Grand Imperiale

Grand Imperiale

Check-in at Grand Imperiale runs from three in the afternoon, and within minutes you could be at the hotel's own beach club, Remo, a three-minute walk away with thirty-five tents, thirty-four cabins, a separate pool set inside its own garden, and a beachfront kitchen serving light lunches. That combination, a full private beach club paired with forty-six rooms across four floors in the middle of town, is not something every Forte dei Marmi hotel offers; guests get the boutiques and restaurants on foot as well as the sand, without booking a cabana somewhere else. Rooms range from a 301-square-foot Deluxe Double to a 969-square-foot Standard Family Suite, most with private bathrooms, safes and toiletries, though none of the listings specify occupancy, so anyone travelling with children should confirm bed setup before booking. The spa keeps a doctor and first-aid kit on hand alongside the sauna, steam room and massage rooms, more useful for families or older travellers than for a couple booking a single facial. Staff speak seven languages, from Arabic to Russian, and the concierge arranges excursions that go beyond a taxi ride, among them 4x4 trips into the Carrara marble quarries and hot-air balloon flights over the vineyards and cypresses below. The Apuan Alps rise directly behind the property, visible from the pool deck long after the beach umbrellas close for the day. This suits travellers who want full resort service without living inside a resort compound, cut off from the town around it. It suits less anyone hoping to step from their room straight onto sand, or anyone unwilling to pay thirty euros a day for parking. Pets are welcome for a fee. Grand Imperiale pairs a central Forte dei Marmi address with its own beach club three minutes away and a spa that keeps a doctor on call. Good for travellers who want resort service without leaving town; less so anyone wanting sand right outside the door.