La Francesca Resort in Bonassola, Liguria (Italian Riviera)

 

Just after the Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare), the rocky and hilly coastline continues on to Levanto then to Bonassola where La Francesca Resort is set amidst the Parco Naturale del Bracco-Mesco, a protected natural woods of Mediterannean maquis and pines. La Francesca covers 15 hectares of land facing the Ligurian Sea and is in the middle of Levanto and Bonassola connected by a 4 km. foot and tunnel path that used to be an old railroad connection between the two towns.

Because it is situated in a big hillside area, you need to walk around the resort so be ready for the uphill ones (downhill is easy!). A few meters from the entrance, there is a common parking lot where you leave your car. The bungalows are scattered about, all facing the sea. They are basic, with a sitting room, dining area, bathroom, a bedroom (or bedrooms, depending on the capacity of your bungalow), a balcony (in our case at 604 bis, we didn't have any) and an equipped kitchenette to attend to your cooking and eating needs.  

Our room shares the same house as 604 and it is located on the lower part. It has two bedrooms, one with bunk beds and another one with a double bed. There's a bathroom, a kitchenette and a sitting room with a sofa and a dining table for 3/4.

 

If there's something lacking, you can buy your supplies at the resort's minimarket which is adjacent to the bar. The minimarket has some fresh and dry food supplies as well as cleaning and bathroom things that you might need during your stay. 

Eating won't pose as a problem if you don't want to cook during your stay. There is a restaurant (open only for dinners) halfway down the hill where you can enjoy a splendid view of the sea and the cliffs at the big terrace while eating. We were there on a Monday night so the restaurant was closed but I read that you can have good local seafood dishes there. 

 

On Monday nights, when the restaurant is closed, the resort provides the possibility to have round pizzas baked in their outdoor brick oven. However, they are for take-away, so order ahead to set the time you want to get them, pick them up (right across the bar) then enjoy them in your own bungalow.

We arrived late in the afternoon and left first thing in the morning the following day so we were not able to do any of the activities offered by the resort. However, we were able to see the swimming pool on top of the hill (close to the reception), see the tennis court right across the parking lot, see the beach and the foot path between Levanto and Bonassola from the terrace of the restaurant. Since we have kids, one of the first things we went to was the playground (right next to the mini market).

Apart from the ones we saw, it was written that there are also bowling facilities, a small indoor gym, tennis table, minigolf, football and volleyball court. So if the beach, the walk nor the swimming pool don't appeal to you, there are other activities to plunge yourself into.

Our stay was offered by the hotel proprietor to give us an experience of how a holiday in La Francesca Resort is like. What is written here is based on my own opinion. If you have any questions or booking needs, go to the official site of La Francesca Resort.