Villa D'Este

NEED TO KNOW

Set in a delightful lakefront position amid 25 acres of private gardens and wooded parkland, Villa D'Este is in Cernobbio overlooking Lake Como

The hotel has a selection of rooms and suites to suit every taste, some with private terraces or balconies

Dining options include the Veranda Restaurant and Terrace for exceptional Italian haute cuisine and The Grill for relaxed al fresco summer dining

The luxurious spa offers a range of beauty and wellness treatments, as well as saunas, Turkish baths, an indoor pool and a fitness centre

The hotel has a large floating swimming pool on the lake

Other facilities include a piano bar, a sun-deck and snack bar, a sporting club, water sports, eight tennis courts, a Helipad and, nearby, several 18-hole golf courses

Facilities for children include a children's pool close to a sandy beach and children's club for ages three to eight years (during July and August)

We recommend the Executive rooms with their lake views

THE HOTEL
The magnificent Villa d'Este, formerly a grand Renaissance-style palazzo is now a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, offering a wonderful fusion of flawless service and cuisine, architectural grandeur and sumptuous accommodation.

The 152 classically styled rooms, Junior Suites and Suites are located in the original Cardinal Building or the more intimate Queen's Pavilion, with varied garden or lake views. Every room has its own personality, based on period furniture, fine paintings adorning the walls, Como silk covered sofas and chairs, curtains in silk brocade and the finest linen sheets on the super-comfortable beds.

The public areas of the hotel are astonishing, with grand architectural details at every turn and old world charm in abundance. It is hardly surprising to find that this hotel was once the favourite playground of European royalty.

Along the jogging trail that winds through the park spot the series of fortresses and towers built in accordance with Vittoria Peluso's will for her Napoleonic General husband. She feared that after the war he may suffer war nostalgia and boredom.