Hotel Excelsior

Look, I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels along the Tuscan coast, and honestly? Hotel Excelsior kind of surprised me. You know that spot right where Via Cesare Battisti meets the marina area in Massa – well, that’s exactly where this place sits, and I mean *exactly*. When I first walked up, I wasn’t expecting much from the outside (it’s got that classic Italian hotel facade that could go either way), but the moment you step inside, there’s this immediate sense that someone actually cares about this place.

The thing about Marina di Massa is that it’s not your typical tourist trap – it’s where Italians actually go for vacation, which means the standards are different. Higher, honestly. The Excelsior gets this. My room faced the Apuan Alps, and I’d wake up to this incredible view of marble-white peaks that most people don’t even know exist. The staff here… well, they’re not just going through the motions. The front desk guy (I think his name was Marco?) actually drew me a little map showing the best gelato spot three blocks down on Via Alberica – not the touristy one everyone hits, but the place where locals line up at 9 PM. That’s the kind of detail that makes a difference.

What really sold me though was the breakfast terrace. I mean, you’re literally eating fresh cornetti while looking out at the Ligurian Sea, and there’s this perfect morning light that hits the water around 7:30 AM. The coffee’s proper Italian strong – none of that watered-down hotel stuff – and they’ve got this local honey that apparently comes from hives up in the hills behind Carrara. Small thing, but it matters. The beach access is actually decent too, which is rare for this stretch of coast. You don’t have to navigate through a maze of private lidos; there’s a pretty direct path that the hotel maintains. Parking was surprisingly painless (and free, which is practically unheard of in July), though I’d still recommend getting there before evening if you’re driving up from Pisa. The whole area gets busy around dinner time, especially during the marble festival season. One tiny complaint – the elevator’s a bit sluggish, but honestly, in a four-star place that nails everything else and earns a 9 rating from actual guests? I can live with waiting an extra thirty seconds. This is the kind of place where you end up extending your stay.