Grand Hotel Des Bains

Riccione does not have Rimini's cinema mythology, but it has something of its own: a century of quiet European aristocracy who came not to be seen, but to be cured. The Grand Hotel Des Bains opened in the early 1900s as the Hotel dei Bagni, built to give illustrious guests somewhere proper to "take the waters" — and while the treatments have changed, the instinct hasn't. This is still a hotel built for slowing down.

Rooms
Light-filled and unmistakably Art Nouveau — small balconies, wrought iron railings, pedimented windows, marble columns throughout. The Cenni family has managed the property since 2001, restoring its early-1900s character without flattening it into a generic five-star box.

Room Pick
A rear-facing room overlooking the garden and pool, rather than the street — Riccione's beach is a two-minute walk regardless, and the garden view is the quieter version of the same holiday.

Food & Drink
Four restaurants and an American Bar, led by Executive Chef Gerardo De Bonis, whose background runs through Villa La Massa in Florence. Le Colonne and Il Caminetto handle the classic Italian ground; the poolside bar handles the aperitivo.

The Experience
The Des Bains SPA is the real draw — sensory pools, a Turkish bath, a bio-sauna, and treatments that can be booked for exclusive private use. Add the outdoor pool and landscaped garden, and this is the rare hotel where you could skip the beach entirely and not feel shortchanged.

Worth Knowing
Riccione's Viale Ceccarini — the town's fashionable promenade — is a three-minute walk, useful for evenings when the hotel's own quiet starts to feel like too much of a good thing.

Where the Grand Hotel Rimini performs, the Des Bains simply exhales — Art Nouveau elegance built for guests who came to be looked after, not looked at.