Lake Como
Italy


The Experience

A truly grand hotel in every sense of the word, this cream-colored neoclassical palazzo, built in 1568, has been a magnet for the world's famous and fabulous since it opened in 1873. Set behind tall iron gates on the shores of Lake Como (George Clooney and Donatella are nearby homeowners), the property has a very glamorous feel -- from the jaw-dropping decor (all rich jewel tones, polished marble and Venetian glass) to the stylish clientele (Prada-toting women in Audrey Hepburn sunglasses and men in impeccably tailored Zegna blazers).

The Rooms

There are 133 rooms in the main building and 33 in the Queen's Pavilion, an adjacent lakeside villa that dates from 1856, and no two are alike. Each is charmingly done with Italian antiques and sumptuous fabrics -- custom-ordered silks, velvets, damasks, linen and cottons from the major houses in Italy, France and England. A large corner room on the third floor of the Queen's Pavilion has a small walled garden, and a one-bedroom suite down the hall has French doors that open onto a Juliet balcony. In high season (June-September), the coveted lakeview rooms are booked months in advance.

The Service

Given the flawless pedigree and high staff-to-guest ratio, you'd be right to expect perfection -- which is why the occasional lapses in follow-through can be irritating. No turndown service one night, for instance, a lack of fresh towels on another. And who would imagine a salade niçoise would come with canned tuna? On the flip side, the team of concierges is friendly, helpful and remarkably unruffled, smoothly handling incessantly ringing phones and impatient guests in a multitude of languages.

The Highlights

Resist the temptation to travel too far afield; after a private boat tour of the lake and a visit to Como's silk factories, reward yourself with an afternoon siesta at the hotel's singular swimming pool, which floats on giant pontoons. Take a stroll along the cypress- and magnolia-lined allee, past the aromatic herb garden up to a statue of Hercules. Dine on seafood risotto and veal Milanese at the formal Vernada restaurant (jacket and tie required), followed by a nightcap on the lake terrace, where you'll be enveloped by the heady scent of jasmine and the subtle strains of a big band serenade.

-- Jamie Marshall

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