Villa d'Este

Che dire, forse tra i posti più belli ed eleganti che abbiamo in Lombardia. Un fascino unico, ottimo sia in coppia che in famiglia, anche solo per un pranzo a bordo lago. Chiaramente soggiornare presso l hotel e risvegliarsi in questo contesto vista lago non ha prezzo.

Magical! Beautiful hotel, decorations, views and gardens; Wonderful breakfast selection, room and staff. Great chef in Veranda Restaurant able to create a dish not necessarily listed on menu. Excellent pianist as well. Lovely Cioccolateria. Would maybe skip private boat tour and take a hop-on, hop-off option if possible to see more if time permits. Thanks for birthday champagne and pastries!

Stayed via Amex Centurion FHR, and to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. No upgrades since fully booked. No worries. Check in took too long, but the front desk was helpful. Had requested flowers in the room, not there. No worries as the bubbles were there... The good....Veranda staff and service, cuisine and the giant wine list are all brilliant, perhaps the only reason to visit. The bad...Lake Terrace bar under-staffed. Had to finally chase down the lone person serving many tables for a simple digestif. The ugly...Other than the bedsheets, the room was horrible. Old and falling apart. Dead mattress. Dead carpet. Air-conditioning not designed to handle July heat. And the bathroom was simply awful. Fixtures at par with a Motel 6. A plastic rotary shower mixer handle? Impossible to set water temperature in the slippy bathtub. Such oversight at such an "exclusive" hotel? Seasonal hotel does not mean you do not use the off-season to upgrade. So many jewels in Italy are falling apart. Sadly this is no exception. Passalaqua, GH Tremezzo, MO, and Il Sereno are all far better options.