I stayed here at the end of August/beginning of September so it was still nice & warm. The hotel is a 15-minute walk (approx) from the train station. My friend and I chose to walk, dragging our luggage behind us. It wasn't too bad. The hotel is located right by the water, and there are incredible views from the breakfast room/restaurant dining room. We got upgraded to a sea-view room. In order to see the water, we had to go on our balcony and look south. We were directly across a park with beautiful palm trees so the view was still pretty great. The room itself was definitely dated. Don't expect a fancy boutique hotel. The furniture showed its age, as did the linens, but it was clean and taken care of by lovely Italian ladies. The bathroom looked like it was from the 70's, with no shower, just a bathtub with a long hose, and a very ancient hairdryer. The towels were quite worn (not soft).
Things we loved: the rooftop with proper loungechairs for tanning - we paid for regular chairs at the beach (around 6-10 euros); at night, the lights of the town are beautiful from up there. Also, breakfast!! It totally beats american continental breakfasts anyday. The waiters look like they could star in their own comedy show (physical comedy, that is) and I think I wrote a screenplay in my head for them while I was there. There were lots of sweets, which I loved, and THE MOST AMAZING CROISSANTS I have ever had (and that's saying a lot, seeing as how we had just come from France) - they have a subtle flavor of lemons woven into them, and they serve them warm out of the oven. They only put a few out at a time so keep your eye out for them! There is also great coffee (besides the great coffee that you can get yourself, you can also order espresso & lattes from the kitchen) and toast/cheese/meats. And, as I mentioned, the view of the water is amazing. I found the staff to be quite friendly and helpful, mostly family members, I believe. The one very negative thing - the wifi is more than spotty, it hardly worked during the entire 5 days we were there. Also - we didn't have a fridge in our room, so we asked for some ice to chill our Italian wine, and the manager gave us one bowl of ice! We did our best, but ultimately the sparkling wine was still warm.

San Remo has really good restaurants -- we went to Spaccanapoli for pizza (stupendous), Antica Trattoria Nuovo Piccolo Mondo for pasta (I had penne all' Arrabbiata - fantastically spicy), Vela D'Oro (we got a 20 euro deal, with lasagne al forno, dessert - dolce del giorno, and a glass of local wine) - my personal favorite. Just a few places we tried :) There are grocery stores but you've got to leave the touristy area. Head just north of where the famous markets are... we found some in that area that have much better prices than places more central to the beach. Last piece of advice - plan your meals well! Don't get caught hungry during the siesta time... :)