Found this hotel on Tripadvisor and it was a better than expected. Easy to find by car or train with a small parking lot. Best to park car and forget about it. The grounds were beautiful and staff very friendly. We stayed in the annex and loved it. A short walk from the main hotel, the room was basic but large and clean with nice size bathroom. Would stay in the annex again if we return, liked the sea view and gardens outside our room. Location was terrific, easy access to restaurants, ferry, train and bus. Great location for an early morning run or walk. A healthy walk to Portofino from the hotel and an easy ferry ride to San Fruttuoso Abbey (another pleasant surprise).. Very well priced for the area. Stayed three weeks in Italy and this was a very pleasant and relaxing place to stay.

I chose this hotel because it was offered with a very good rate on one of the booking websites. Because of a rail strike later in the day, we arrived at this hotel at 7.30am after an easy walk from the station. We were very grateful to be given access to our room straight away. It was in the annex but this was not a drawback - fully compensated for by the spectacular views across the magnificent bay. My husband watched all the movement of ships on the bay with great interest. We stayed here mainly to be able to visit Portofino, to which we caught a ferry. No hotel we saw in Portofino had such a good position as the Metropole.

I chose this hotel largely based on the Tripadvisor reviews - as always, Tripadvisor was spot on. I was at first a bit concerned that Santa Margherita was too far a commute from Cinque Terre, and debated staying in one of the five villages. In hindsight, Santa Margherita - and the Metropole specifically - were the perfect base from which to see the five towns, which require no more than a day trip.
Santa Margherita Ligure is a charming town, with a lot more to offer in both ambiance and options than any of the small villages of the Cinque Terre - the ambiance of the Cinque has been stamped out by hoards of tourists, though they are still worth a day trip.
The Metropole is a fabulous hotel, with consistently friendly staff, reasonable rates, spacious rooms, an ample buffet breakfast, a stunning pool and situated perfectly on the Santa Margherita bay, within easy walking distance of numerous dining options and bars, and a <5 minute walk to the train station (with frequent, direct trains to Cinque Terre).
You can also reach Portofino by foot, a stunning 5 kilometer walk or run along the coast.
The Metropole, and Santa Margherita, were highlights of my trip to Cinque Terre. I hope to return again, and again.

We drove from Lake Como to Santa Margerita Ligure and found this hotel beautifully positioned on the sea. We got a sea view room with a large sun deck/ balcony looking right at the ocean. Room was smallish but comfortable and in a separate building to main hotel. best thing was it was only a ten minute walk to town and some of the most amazing restaurants in Italy, namely Antonios and L'Insolita Zuppa. A ferry ride to Portofino (overrated) and great ocean swimming in front of hotel. The pool was small but very inviting, breakfast was complimentary and adequate. The train station was a 5 minute walk away and we suggest a visit to Comoglia, where you should take a swim and browse the funky shops. We had a car and only didn't use it once in our 4 day stay, but needed it to drive back to Milan for our flight to Sicily. It's not necessay here.