I’m writing this blog as I sit in my hotel lobby in Sanremo, Italy, waiting for my taxi to Nice, where I will begin my long journey back to Australia. For the past 10 days I’ve been in Sanremo for the PokerStars.it European Poker Tour. When flying all the way to Italy from Australia, it would have been crazy of me to not extend my stay a few days to be able to take the time and explore, so Team PokerStars Pro Angel Guillen and I did just that. The original plan for our days off was to spend an afternoon or two in nearby towns, but we loved Sanremo so much that we stayed here the entire time.

Sanremo is a pretty small town, so it’s easy to explore on foot. La Pigna (The Pine Cone) is the oldest part of town, and the center of almost everything you need to see. Getting lost throughout these streets narrow streets was simply awesome, as you climb the steep hills and find yourself up atop of the entire city. Check out the following to see exactly what a mean:

We stayed at Hotel Miramare Continental Palace for 10 nights. The hotel is an old castle from the 1800s, overlooking the beach, and just a short walk from the casino. Our room had the most beautiful double doors that opened out to a balcony with a view of the beach — I loved it! While I haven’t stayed anywhere else in Sanremo, I still could not recommend this hotel enough — provided that you receive a room with a balcony. It’s well priced; a basic continental breakfast is included and lovely hotel staff. Just make sure you get a spacious room — as every room is completely different. A couple of my teammates at PokerNews were not as lucky and were squashed into what felt like a closet.

While I’ve been here, the amount that everyone has been raving about Ristaurante Mare Blu has been beyond belief. The key to its popularity, on top of the fantastic menu, is that in recent years, the clever owner recognized that the demand for adjusting the menu to cater for the hundreds of poker players in town for these two weeks each year, was a huge business. They adjusted their schedule and menu to suit poker players on a limited dinner break, with a featured ravioli dish that is guaranteed to be served up in speedy time. Sarah Grant and I paid the restaurant a visit to see what all the fuss was about:

Casino San Remo is situated right in the center of La Pigna, and was conveniently our office for the EPT, which drew in 797 players who each paid €5,000 to take part in the Main Event. It was an absolute festival of poker last week with excellent side events drawing in huge fields and awarding millions and millions of euros. The main spotlight was on the Main Event though, and the ever-so-deserving Frenchman, Ludovic Lacay was the one to take that title. Here is my interview with him straight after his win.

Thanks for reading my blog, now it’s time for me to head home and get ready for ANZPT Melbourne at Crown Casino!

Back to Top