Grand Hotel Residence S.I.V.A — Hotel in Santo Stefano d'Aveto

This hotel is located in Santo Stefano d'Aveto, at the head of the Aveto valley where the Appenines are at their highest. The views from the hotel are spectacular - fold after fold of mountains going into the distance which change colour and texture throughout the day.||||We were greeted warmly upon arrival and told we could park anywhere we liked in the extensive grounds surrounding the hotel. Indeed, the grounds contain gardens, lawns, a swimming pool, groves of large trees and walkways, and little groups of chairs and tables where you can sip a cold drink while gazing out over the valley. There were many elderly clients, mostly escaping from the heat of Genova into the mountain cool.||||Inside, the place is big - a very spacious lobby leading to wide stairs and public rooms. Everywhere there are dozens of paintings crammed on to the walls - from classical copies to modern works. Clearly the choices were made by people who knew quality. This is a real feature of the hotel.||||The room was a good size, clean, quiet and comfortable. Breakfast was extensive. The fresh bread was delicious, and there were plenty of the usual eggs, cold meats, yogurts and cakes.||||On arrival we were told that the dinner menu was fairly restricted - mostly because the longer stay clients were elderly and limited in their choice of cuisine. However, if we chose, the hotel suggested a couple or restaurants in the town and would give us a voucher which would take 10% off the price. We accepted this and later took the short walk down into the town - and ate well.||||All the staff were warm and helpful and professional.||||The surprise is that the Grand Hotel Siva opens only for the months of July and August. The rest of the year it rents out apartments for longer stays. ||If you are travelling anywhere near it we recommend it for the spectacular location and the calm and comfortable environment. A...

We were quite surprised when we arrived at the Grand Hotel Siva. We selected this area as it was between Genoa and Milan as we were travelling to Milan the following day.||On our arrival we were vey surprised with the large number of elderly people staying at the hotel, only to learn from the friendly staff that many of them live locally and come to stay at Siva during the hot summer. it was certainly cooler staying up in the mountains and the beautiful drive and views of forest and rolling hills made the trip.||The dinner was nice and breakfast plentiful. A few of the staff spoke english and they were very helpful.||The room was comfortable and clean. The hotel is very old, but functional.||Wifi did not work too well in our room, but it worked in the foyer and bar area...

This hotel is run by a very warm & helpful family. It has two large, main buildings - the hotel & residences. We stayed in a very comfortable & spacious, fully equipped family unit with all necessary cooking facilities provided. There is also a local village trattoria “Sta Rita”only 3 minutes walk up the road. Excellent breakfast was provided in large hotel dining room. Ample parking in front of the units. |This unspoilt ski resort town is at 1017m. It is only some 30km north of Gulf of Genoa. Spectacular views from our unit. There are many scenic drives with easy reach of this town. We can strongly recommend this...