hotel gives it as 5,203 metres, par 69. It hosted the Italian Open in the 1930s and 1940s, the European Senior Tour in 2004 and the Italian PGA Championship from 2005 to 2007.

The hotel's golf package asks for at least three nights and includes two green fees per person and a dinner. The highlight of the year is the Royal Golf Challenge on 24-25 October 2026: an individual 36-hole Stableford, with the option of a single round and, going by the 2025 edition, three categories, a cocktail party and gala dinner at the hotel on Saturday and prize-giving on Sunday. Note that the club is closed from 29 September to 9 October 2026 for aeration, reopening on 10 October.

Turin entrepreneur Lorenzo Bertolini built the hotel in an olive grove near the seafront, to plans by architect Alessandro Cantù, and opened it in 1872. Badly damaged by wartime bombing, it reopened on 25 December 1946 under the founder's grandchildren, and since 2006 it has been run by Edoardo Varese, the fifth generation. The hotel was a founding member of The Leading Hotels of the World.

Around it lies a 16,000 m² subtropical park. Gio Ponti's pool, filled with seawater heated to 27 °C, opens from April to October, and an agreement with the Blue Flag Lido Imperatrice beach means you walk to the sea along a private path. There are also a tennis court and a mini-golf course, equipment included. Nice airport is 62 km away, Sanremo station 1.8 km, and transfers can be booked on request.

Executive chef Moreno Picchietti cooks Ligurian and Mediterranean food. Fiori di Murano was the first restaurant to reopen in 1946, beneath Murano glass chandeliers. In summer it is joined by Corallina, beside the pool from April to October, with pizza and live music in the evening from June to September, and Il Giardino on the terrace. The Lawrence Lounge in the lobby serves from noon to 11 pm and takes the English form of the founder's name.

Royal Wellness has a large hydromassage pool, experience showers, a pearl-mosaic Turkish bath at 40 °C and a Vitarium at 60 °C. It is open to hotel guests daily from 10 am to 8 pm; the wet area is for adults, with access from age 16 when accompanied.

• An empress's suite: the hotel counts Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sissi, among its guests; the Exclusive Suite Sissi is 82 m² with a terrace and a gazebo that seats six for dinner.
• Glass flowers: the decorations in Fiori di Murano were designed by Mario Bertolini, the hotel's owner at the time.
• Royal guests: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden have also stayed.
• Golf by demonstration: on Tuesday 1 December 1931, two English gentlemen and two professionals showed off the game on the Ulivi hillside; the club opened on 20 February 1932.