This grand dame of a hotel sits prettily on the shores of Lake Como – yes, just 10 min away from where George Clooney has a summer home 🙂 This luxury resort ranks very highly on Tripadvisor and has been around for more than 100 years!

From the hotel’s archives – 106 year old resort!

The Welcome

I’ve never seen anything like it – the car dropped us off at a mirrored tunnel leading to a glass elevator. I felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland, but instead of falling down a dark rabbit hole, I was ascending into the lap of luxury.

Entrance to elevator – my outfit matched my surroundings a little too much by chance 😀

Coming out of the elevator, we were greeted with the airiest lobby I had ever seen – literally. No walls, curtains billowing in the breeze, and fresh roses everywhere.

Airy lobby indeed – no walls and an elevator!

The Rooms

It would be a shame to come all the way here and not splurge on the lake view room, which didn’t disappoint with its tasteful lavendar theme and – again – that VIEW.

Bed fit for a princess – shall I search for a pea?

Balcony overlooking the pool, lake and mountains… sigh… if only I were a poet

A special welcome with a berry tart, chilled prosecco, and that view

The Grounds

Yes, I say The Grounds because it felt like an estate. From the front, a beautiful pool juts out into the lake and is an ideal spot for swimming, tanning and reading.

Tanning is a tough activity, but somebody’s gotta do it

Meanwhile, the renovated gardens in the back made me feel, again, like Alice in Wonderland. I kept expecting the Mad Hatter to pop out.

Pool in the garden

Food-tastic

Everything tastes better when you’re sitting on a terrace this beautiful:

Oh Romeo, Romeo…

Ideal for a long, lazy lunch…

Saying ‘cheese’ at breakfast

The actual food is pretty great, too. L’Escale is an upscale BBQ and fondue joint where you can cook your own food at your table. The upstairs terrace, where breakfast is served, makes for a beautiful dining experience at sunset, too. The breakfast buffet looks like its made for royalty, with floral centerpieces and waffles made to order.

Breakfast buffet of champions

Spa-mazing

All products used are from ESPA and are “99% organic.” There’s also a gorgeous, heated indoor pool that leads outdoors – if you weren’t convinced to try the other two pools, you will want to try this one.

Here, you can master the art of ‘dolce far niente’ as the Italians are known to say – the beauty of doing nothing. I could do nothing all day long at this resort and feel pretty good about myself. 10/10!

What To Pack

Make like a Dolce & Gabbana ad and take selfies in this bright ensemble.