The Villa Magnolia in Lovran is the real “Hotel Portofino”: filming locations and where to stay

German channel ONE will rerun all three seasons of “Hotel Portofino”, the British series first released in 2022, from Tuesday 13 October 2026. The 1920s Italian Riviera hotel is in fact a Croatian villa built in 1904-1906, the Villa Magnolia, in Lovran. It cannot be booked, but two historic hotels next to the filming locations let you stay right on the spot.

☰Contents

1. A 1904 villa plays the Hotel Portofino
2. Where was Hotel Portofino filmed?
3. Hotel Kvarner, open since 1884 in Opatija
4. A ballroom for 950 guests
5. Villa Astra, eight rooms on the same street
6. Kvarner or Villa Astra: which to choose?

A 1904 villa plays the Hotel Portofino

Created and written by Matt Baker and produced by Eagle Eye Drama, the series follows Bella Ainsworth (Natascha McElhone), who runs a hotel for English guests in 1920s Portofino as fascism rises. The hotel’s façade is that of the Villa Magnolia, at 3 Viktora cara Emina street in Lovran. Designed by the architect Karl Seidl and built from 1904 to 1906 for Baroness Luise Klein Wusenburg, it has two storeys, loggias and a decorated portico by the sea, with a small fisherman’s cottage in the garden.

The villa has no official website and no rooms on sale on booking platforms as of 12 October 2026: you admire it from the street or the Lungomare, but you cannot sleep there.

Where was Hotel Portofino filmed?

According to the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, season 1 was shot in 2021 over 61 days with 192 Croatian crew members, in Bale, Rovinj, Matulji, Opatija, Lovran, Pula and Rijeka. Season 2, in summer 2022, returned to Lovran, “where the villa that plays the Hotel Portofino stands”, then moved on to Matulji, Grožnjan, Belaj, Rijeka and Zagreb, including the ceremonial hall of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, with more than 800 extras.

Season 3 followed from June to September 2023, across Lovran, Opatija, Klana, Istria and Zagreb. In Rijeka, the city lists the Governor’s Palace, the State Archives, Grivica Square, Rijeka Resolution Square and the Potok district. In Opatija, the crew filmed outside the former Casino Rosalia, in Angiolina Park and its bandstand, at the little harbour (Portić) and along the Lungomare. Portofino itself supplied only a few shots: Castello Brown, the lighthouse and the piazzetta.

Hotel Kvarner, open since 1884 in Opatija

Hotel Kvarner does not appear as a set in the series, but it stands on the Lungomare, a stone’s throw from Angiolina Park. According to its operator Liburnia Riviera Hotels, it was the first hotel built on the Adriatic coast, in 1884, by the Southern Railway company (Südbahn); it welcomed Emperor Franz Joseph and the dancer Isadora Duncan. This four-star hotel has 55 rooms and suites.

A ballroom for 950 guests

The Crystal Hall, the largest ballroom in Opatija, holds up to 950 people. In spring 2026, the hotel opened a new 9 by 9 metre outdoor pool and redesigned its Mediterranean restaurant terrace; there is also an indoor pool, a Finnish sauna, a hammam and a VIP treatment room for two with a jacuzzi.

Villa Astra, eight rooms on the same street

In Lovran, Hotel Villa Astra stands at 11 Viktora cara Emina street, the very street of the Villa Magnolia. This Venetian Gothic villa was built from 1903 to 1905 by the architect Renato Renosco and the master builder Attilio Maguolo. A member of Historic Hotels of Europe, it has just 8 rooms, a pool open from May to October, massages and a private cove on the Lungomare. For a larger-scale stay on the same bay, see the Mövenpick Resort Kvarner Bay.

Kvarner or Villa Astra: which to choose?

For the night of Friday 23 to Saturday 24 October 2026, for two with breakfast, on 12 October we found €268 at Hotel Kvarner (superior double, garden side, free cancellation) and €276 at Villa Astra (twin beds, sea-view balcony). The Kvarner puts you in the heart of Opatija, near the Casino Rosalia and Angiolina Park; Villa Astra is just a few doors from the villa in the series.

The series is not shown on television in France, where its 18 episodes are available to rent on demand. Other series have their hotels too: find them in our guide to hotels from series and films, and see the Dr. Nice hotel on the Flensburg Fjord, another series seen on German screens.